Wellington cycle plans are on the right track

Afew times a week I find myself commuting from Newtown into the CBD by bike. The journey starts near the zoo, past the council flats where, on some occasions, I have nearly been collected by a motorist who has forgotten to give way before driving into Newtown Park. The scariest was a police car in mid-pursuit.

There is a roundabout a few metres down the road. Even though road rules state that motorists give way to traffic coming in a clockwise direction, every cyclist knows to check that the cars hooning down Russell Tce to their left have seen them. Cyclists have a good run down Riddiford St, though the lights are slow, car traffic is often gridlocked, and some pedestrians don’t check for bikes when crossing, as there are no clearly marked bike lanes.

Just before the hospital, the turn into Hall St is a hidden trap. As you are trying to be a good cyclist and keep left, cars on your right often turn left in front of you without looking. I once found myself sitting on a turning motorist’s bonnet.

Adelaide Rd is relatively wide at the city end, though the speed and proximity of passing cars can be off-putting. If you keep too far to the left, you end up playing car-door lotto. Ride too far to the right and you could get swiped by a speeding car.

The Basin roundabout is hard work, and you take your life into your hands if you change lanes. Some cyclists stop, get off, cross the road, go inside the Basin, check that one side isn’t closed to bikes, go the other way then wait ages to get back on to Cambridge Tce. Easy.

You can occasionally experience road rage from impatient motorists roaring up the roundabout before they wait 10 minutes during the peak-hour traffic jam before the Arras Tunnel. By peak hour, as far as the Basin is concerned, I mean 7.30-9am and 3-6.30pm during the week, and all weekend.

It’s fair to say I am delighted that the council has engaged with the community and asked for feedback on its cycling plans for Newtown, Berhampore and Mt Cook. There are three options offered that all include protected bike lanes on key

routes. There are some two-way cycle lanes on one side of the road, which minimises parking loss, and even an off-road lane through the Town Belt – great if you’re not commuting in business attire. All three options will involve a loss of car parks.

However, the council points out that these three options are just drafts. The final plan may involve combinations of the options, depending on feedback received.

Cyclists have generally applauded the council’s approach. Protected cycle lanes, found in all three options, are probably the single best way to improve safety. They also put motorists at ease as it is unlikely that they will hit a cyclist. However, two-way lanes on one side of the road are not as popular, and they can increase the risk of cyclists colliding with each other, especially when steep hills are involved.

But in some cases, two-ways might work well in a narrow road, and are better than, as one option suggests for narrow Berhampore streets, completely unprotected bike lanes.

Motorists, residents and businesses are worried by the loss of parking that cycle lanes may cause. Let’s hope the council engages well with residents, as it did in Crawford Rd recently. As for businesses, most evidence shows that, if more people are cycling, walking and using public transport, retail benefits. A recent article in the loony environmentalist Forbes magazine found that, in London, cyclists spent 40 per cent more than motorists in the cycle-friendly shopping areas.

Will losing car parks ruin businesses? I suspect not. I love the small shops in Newtown, Berhampore and Island Bay, and hope that the large number of dwellings now being built will more than compensate for the loss of car parks from cycle lanes. Funnily enough, the biggest impact on retail in recent times that I can see in my hood has been roadworks. And let’s remember that Amazon doesn’t provide any car parks for customers.

Has anyone worked out how much Newtown/ Mt Cook parking the hospital is gobbling up as new construction greatly reduces the number of available car parks? And bear in mind that, every time a cyclist rides by, they’re freeing up a car park by not using their car.

Whether you’re a cyclist wanting a safer commute, a motorist worried about parking loss, or a resident looking to zap around on an electric scooter, you should make your opinions known.

In the meantime, look forward to more Wellingtonians using public transport, Onzos, hire electric scooters, e-bikes, car shares and things not yet invented. Let’s also congratulate the council for learning from their mistakes and endeavouring to make much-needed change in, so far, a constructive and democratic way.