Cycleway plans revealed
Long-awaited plans to extend Wellington’s Island Bay cycleway north to the Basin Reserve have been revealed.
Wellington City Council has released three design options for the cycleway that will run through Newtown and Berhampore, and possibly Mt Cook.
The proposed routes would all result in a loss of car parking, with the most direct route potentially wiping out up to 605 spaces.
Those options are now open for public consultation, with a preferred route to be developed early next year.
Wellington City councillor Sarah Free, who holds the council’s walking, cycling and public transport portfolio, said the options were developed after consultation with residents earlier this year.
‘‘Eighty-five per cent said it was important or very important to make it easier and safer for more people to ride bikes in and around the wider Newtown area.
‘‘It’s now time to work together to develop the best possible plan for how we are going to do that.’’
‘I prefer to live’
Newtown resident Hariata Hema can’t wait for the ‘‘desperately needed’’ cycleway between Newtown and central Wellington, which she says is far too dangerous for cyclists at the moment.
‘‘I ride on the footpath, which is illegal. The reason I ride on the footpath is because I prefer to live.’’
Hema cycles from her home in Colville St to central Wellington
and back several days a week, and said a separated route was long overdue.
‘‘There needs to be a comprehensive, integrated cycleway so people can actually get from A to B. There are several things which make it unsafe. We are actually cycling in amongst the traffic, drivers can’t alway see us, and we’re competing for space.’’
The council’s proposals
The options proposed by the council would see anywhere between 111 and 605 car parks removed but Free said the council hoped to be able to counter that with more efficient use of side streets and creating off-street parking where possible.
Cycling Action Network project manager Patrick Morgan welcomed the announcement saying cyclists were getting ‘‘hurt, scared, and harassed’’ on a daily basis in the Newtown and Berhampore area.
Those suburbs had the highest concentration of commuter cyclists in Wellington, he said.
‘‘The council has delivered, for the first time, safe cycling options, as well as improvements to the street-scape. It makes cycling a viable option for the thousands of people in south Wellington who want to ride bikes.’’
Two of the proposed options would run off-road through part of Berhampore Golf Course and alongside Martin Luckie Park.
The council has budgeted up to $8 million for the project between now and June 2021, and is hoping to secure up to another $24m from central Government to spend in that period.
Business community split
Berhampore and Newton retailers potentially affected by the changes were divided in their opinions yesterday.
Wellington Halal Meats owner Shameem Khan said the butchery relied heavily on having parking available outside.
‘‘There’s a carpark down the road that’s always full ... most of our customers are always looking for a park.’’
Nearby business owner Sheree Leavai, from Swell Creative, said any detrimental factors from the possible changes would ultimately be outweighed by a safer transport system.