A Wellington classic: around the bays
By Patrick Morgan
Enjoy a relaxing guided bike tour from Tākina to Evans Bay. Return on new bike lanes in Kilbirnie, Newtown, and Cambridge Tce.
This tour is designed for people attending the To Walk and Cycle conference. in March 2024. We'll cover around 15km over two hours. It's a flat ride suitable for manual and e-bikes, with one 60 metre hill to Newtown.
We'll start at BikeSpace by Te Papa at 1pm on 19 March. We'll experience parts of Wellington's fast-build bike network, Waka Kotahi's Cobham Drive path, and some legacy infrastructure.
You will be invited to consider the design choices made by the Council in balancing the needs of people on bikes against other considerations. What works? What could be better?
In detail, we'll see
Wellington waterfront. Question - is shared space the right solution for this location?
Oriental Bay bike totem - counting trips by bike
Oriental Bay separated paths for 400m
Oriental Bay shared space
Evans Bay path and new seawalls. These are under construction.
Cobham Drive separated paths
Cobham Drive crossing. Question - why a level crossing rather than a bridge or underpass?
Kilbirnie to the secret airport tunnel
Leonie Gill shared path
Freyberg St low-traffic neighbourhood trial
Onepu Rd bike lanes
Crawford Rd uphill bike lane.
Constable St, Newtown
Newtown to city: Riddiford St, Adelaide Rd, Basin Reserve, Cambridge Tce. Question - has the Council got the design right?
Link to Waitangi Park and back to BikeSpace and Tākina.
For discussion
Wellington's bike network, Paneke Pōneke, is a work in progress.
How could the overall feel be more consistent and self-explaining?
How has art been used to represent mana whenua?
Where are the gaps in the network?
Design features range from paint, to hit sticks, plastic kerbs, to concrete kerbs.
Does signage make the network easy to use?