Draft Annual Plan 2014/15 - Cycle Aware Wellington submission

We would like to present our submission verbally.

Cycle Aware Wellington is a voluntary, not-for-profit organisation aimed at improving conditions for existing cyclists and encouraging more people to bike more often. We advocate for cyclists who use their bikes for recreation and transport. Since 1994, we have worked constructively with local and central government, NZTA, businesses, and the community on a wide variety of cycle projects. We represent 600 members and supporters.

Key points of our submission

• We strongly support increasing the cycling budget to $4.3 million.

• We support all of WCC's plans for improving cycling (for both recreation and transport).

• A coordinated approach is needed to develop Adelaide Road.

• We propose that Shelly Bay to Scorching Bay be closed regularly to promote cycling.

We strongly support increasing the cycling budget to $4.3 million

With this amount of funding, real change will be possible for cycling in Wellington. Investment in infrastructure will mean that travelling by bicycle becomes a possibility for a much wider range of people. More people on bikes means fewer trips by car, which benefits the whole community.

We support all of WCC's plans for cycling (for both recreation and transport)

We support all current and proposed plans for cycling, from safety improvements such as advance stop boxes and lowering the speed limit in the CBD, to more challenging projects such as lifting the level of service on all 19 key cycle routes into the city.

We agree that the Island Bay to CBD cycle route is a priority, and we are very keen to work closely with you on route selection, detailed design, and community engagement. We also support the creation of the Kilbirnie cycle and walkway.

We would like to see all these projects form the basis of a plan for a comprehensive cycle network for the city. We would like the plan to be considered whenever other transport improvements are being made (for example, alongside the Public Transport Spine development).

We also support the increase of investment into Makara Peak Mountain Bike Park, the promotion of Wellington as a premier mountain biking destination, and funding to continue the implementation of the Open Space Access Plan.

A coordinated approach is needed to develop Adelaide Road (Basin Reserve to John Street)

Adelaide Road has been the top priority for improvement for Wellington cyclists for the past three years. We are aware that various projects are looking at developing all or part of the Basin to John Street section of Adelaide Road, namely the:

• Public Transport Spine

• Basin Reserve flyover

• Adelaide Road Framework

• Island Bay to CBD cycle route

• Memorial Park project.

We want to see the different parties responsible for these projects coordinate so that their aims and solutions do not conflict with each other. This section of Adelaide Road needs international-standard separated cycle lanes on both sides of the road to serve the current and growing number of bicycles flowing into the CBD via Newtown (10 percent of vehicles at morning peak, according to WCC's 2013 cordon count). We want to ensure that this opportunity is not lost simply because of a lack of coordination between the various projects coming up.

We propose that Shelly Bay to Scorching Bay be closed regularly to promote cycling Ciclovia, on 16 February 2014, was a great success, attracting 2,500 people from the community to enjoy cycling, walking, rollerblading, and skateboarding in a safe, no-car environment. We would like Ciclovia to be held on a regular basis (eg Sundays in summer), and to be organised by the council.

If Bogota, Colombia's capital city of over 8 million people, can close 120 kilometres of roads in the city centre every Sunday, then Wellington can certainly do the same on a few kilometres of what is already a largely recreational road.

If businesses along the route are concerned about regular road closures, a compromise might be to close one lane only (for two-way cycling, walking etc) and making car traffic slower and one-way only. Some Ciclovia schemes allow those with an urgent need (impaired mobility etc) to apply in advance for a special permit to access the route, bound by a strict 10km per hour limit.

We see fun, family-oriented initiatives such as Ciclovia as an excellent way to get more Wellingtonians excited about using their bikes. These people may well be future users of the cycle network you plan to invest in.

Nā mātou noa, nā Cycle Aware Wellington
11 March 2014