Ngauranga to Petone: Easy changes, better riding

I asked for more detailed plans of the Ngauranga to Petone cycleway which were outlined in the NZTA documents being used for consultation, but surprisingly, there weren’t any – just the sketch they had in one of their consultation documents:

NZTA’s only drawing of their shared path between Ngauranga and Petone.

Instead of some massive changes with big sea walls which will take years to fabricate, there are a few immediate changes that, if implemented, would make the ride much safer, usable and better for all users. The main problems are:

• Lack of protection from fast-moving traffic for part of the route
• A poorly laid and maintained pavement
• Significant debris from the road like stones, glass and rubbish with the occasional truck tyre.
• Weeds and Trees left unchecked
• With NZTA’s sea-side proposal, the exposure to the sea will make the path unrideable in a moderate Wellington wind.

The existing path is mostly about 2 metres wide and feels really unloved. The pavement is cracked and weeds grow out of the retaining wall, and stones and debris from the road cause lots of punctures. There are even bits of  broken fence, road-cones and orange construction netting in some parts.

While a temporary orange fence, weeds, trees and debris are common on the path, the stoney shoulder above the retaining wall will make a good cycleway platform one day.

 

The cycleway is set below the road and next to the railway. The surface condition means that most bike commuters ride on the road instead.

But if the path is raised above road-level and paved as wide as it’ll fit,  the instant extra width and its an awesome cycleway:

The three curves along the path look hardest to widen and improve the ‘feel’ of, but by filling and retaining a new bank the result is a cycleway about 3 – 4m wide.

Changes to widen the cycleway on the embanked corners aren’t rocket science:

• Raise the height of the path to above road level
• Change the road barrier to wire type
• Add fence next to railway track

Design for the embanked corners

 

The straight and flat parts of the path are mostly wide enough, but need a bit of love. The path needs to be raised above the road and a new fence installed on the railway side.

Level parts of the path get raised above the road

 

The hardest part is from the Petone over ramp down to the entrance to the shared path.

Island Bay Cycleway Re-Consultation

Four options for a re-modelled Island Bay Cycleway have been drawn-up after almost a year of  consultation with various community groups. Consultation on ‘Love the Bay Cycleway’ ends on August 13

Links to WCC’s consultation can be found below:

Make a Submission (before August 13th)

Consultation page with supporting documents

pdf document with the options outlined and explained 

It will be great to have the Island Bay cycleway is finished so that the next stages of the cycleway can be started; giving the masses closer to town more good and safe options for their daily commute

Wellington to Hutt Valley Cycling Link – a commuting path?

NZTA have announced their latest round of cycleway consultations for the Wellington to Hutt Valley Cycling link. You can go to the NZTA W2HV webpage to download consultation documents and make submissions. I’m a former Petone to Wellington cycle commuter, and I absolutely love the idea that a decent cycleway could be built between the two cities.

BUT

A “decent” cycleway means that it’s separated from cars, free of obstacles and pedestrians and doesn’t just end abruptly. And it should be rideable all the time. Lets unpack this.

Wellington to Hutt Valley Cycling Link – NZTA Consultation

NZTA have announced their latest round of cycleway consultations for the Wellington to Hutt Valley Cycling link. You can go to the NZTA website to download consultation documents and make submissions, the main document . As a former Petone to Wellington cycle commuter, I absolutely love the idea that a decent cycleway could be built between the two cities, and I strongly encourage you to make a submission before the 31 May closing date!

 

Interesting clip from IPENZ magazine

Attached is an article I found in the ‘New Zealand Infrastructure Forum’ section of IPENZ’ Engineering Dimension magazine.

The contradiction of what MoT say and what NZTA are doing, particularly with regard to the RoNS programme in the context of Tony’s presentation and more generally a lack of funding for alternatives to road, particularly rail.

Basically, the presentation outlines how distributed solar energy (solar and wind) will disrupt traditional large power plants and how electric, driverless cars will be used as a service rather than owing by 2030. This will see car utilisation improved from about 4% to about 90% and significantly reduce parking space requirements and improve safety.

I’m interested in how NZTA continue to back their projects – the projects are already dubious investments with highly massaged BCRs and incredibly optimistic figures for growth and demand. Add to the mix widely predicted oil supply shocks and falling traffic volumes (Wellington’s had dropped ~4% since 2006) as well as a disruptive paradigm outlined in Tony’s presentation and you’d really, really have to start questioning what the plan really is and why it is proceeding as a matter of priority.

How on earth can NZTA and their funders carry on with their highly expensive and dated ‘business-as-usual’ approach to transportation?