Cycle Wellington now has a new website at cyclewellington.org.nz. This site is being kept as an archive of our previous blog posts.
You can expect to see much of the other pages move over to the new site over time, so if you can’t find what you’re looking for here, please visit the new site.
The new site also provides new capabilities for us to better connect with you, so please join through that.
It goes without saying that May 2021 has been a huge month for everyday cycling in Wellington and New Zealand. The events of the last few weeks have resulted in a major turnaround of votes for the Long Term Plan at Wellington City Council. In the end the most ambitious plan was voted in, securing $226M to fund a complete cycling network across Wellington in 10 years!
We are over the super blood moon about this and are so grateful to all of the people of Wellington who made the effort to let the council know how important this outcome was. We may never know what specific arguments or actions tipped the balance in our favour, but we can be sure that everyone’s contribution was crucial.
We are also grateful for the leadership and attentiveness demonstrated by so many of our representatives in council. It is clear that, as a city, we can no longer kick the transport can down the road. We all know we must transform the mobility mix to reduce emissions and realise the many other benefits of enabling everyone who can or wants to, to move about in active, less harmful ways.
Tautoko to our Council! Cycle Wellington supporters will have your backs as Wellington embarks on this important work.
Ngā mihi nui,
Alex Dyer and Linda Beatson Co-Chairs Cycle Wellington
Calls to action
Show our Councillors some love
We are so encouraged by the leadership demonstrated by our city council by voting to fully fund a complete cycling network in the next 10 years. Please contact them and express your gratitude. Appropriate funding is an important component of the challenge ahead, but the whole council will need our support and encouragement as we transition more public space to healthier ways of getting around.
Consultation closes Tuesday 8th June Let’s Get Welly Moving have a public consultation running on their proposal to deliver a better, safer Thorndon Quay and Hutt Road. Cycle Wellington is largely very supportive of what is being proposed. We hope that the final width of the cycling space will safely accommodate the large growth in cycling journeys being predicted.
CW collects observations of poor cycling conditions and ideas for how to improve them on a google map. The map is shared with council officers to help them prioritise minor improvement works. View the map to see what has already been suggested. This tool works best on a desktop browser. Please continue to submit ideas for locations you would like to see enhanced. Please also share with groups that may have some ideas.
Consultation closes 5pm on Friday 25th June 2021 Waka Kotahi are consulting on changing the ways that speeds are set for a large range of scenarios on New Zealand roads. This is an important opportunity to contribute to some better approaches for valuing places and people over heavy vehicle journeys and time savings.
Hīkina te Kohupara discussion – Ministry of Transport climate consultation
Submissions close 5pm Friday 25th June The Government is seeking feedback on options to accelerate the New Zealand transport sector to meet the draft advice and recommendations of the Climate Change Commission, and moving to a net zero carbon transport system by 2050. https://www.transport.govt.nz/consultations/hikina-te-kohupara-discussion
Upcoming bikeness
Brooklyn Rd uphill bike lane have a go
10am – 3pm Saturday 12th June Bottom of Central Park Wellington City Council will be putting on a BBQ and are arranging eBikes to try. We think dressups and music are in order! https://twitter.com/WgtnCC/status/1397312146111967239
Urban Nerds meetup
5:30 – 7:00pm Tuesday 8th June Fortune Favours, Leeds Street Meet with urbanists from all walks (and cycles) of life in a fun, informal catch up. https://urbanerds.nationbuilder.com/join
Next Cycle Wellington Meeting
6pm Tuesday 6th July Bicycle Junction, 1 Marion St, Te Aro
Project updates
WCC
Cycleway Masterplan 2015 review
This plan is being reviewed in light of WCC voting for an accelerated roll-out of cycle ways in the Long Term Plan, and the impact of LGWM. The focus is on priorities and where to start first to get the greatest take up of cycling.
Brooklyn Cycle Lane
Installation due to be finished this week, there will be an official ‘open day’ Saturday 12th June 10am – 3pm. Council officers will be taking feedback – have your say, bring some mates, and enjoy the lane!
Wilson St
WCC are considering Wilson St as a quiet route through Newtown, and are getting feedback from the community about how the street could work for this. A meeting is planned for 19th June to discuss feedback so far.
Round The Bays
Work continues on this route, we are closer to a continuous path from the waterfront to Miramar.
Recent goings on
Berhampore popup bike lane
The Cycle Wellington Urban Repair Crew held an action in Berhampore. Thanks to all the mahi from our supporters. Together we demonstrated that the repurposing of street space can be achieved in much quicker timeframes than we usually see. Our action attracted a large amount of media coverage across the country.
Our cycling whānau in Tāmaki Makaurau, Bike Auckland held a rally to ‘liberate the lane’ on the Harbour Bridge. Their request is to run a 3 month trial of dedicated space for people to walk and bike over this critical link in the Auckland transport network. Following a breakdown of the development of the SkyPath project due to technical concerns, the time has come for some general traffic space to be repurposed to enable healthier, more efficient ways of getting around. It has been 12 years since the Get Across rally was held.
We’ve had some wins, but the hard truth is too many people are turned off by how we advocate. It’s not easy to hear that, although well-intentioned, the impact of our advocacy too often comes across as unwelcoming, especially to women and marginalised people.
Bike Buddies Wellington focuses on connecting inexperienced riders with more experienced buddies in their neighbourhood to help make the roads feel more safe and friendly for those who currently cycle less. Please join if you would like to buddy someone or you’d like a buddy in your neighbourhood! https://www.facebook.com/groups/144380461060899/
World Bicycle Day
Thursday 3rd June was 2021 World Bicycle Day. Cycle Wellington held a picnic at the Te Papa Forecourt, and biked to Oriental Bay. .
We’ve had some wins, but the hard truth is too many people are turned off by how we advocate. It’s not easy to hear that, although well-intentioned, the impact of our advocacy too often comes across as unwelcoming, especially to women and marginalised people.
We need to do better – to be inclusive, to be effective, and because it’s the right thing to do.
This affects how we moderate the Cycle Wellington Facebook group, when and how we meet, and how we advocate.
As an initial step, Cycle Wellington ran a workshop to hear concerns and work towards solutions.
Recommendations for the team to consider: 1. It’s crucial this discussion is anchored to the wider strategic plan of the organisation. We are happy to host another workshop around the mission and vision of the org in addition to who you are representing in terms of transport justice.
2. An audit of admins, committee members and org members is a great next step to see who is at the top and who’s missing from the discussion. Additionally, we recommend a review of some analytics from the Facebook group to see who are the active members and admins.
3. Bring back the joy. We would strongly recommend elevating the joy online and offline including Women Wednesday posts, Joyful Monday etc. And more things like picnics in parks and bike raves
Solutions
Use emails of current members, rely less on Facebook
Coordination of calendars to schedule events at family-friendly times
Advice about Wellington roads, route planning, bike selection and maintenance, some infrastructure conversations.
Method 1: The responses were typed verbatim into a word document and a word cloud was undertaken to based on frequency to get an idea of the main terms that came up in response to the question.
Method 2: Long table analysis of the same responses (typed verbatim into a word document) and assembled into broad themes. The themes are then analysed and interpreted and presented in the form of a written statement.
Manaakitanga *
Power imbalance
Language
Participation
Addressing power imbalances
Language – are we using the right words/concepts
Being fair
Acknowledging privilege
Equity – refers to fairness and justice
Respectful
Not judging
Equity and justice help us think about “why” (bikes) not “what” equals more bikes
Accepted on their terms in non-threatening environment
Being aware of bias
Why helps us join together to negotiate justice not fight each other.
Being welcomed
Actively including minority groups – people and perspectives
Inclusivity is an outdated concept, it makes invisible the “inside” and so assumes it (the inside) is normal, worthwhile and I want to join.
Safe
Diverse group representation
Generosity of spirit and space
Including everyone from the ground up
Seeing myself in the group
Not making decisions on behalf of others but listening to what they have to say
Showing empathy
To be asked about things and for our answers to be listened to and taken on board
Accessibility
Listening before speaking
Being an ally
The comments can be loosely grouped, and with some overlap, into three main themes. Manaakitanga, Power and language.
Manaakitanga: translates to hospitality, kindness, generosity, and support – a process of showing respect and generosity and care for others. (Māori Dictionary). Among this theme you can see those concepts demonstrated broadly with the use of terms like: being safe, welcomed, respected, generosity and fairness.
Power: In this theme there is an undertone of power imbalance and unfairness where the comments make assertions about how the group operates now. This is evident in statements like: being asked about things (first) and then being listened to, for the group not to make decisions on behalf of others but for them to be listened to, actively including minority groups and having a diverse group representation, implying that some in the group are not being asked, or listened to or even being represented/included.
Language: Perhaps we should begin with this one as this is where the key concepts of fairness, equity and justice are presented. I think this is a valid point as we discussed previously, as it is not immediately clear to us how this exercise fits in to the organisation/group (vision or goals) and what are the group trying to achieve? And we may well be starting in the wrong spot.
Resources for admins and as people interested in the woman-online-experience:
27 May, 2021, to Wellington City Council at the Long Term Plan meeting
Thank you for opportunity to speak.
I’m submitting just not for myself but for my family, and my brother Ben. Ben is the big boy in the photo I keep in my son’s room, so he knows that he had an uncle who loved him very much.
Ben can’t be here today because ten years ago he was killed by a careless driver in Karori when he was cycling home to Mount Cook. Ben had just finished cooking my birthday dinner and he said to me ‘don’t worry, I’ve got my lights.’ I know he would have been here today because loved politics, and cycling, and local Government and was a giant nerd.
You have a choice today about how much investment is right to put into cycling safety infrastructure. There are four options on the table, but only one of them delivers the full programme within ten years, option four. This is also the only option which will deliver a cycling network Ben would have taken that night, from his house in Mount Cook and back all the way out West to Karori.
I know this question has been framed in terms of cost, and debt, and rates, “nice to haves” and certainty, and competing priorities. I know all of you feel the pressure of keeping rates down, and being re-elected, and doing the right thing.
I also know that many of you in this room understand that the only real way to everybody safe on the roads is to build physically separate infrastructure. All drivers make mistakes. Safety isn’t an individual matter – the power is in your hands to create systems that prevent injuries, and death. I know this because I spoke to many of you at the time of Ben’s death. I hugged some of you. I have watched as you have increased investment in cycling in Wellington, and I thank you for it so much. I wrote to some of you and I read your heartfelt replies that you would do everything in your power to make our road networks safer, if only you had the agency and the support.
I’m here to tell you today that you do have the agency, and you have my support. You all know that Wellington city has a dismal record of keeping cyclists safe and alive. You have seen the Waka Kotahi report. If any of you in this room does what you know in your heart is right to create, to create a full cycling network, and you cop flak for it, I will stand by your side and I will explain to anyone why this isn’t about rates, or numbers or debt or even votes but it’s about protecting people like my brother Ben.
Ben’s funeral cost $12,000 dollars. His death was cheap. NZTA put the full cost of each road death at $4 million dollars. His death was expensive. Ben’s death was the worst thing, that has ever happened to me and my family, in a hard life. We will never ever be able to explain to you the full cost of losing Ben in the dead of night on a rainy Wellington road.
This little boy in the picture is my son. He lives in Karori and he will be 12 this year. Ben in this picture was 22. This was the year he died. In ten years time, this little boy will be 22. If he gets on his bike and goes out the door at night, I want to be able to sleep, knowing that you did everything you could today to keep him safe, and everyone else who goes by bike. A whole generation is a long time to wait for real change. Please, be bold. Your decision today could protect another family from sitting here in ten years time holding a picture of someone they will never see again.
A lot of Wellingtonians took the time out of their busy schedules over the couple of weeks to come in to the council offices and make a submission on the Long-Term Plan. Individuals have 5 minutes to speak to their submission and answer any questions from councillors. It can feel intimidating the first time, but our Wellington City Councillors are actually a pretty nice bunch of people and want to hear what you have to say. We are however pretty disappointed in the Mayor, who was so absent from the hearings that he ended up missing out on listening to everyone we selected in our top 5.
5. Trudy, New to cycling.
Trudy talked about her experiences as a new cyclist in wellington, making a point about how cycling infrastructure reaches a wide group of people. Leaving lots of time to respond to questions from councillors, she also gave some great answers about her confidence in ‘pop-up’ bike lanes and the difficulties finding bike parking in the city.
4. Marianne, Kids Freedom Fighter.
Backed up by a solid powerpoint presentation, Marianne talked about the independence a safe cycling network would bring to children in Wellington. She presented an idea from Florrie (age 8) that the new integrated cycling network should be called the “Kids Freedom Network”. Even Sean Rush came onside at the end!
3. Davey, Getting involved early.
Davey talks about how he likes the freedom of biking ahead on his own, but wishes there were more places that he could do so, and that he would like to bike from his house rather than having to be driven out to the Hutt Valley to ride safely.
2. Ian, Ringer of Bells.
If you want to make an impact on councillors after days of hearings, this is how you do it. I’ll let Ian speak for himself on this one.
1. Kate, Last: but not too late.
The final submitter on the very last day of hearings, Kate made the journey in to the council offices in the dark with her partner and young child after many councillors had already tapped out. She describes their experience making their way into town only to find no cycle parking outside the council offices. Big bonus points for shouting out Cycle Wellington, and for leaving the councillors with some appropriate final remarks.
A big thanks to everyone who completed our quick submit, and to everyone else who made a submission or took the time to speak to council. We’re going to keep on pushing for a future Wellington that’s better for people on bikes.
On 17 May, Councillors heard from heaps of people who want better biking in Wellington. Here’s Marilyn Northcotte’s presentation.
Kia ora Tatou;
Ko Marilyn Northcotte ahau.
I work as a cycle skills instructor with the local education programme Pedal Ready.
My main area of work is in teaching adults though I have spent many years teaching children how to cycle on the road as well.
I have been reading the information on the 10-year plan, and one or maybe two statements stood out to me…
Cycleways is an area where we have the ambition to seriously lift our game.
…. We’re proposing to accelerate the development of a network…etc…so it is possible for more Wellingtonians of all ages and abilities to make some trips by bike…
Usually when adults come to me for tuition it is with a goal in mind (usually a journey) …. I would like to ride to Oriental Bay, I would like to start riding to work a bit, or I would like to be able to ride to school with my kids, or for all of us to go on a family bike ride.
The thank yous:
I live in the Northern suburbs, and mainly come back and forth to town by bike…. So, I would just like to say
thx by the way for the wonderful work that has been completed along the Hutt Rd. As a regular rider back and forth on that route I have certainly seen an increase in the numbers of riders along there and I think the counter data will support that as well.
And it is not always infrastructure work, but also the supportive measures like lowering the speed limits, so thank you for lowering the speed limits in the inner city to 30kms. The kind of work we do in cycling education is also seen as a supportive measure.
And there are many things in the long-term plan to look forward to.
The thing is….is that some of the existing plans (like Thorndon Quay and the Newtown connections) have been taking far too long and Council has been too slow to deliver.
As someone who works with newer and would be riders, or those returning to riding, (we call them re-engagers) I can tell you from my experience, that this category of riders needs safe places and opportunities to ride their bikes and move around in their communities and get to a variety of locations… like schools, and community centres, the dairy or the park for example.
So, the puzzling thing is … why is option 3 the preferred option, when it is Option 4 that will provide a safe network sooner, the one we want to enable more Wellingtonians of all ages and abilities to make some trips by bike?
In cycle skills training at whatever level, after we cover any skills tuition at the various touchpoints, school, clubs, workplace…. for newer or would be riders or re-engagers, it simply comes down to time on the bike, which is riding around time ( every chance they get) and using their bikes to get to places. And currently, (and perhaps for the foreseeable future) this will not happen if the network is not provided.
The call to action is clear…. Choose Option 4 and realise the Council’s ambition to seriously lift their game when it comes to cycleways. Deliver more, faster.
In accelerating the implementation of the entire cycling network, we can work to ensure the next generation of young people, adults and re-engagers will have a better opportunity to choose cycling for at least some of their trips, instead of driving or being driven, and we will change the traffic profile of our city … sooner.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to make a submission. We sent off a total of 440 quick submissions to Wellington City Council supporting the most ambitious option for cycling funding.
Wellington City Council is consulting on its Long-Term Plan (LTP) until May 10th. You can read more in the official consultation at https://www.letstalk.wellington.govt.nz/hub-page/long-term-plan. We encourage you to read on to find out about some of the issues we have with what’s in the plan, and go make a submission.
There are multiple decisions being consulted on, more than one of which affect people riding bikes!
Every three years councils are required to consult on and approve a plan for the next 10 years. This plan will go into detail about how the council intends to raise money, and how it plans to spend it. This money is split into two categories: Operational Expenditure, and Capital Expenditure. Operational expenditure is what the council plans to spend on everyday activities such as paying staff, running facilities and maintaining roads. Capital expenditure is building new things, which is what we’re primarily interested in here at Cycle Wellington!
While the plan sets out the next 10 years, the council will be required to create a new LTP in 2024, meaning that what the plan funds over the next three years is the most important.
What’s happened so far?
If we are serious about climate action – and I am – this must be a priority. Thanks @TalkWelly for the hard work that went into this. https://t.co/yssrq8VeOt
We’ve already presented to Council in discussions around the draft of this LTP. We’re deeply disappointed that we were unable to get support at the council table to put the full cycling programme out for consultation as the recommended option. The vote failed 7-8 without the support of Deputy Mayor Sarah Free or Councillor Jenny Condie. Both councillors said they would support building a complete network by 2028 when they were seeking your vote at the last election, but have now walked back on that commitment.
One achievement was an amendment from Councillor Laurie Foon adding an extra $45 million dollars from years 4-10 to the recommended option. While this is a significant amount of money we don’t understand why this extra funding wasn’t added from year 1. By the time this funding is relevant you’ll be writing your submission on the next Long-Term Plan, which could well be proposing a completely different budget for cycling.
What’s in the Plan?
Let’s Get Welly Moving will be responsible for delivering much of Wellington’s future cycling network. This includes the City Streets Program and routes along bus priority corridors. This means that none of these are included in the consultation or discussion around the Long-Term Plan other than WCC funding it’s portion of LGWM’s budget. We’ll need to continue to pressure LGWM for progress and make sure that improvements are beneficial for cyclists as well as for public transport.
The long term plan provides four options for funding cycling in Wellington. The recommended option, titled “High Investment” plans to spend $120 million over the next ten years. This includes $1 million per year for minor improvements and tactical urbanism. In the next three years this budget provides for the completion of the cycle path around Evans Bay and into Miramar. This would mean only a few kilometers of new cycleways delivered by the council in the next three years.
Our Recommendations
1. Support Option 4 to build a fully-connected network by 2031
Research shows that to support people cycling it is necessary to provide a fully connected network that allows people to cycle to wherever their destination is safely. Only one option proposed in the LTP has the potential to deliver this and that is Option 4: Accelerated Full Programme. Therefore we strongly recommend supporting this option.
2. Prioritise children before seawalls
One change from the previous LTP is the reduction of priority for a connected cycle network in the northern suburbs of Johnsonville, Newlands and Paparangi. This network of cycle lanes in the northern suburbs would provide a connected network to support over 2500 children to cycle to school at Newlands College, Newlands Intermediate and four primary schools in the area.
We were disappointed to see these cycleways given lower priority (6, see below) than the completion of the Great Harbour Way (5, see below) on the basis of “low value for money”. The Great Harbour Way is a largely recreational route with extremely high costs due to the road-widening and coastal defences required to provide this route around the entirety of Wellington’s coastline. These three sections amount to more than a quarter of the total budget. We asked WCC to be clear in the consultation around the co-benefits this would deliver in terms of protecting the existing road and properties from storms and sea-level rise. Only a very small proportion of the costs of these coastal projects are spent on cycleways.
We think that safe journeys for vulnerable road users such as children should be the highest priority. Churton Park and other northern suburbs currently have the highest rates of car dependency in Wellington City.
Draft cycleway priorities. Note: This draft does not include the extra funding present for option 3 in the final LTP consultation, and is not adjusted for inflation.
3. Double the Cycling Minor Works Budget to $2 million per year
Under the High and Full funding options the LTP allocates $1 million per year to this category which is no increase from recent years. This budget is where the council funds small cycling improvements all over Wellington, including cycle parking like the bike racks in Grey Street.
We’re constantly told that there’s not enough money in this budget for improvements we ask for. We also don’t think it’s a budget where the council is constrained by capacity in what it can deliver. Doubling this budget to $2 million per year would vastly improve the councils ability to provide parking and other minor improvements over the next decade.
4. Create a new dedicated funding category to deliver rapid changes to the urban environment
All around the world we’ve seen cities like London, New York and Paris react quickly and dynamically to reallocate road space for massive growth in cycling. Here in Wellington, we’re still waiting to see any significant improvements delivered for cyclists. In the next month installation of the Brooklyn Road uphill bike path will begin as part of the Innovating Streets programme.
We think cycle lanes could be delivered quicker, easier and cheaper with the addition of a dedicated fund for this type of work. Currently the LTP suggests this work could be funded out of the already limited Minor Works Budget, but we think the scale needed to deliver a connected cycle network over the next decade requires a well-resourced and dedicated fund. This fund would also deliver public space improvements outside of cycling in the form of Low-Traffic Neighbourhoods and parklets.
5. Ring-fence cycling funding
You might not have noticed, but WCC has a habit of underdelivering on cycleways. This means that while large numbers of multiple millions of dollars are thrown around in the news and social media, whole projects go by with their allocated funding unspent. In the three years since the last LTP more than $16 million has gone unspent from Newtown Connections, the Parade Upgrade and Miramar networks that were planned to have been built.
It’s not very clear where this money goes and WCC still hasn’t responded to several Official Information Act requests. Sometimes it gets carried over to the next year, other times it gets reallocated to cover budget blowouts on other projects such as the seawalls and other coastal defenses for the Cobham Drive and Evans Bay projects. We have an expectation that money allocated to cycling through an extensive LTP consultation process actually get’s spent on cycling. Even if we manage to increase the budget for cycling there’s no guarantee that WCC will actually build cycling infrastructure with the money.
Even more concerning is that this use of unspent funding is being explicitly used in advance as a method to cover funding shortfalls elsewhere. For example the current plan to fix the Central Library is not properly funded and will breach the council’s planned debt limits. How do they plan on addressing this?
This breach will be mitigated by any capital underspend being used for the library project rather than on new projects.
LTP Consultation Document, pg. 43, Decision 6: Central Library
In order to prevent this kind of pilfering of the cycling budget in the future we think the budget should be ring-fenced. Ring-fencing the cycling budget would ensure that any money allocated must be spent on cycling and not reallocated elsewhere. We also think the council should properly fund its projects by increasing rates or taking on additional debt.
You can help prevent this by supporting Option 2 or Option 3 for the Central Library decision in the consultation to either delay the library strengthening or fund it properly through rates.
Can we afford it?
The council has many mechanisms to increase funding for projects such as increasing rates or taking on more debt. Mayor Foster has chosen to deliver a fiscally conservative plan that we think will cause Wellington to miss out on the enormous physical, mental, social, environmental and financial benefits of investing in cycling.
Regan Dooley from Island Bay Healthy Streets has done some great back of the hand math on how much driving is costing us in Wellington: $1.3 Billion per year, and that doesn’t include the health costs or losses caused by congestion.
We support lifting the debt ceiling closer to its limit and increasing rates in order to maximise on the investment returns for Wellingtonians on cycling.
Can it be built?
The private sector needs a financial commitment from the council in order to invest in staff and equipment for the next decade. The recommended option 3 will not provide much confidence for the industry to increase workforce or capacity for the future. The council has also made it harder for themselves to deliver projects by consulting multiple times on single projects and prioritising projects requiring significant physical works such as seawalls.
In order to increase the deliverability of projects consultation needs to be streamlined and projects reallocating space rather than building new space prioritised. Not having enough money is a common excuse we’ve heard over the last decade and we want that removed as an obstacle to progress.
It is no secret that Wellington City and it’s Council face some significant challenges justnow. We have pipe problems, transport problems, housing problems, funding problems,environment problems. We could go on.
In our view, this is the time to be bold. This is the time for fixing things and adapting our city in ways that deliver the most good for the most people, and for the future.
With regards to cycling infrastructure, the Wellington City Council 2021 Long Term Plan (LTP) is not bold. We are concerned by the focus on reduced spending on active transport.The LTP is going out for consultation during April. The preferred option, now optimistically labelled ‘High Investment’, does not deliver greater investment than recent funding levels until years 4-10 of the plan when an extra $45M ($33M more than current levels) will kick in – spread out over those 6 years. But, there will be another LTP before that happens, so it’s kind of symbolic until then. We want to see the extra funding included from day one.
Things have become extremely murky for everyone involved due to more projects being sucked into the Let’s Get Wellington Moving vortex.
We hope to see some greater clarity soon from all partners collaborating to make Wellington a zero carbon city for people. And we will be working to provide some clarity about where we expect the funding for cycling in the LTP to land when it is adopted.Safe space for cycling is critical infrastructure! Keep pedaling! Ngā mihi nui, Alex Dyer and Linda Beatson, Co-Chairs Cycle Wellington
Calls to action
Minor project ideas Wellington City Council have a minor projects budget and are collating a range of locations for new bike parking, tool stands, and stair rails. Please submit your ideas for locations using this form.
2. Climate Change Commission Draft Recommendations – Submissions close 28th March
Please send in your feedback for this critical national consultation about our shared future. Here’s a guide from Cycling Action Network:
3. Regional Public Transport Plan 2021 Greater Wellington Regional Council are seeking feedback on their Regional Public Transport Plan. This consultation has major impacts on the wider transport system funding. Watch out for a predilection for Park n’ Ride facilities. (CW would like to see more facilities that enable people to ‘Ride n’Ride’!)
4. Remutaka Cycle Trail survey Have you ridden part or all of Wellington’s local Great Ride recently? Please share some feedback for how to make improvements by filling in this online survey.
Upcoming bikeness
Movin’ March Movin’ March is now on so expect to see more kids getting to and from school actively.
Walk2Work Day Wednesday 10th of March, 2021 Ok, ok – while obviously not a bike event, you might like to join in on Walk2Work Day. Cycle Wellington loves other forms of active transport. Walk along and enjoy a free light breakfast from 7am to 9am in Frank Kitts Park. Hosted by Wellington City Council and Living Streets Aotearoa.https://www.livingstreets.org.nz/walk2work
Urban Nerds meetup March9th-5:30-7:00pm Fortune Favours, Leeds Street Meet with urbanists from all walks (and cycles) of life in a fun, informal catch up. The invitation setup has recently changed, so if you’re keen to be in the loop sign up here.
Next Cycle Wellington Meeting Tuesday 6th April 2021 Sustainability Trust, Forresters Ln.
Project updates
WCC – More double tier bike racks for central city WCC intends to add two more double tier bike racks (like Grey Street) in the central city. One proposed location is on Shell Lane, off The Terrace. WCC are considering where the other could go as well. Video surveillance to mitigate bike theft will be built in from the outset for these.
Jarden Mile Intersection WCC are interested to hear how they might make minor improvements for safety at this terrible location for active transport. We discussed introducing pedestrian crossing lights, re-doing the recently poorly implemented new asphalt surface, and enforcing problematic car parking on the eastern side of the shared path.
ASBs courtesy campaign After CW raised concerns about the effectiveness and safety of Advanced Stop Boxes in Wellington central city, WCC have said they are considering partnering with the police toraise awareness of the expected behaviour of motorists.
Kaiwharawhara Stream Bridge Discussed visibility issues with traffic exiting the Spotlight parking lot from the mostly solidmetal fence on the Kaiwharawhara Stream bridge, as well as some of the overgrown foliage.
Bus marshalling area under motorway A temporary (~2 years) bus marshalling area is being introduced to the space directly underneath the motorway at the northern end of Thorndon Quay. Not ideal, but we will belooking to ensure there is minimal interference introduced to people on bikes by this.
Cobham Drive & Miramar Ave. Working to finish before June to qualify for funding from Govt. Ribbon-cutting event on 15 March with Greg O’Connor MP.
Innovating streets Parklets still happening on Allen St., Marion St., and Riddiford St.. Get along and enjoy them. Work on the Brooklyn Hill trial has so far resulted in some storyboards which will be viewable at the Brooklyn Community Centre from Monday 15th March until Monday 22nd March, as well as online. Please see more and share feedback on these projects here.
Brent Norriss’ killer gets driving license back early for work We are dismayed to learn of the unjust leniency afforded to the driver who killed Brent Norriss while driving distracted. The license was returned on the basis of extreme hardship and the impact on the employment of the convicted driver. The case was also unusual, in that the original judge recused himself as he feared he‘would not feel appropriately neutral,’ given that he had cycled the exact route on which Norriss was killed on numerous occasions and the behaviour of drivers on the road had given him cause for concern. We’d be worried if dangerous driver behaviour, and roads with inadequate provision for safe and comfortable active transport, did not give any judge cause for concern! https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/124297746/distracted-driver-who-killed-cyclist-gets-licence-back
WCC ePetition: Make safe space for cycling on Thorndon Quay Thanks very much to all who signed our petition. We’re calling on Wellington City Council to change all of the angle parking on Thorndon Quay to parallel in order to make space for people on bikes to be safe. CW will attend the delivery of the petition to council in the next couple of weeks for council to respond to.
Leaders Cycling Challenge Still collaborating with NZTA & Embassy of Netherlands to establish an event.
The following was presented in person to Wellington City Council during public participation in the Annual Plan/Long-Term Plan Committee Meeting on 18 February 2021.
Investing properly in streets for people of all ages and abilities to make active everyday journeys is a critical part of successfully delivering Te Atakura and addressing the Climate Emergency we are in.
WCC needs to keep its promises and Get Welly Riding.
This is the time for Councillors to stand tall and support what they were elected to do.
Please continue lifting the vision for mobility in this city. We love the great facilities that WCC have been creating these last few years. Don’t lose this precious momentum.
The recommended investment to develop healthy streets is incongruous with many of the priorities outlined in this LTP.
Kirsten, Mia & Nico with their big blue family station wagon they started using a day before L4 lockdown. Pic: Julia Hilgenfeldt
Lifting the vision
We all have a vision for a Wellington that is full of people who enjoy living and moving about. Especially those choosing to ride bikes, walk, and take public transport.
Everyone should be able to enjoy the wellbeing of healthy, active, community enhancing mobility.
I envision a city of people who are empowered by their mobility environment. Where children can travel safely and independently about their own neighbourhoods.
I yearn for the quiet, clean air filled with birdsong that we all enjoyed during Level 4 lockdown, more greenery, and places to dwell.
I look forward to a time when people’s response to urban cycling is no longer “I’d like to do that, but it’s far too dangerous!’
I look forward to more households being able to get around without owning a car.
I am excited by the potential of healthier streets to increase connectivity and reduce loneliness in our communities.
WCC must invest properly in streets for people
Just as Wellington water infrastructure has been neglected to a state of disrepair, so too we have seen an unacceptable degradation of the way people can travel around.
Decades of focus on journeys by car has resulted in our streets breaking and becoming clogged with an unsustainable volume of vehicles. Addressing transport in Wellington is as key as “fixing the pipes”.
Human-scale mobility systems are critical to our health and wellbeing. Investing in our streets to perform better for people, not cars, is essential to enable this.
Incongruous priorities
The draft LTP says that safe transport infrastructure and accelerating a zero-carbon transition are priority objectives. The suggested recommendations in this draft plan are putting on the brakes.
This council has declared a Climate Emergency. Delivering a reduced programme of cycleways goes against the objectives of the plan and the commitments that this council has made to reduce emissions.
Healthy streets enabling active travel are critical infrastructure for our future.
That this LTP aims to cut the important cycling corridors to Get Welly Riding significantly undermines the impression of an organisation prioritising safe, zero-carbon, waste-free, resilient, reliable, critical / core transport infrastructure.
Not funding The Parade Upgrade means that you are walking away from the consultation and commitments made to the people of Island Bay. Councillors need to respect that contract to maintain the council’s social license and trust that it will do what it says it will.
There are many residents and ratepayers in Wellington who are happy to pay higher rates to properly fund essential projects. Bike lanes are essential for addressing transport equity, climate change, public health, improving Wellington’s appeal, and saving ratepayers money. Cutting bike lane projects because of rates pressure is compounding the problem for our children’s generation who don’t have a voice.
I, and many others feel this way as ratepayers and are eager to pay more to make our mobility environment healthier. Space that is safe for walking, cycling and other forms of active transport is one of the most sustainable economic developments we can invest in.
Your own website lists evidence that every dollar spent on cycling by this council would save Wellington ratepayers $20 in the form of fewer injuries, reductions in emissions, health benefits and less spending on fossil fuels. More people on bikes means less money spent on repairing damage caused by heavy vehicles. We can’t understand why such a valuable return on investment hasn’t been utilised as part of the cost savings in this plan.
What to do?
So what do we think this draft LTP should look like regarding cycling?
We don’t think that a draft LTP put out for consultation should include options that are contradictory to the council’s priorities, climate targets and legal obligations such as those in options 1, 2 or 3.
We think that the recommended option should at a minimum fulfill the entire programme of works promised in previous plans and deliver promised improvements to the Island Bay Cycleway.
Furthermore, we think that Wellingtonians should be consulted on the option of the council delivering an increased and accelerated programme. The consultation will not allow Wellingtonians to truly express their views if the best option they can ask for is that which has previously been promised. We consider that progress in Wellington is not being made fast enough, and we are being left behind Auckland, Christchurch, and cities overseas, such as Paris, that have made transformative changes under visionary leadership.
It is clear that Wellington City Council has the capability to deliver an ambitious long term plan if you choose to.
This LTP prioritises the cutting of rates over the cutting of emissions. The same misplaced priorities left us to clean up the pipes previous generations should have maintained. We hope that you will make a choice to deliver on a Long Term Plan that ensures a Wellington and a world worth living in for our children and future generations.
Kia ora koutou Great news! Te Ara Tupua -Ngā Ūranga to Pito-one path has been consented. We are over the moon about the decision. This is a game-changer.After decades of delays, we are overjoyed there will soon be a safe and attractive path between the Hutt and Wellington. There’s no doubt that cycling is booming, as more people discover the convenience and joy of riding a bike.But until Te Ara Tupua opens, CW are still fighting for safety measures on State Highway Two. We’re calling on Waka Kotahi NZTA to take action to make it safer for people on bikes along this corridor immediately. Speeds should be lowered to reduce traffic risks.We are also excited to see the Climate Change Commission’s draft advice for a better,low-carbon New Zealand. Let’s make sure bicycles are a key part of the way forward.We’re working on a submission guide to help you push for cleaner, sustainable, fun mobility when you have your say.Keep pedaling! Ngā mihi nui, Alex Dyer and Linda Beatson Co-Chairs Cycle Wellington
Calls to action
WCC ePetition: Make safe space for cycling on Thorndon Quay Closes 22 February 2021 Let’s make Thorndon Quay safe for people on bikes. We’re calling on Wellington City Council to change all of the angle parking to parallel on Thorndon Quay in order to make space for people on bikes. This is an urgent safety change required while the longer project, through Let’s Get Welly Moving, takes its course. Thanks to the 350+ people who have already signed the petition calling for safe space. Please sign and share
Locky Docks sites Locky Docks are looking for more locations they can provide bike parking around Wellington.If anyone can suggest any privately owned land that is suitable, close to the central city or in village centres in suburbs (e.g.Brooklyn, Hataitai, Island Bay… etc), please reach out and have a chat with them.
Upcoming bikeness
Picnics In Parks – PARK(ing) Day Friday 5 March The Picnics In Parks movement is looking to hold a series of picnics during this year’s PARK(ing) Day. The idea is to hold a set of basic picnics in parks outside select cafes around town to complement the official parklet sculptures. Please contact alex.m.dyer@gmail.com if you’re interested in hosting a picnic on the day. More info about the main event here: https://www.sculpture.org.nz/store/doc/PARK(ing)-Day-2021-Call-for-proposals.pdf
ReBicycle Fix up 6-8pm Wednesdays Mechanical Tempest Our ReBicycle Fix up workshop is back inaction on Wednesday evenings, 6-8pm.These five boys were super happy to get ‘new’ bikes this week. Loads more bikes have been donated and are waiting to be fixed up ready for a new home. If you have basic mechanical skills come on down and give us a hand. https://rebicycle.nz/
Family Cargo bike Champions Entries close on Sunday 7th of March, 2021 Bicycle Junction are running a programme of cargo bike trials for parents at a range of Wellington schools. People who take up the trial challenge can win an electric cargo bike!
Aotearoa Bike Challenge February 2021 The Aotearoa Bike Challenge is back for 2021! Gather a team at your work, track your progress riding your bike and be in to win prizes and bragging rights. Register here.
Urban Nerds meetup February 9th-5:30-7:00pm Fortune Favours, Leeds Street Meet with urbanists from all walks (and cycles) of life in a fun, informal catch up. The invitation setup has recently changed, so if you’re keen to be in the loop sign up here.
Next Cycle Wellington Meeting 2nd March 2021 6pm at the Sustainability Trust, Forresters Lane, Te Aro
Project updates
WCC Cobham Drive It’s looking great. The opening date hasn’t yet been confirmed as there’s still work to do.
Miramar Ave. Once the crew has finished on Cobham Drive they will start work on continuing the route through the cutting to Miramar Ave.
Innovating streets
A Brooklyn Hill bike lane co-design is in progress. We could see an install in a few months, depending on the materials needed.
Bike counters data moved The location where you can access bike counter data can now be found here.
Waka Kotahi NZTA / LGWM
Te Ara Tupua consented As described above, we are very happy about the consenting of this project and look forward to its construction. We continue to work for speed reductions to be implemented until construction is completed.
Recent goings on
Cycle Wellington Survey If you didn’t catch the post about the findings from our survey last year, please check it out here.
About CW Cycle Wellington is a group of people who are passionate about making Wellington a better place to ride bikes.
Cycle Wellington 