https://www.cyclewellington.org.nz/brooklyn_road_submission_guide

Wellington City Council are seeking feedback on changes to Brooklyn Road, and parts of Ohiro Road and Tanera Crescent. This project is disappointingly overdue. Transitional interventions for Brooklyn Road in 2021 were the first time this approach was made before any of the other Paneke Pōneke routes were started. One of the unfortunate outcomes of leaving this for so long is that the political conditions have changed dramatically, and the ability to access funding from NZTA has been removed.

Have your say. Go to the survey here.

The same survey is asking for feedback for both this location and the Bunny Street Connection project. Be prepared for both if you like. We have a complementary guide for Bunny Street here.

Feedback closes at 5pm, 3 August 2026

You can choose to make a quick, or detailed submission.

Survey questions - Quick

Overall, do you support the project to make the changes to Brooklyn Road, Ohiro Road and Helen Street?

Select: Support

Do you have any comments to make about the proposed changes?

Your response here will display on the consultation website. Some key things you might like to express:

• Share why you think delivering a connected bike network is important to you and / or your family.

• Point out that this project doesn't deliver on the promise of past ‘transformational’ infrastructure that was hoped for.

• Council needs to return to a credible strategy to provide a safe cycling network, especially through the central city as they are drafting the next Long Term Plan

• There are important locations that need more physical protection from heavy traffic that need to be revisited and included in this project.

• We hope the separators will be robust against the heavy vehicles that frequently use this route to reach the Southern Landfill.

What is your main relationship to Brooklyn?

Answer as appropriate.

How do you normally travel to and through the area?

Answer as appropriate.

You can upload files or documents if you need. You might consider using the detailed submission option if you have more to share.

Survey questions - Detailed

Do you support the upgrade of the existing cycleway and bus stop on Brooklyn Road? 

Select: Support

Do you have any comments to make about the proposed design for this section?

• Support changing shared paths to separated footpaths and cycle lanes. The widening of the shared path area just uphill from Washington Ave is only very slight, so the potential for conflict here remains little improved.

• Support the permanent repurposing of street space from parking to the proposed design.

• The plans show there will be no separators uphill from Brooklyn Terrace onwards. With large trucks and other drivers tending to cut this steep corner, removing the existing separators will encourage encroachment and reduce safety here.

Do you support the proposed changes on Ohiro Road? 

Select: Support

Do you have any comments to make about the proposed design for this section?

• The zebra crossing on Ohiro is long overdue and will improve safety for people walking between Brooklyn and Central Park as well as accessing the bus stop.

• Extending the uphill bike lane helps reduce conflict

• In the other direction, the bike lane space uphill from the Ohiro/Todman intersection may help, but the lack of protection reduces its effectiveness. 

• At Tanera, the city-bound bike lane briefly moves out into the line of traffic just as traffic may drift left to avoid uphill drivers waiting to turn into Tanera? Looks like a conflict point.

Do you support the increase in car parks on Helen St by changing from parallel to angle car parks?

Select: Neutral

Do you have any comments to make about the proposed design for this section?

• Angled parking is generally unsafe for cyclists travelling on the roadway, However this is a steep street, so many on bikes will be travelling more slowly meaning any potential collision will likely be non-serious.

• A slow speed would be best applied to a scenario such as this, but the current speed rule produced by Simeon Brown forbids this sensible component.

Overall, do you support the project to make the changes to Brooklyn Road, Ohiro Road and Helen Street?

Select: Support

Do you have any comments to make about the proposed changes? 

Your response here will display on the consultation website. Some key things you might like to express:

• Share why you think delivering a connected bike network is important to you and / or your family.

• Point out that this project doesn't deliver on the promise of past ‘transformational’ infrastructure that was hoped for.

• Council needs to return to a credible strategy to provide a safe cycling network, especially through the central city as they are drafting the next Long Term Plan

• There are important locations that need more physical protection from heavy traffic that need to be revisited and included in this project.

• We hope the separators will be robust against the heavy vehicles that frequently use this route to reach the Southern Landfill.

What is your main relationship to Brooklyn?

Answer as appropriate.

How do you usually travel through the area?

Answer as appropriate.

Would you like to upload a file in support of your feedback? 

If you want to express more detailed feedback to the council team, create a separate document and upload it to attach to your submission.

Suggested comments:

The overall changes in this project make the transitional bike lane more resilient and improve the Brooklyn end.

Compared to the 2023 plan, no raised tables will be added at intersections. This will remove the slowing effect on vehicles crossing the bike lane, increasing conflict.

The switch to concrete separators in some places will enhance protection. Their positioning provides a smoother turning movement at side roads compared to the temporary separators - good for reducing accidental contact by drivers, but again eroding the calming effect.

The expected ‘transformational’ upgrades are now significantly reduced, and will naturally be far less effective than what might have been. Upgrades have gone through several iterations due to the confusion and disruption that politics has subjected upon it.

A lesson for planners and any future cycle-supportive leaders is that in order to roll out multi-stage changes - a higher certainty of political resolve and long-term commitment is vital. Or - multiple stages need to be scheduled within political terms. Adopting more resilient development approaches is achievable. The Netherlands has decades of experience implementing high quality cycling infrastructure and evolving what and how they build. New Zealand could learn from and leverage a lot more from how the Dutch work, and what they build instead of learning all these lessons from scratch ourselves. Such lessons need the central government to step up.