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

How to submit

The submission process allows you to mark feedback using an online interactive map or via email.

Have your say at https://lgwm.nz/all-projects/golden-mile-improvements/ 

or

Email: [email protected]

Use this submission guide to help with either approach.

Feedback closes 10pm 14 August 2022.

General feedback

I support these plans to transform Wellington's Golden Mile. Get on with it. This work will improve liveability, cut carbon, and make our city a safer and more pleasant place.

BUT I am concerned about the incomplete cycling route, lack of connectivity with side streets, ambiguous separation from pedestrian areas, and frequently, suddenly dropping from bike lanes to shared spaces.

Until quality separated routes for cycling are delivered on the Golden Mile or nearby streets, people on bikes should not be excluded from any of the bus lanes.

A biking connection along the Golden Mile?

Protected bike lanes should run the length of the Golden Mile (or nearby streets). The proposal provides access for people on bikes to much of the project route. People on bikes need to be able to access every street. 

The proposal does not deliver a high-quality route joining the Wellington Railway Station area to the rest of the city centre and south.

• If protected bike lanes along all of the Golden Mile cannot fit, there needs to be high quality, convenient nearby alternatives, e.g.: on Featherston, Hunter, Dixon, and Willis or Victoria Streets.
• Space is limited on Willis St. so a shared bus/bike lane works, as long as there is overtaking space and a nearby alternative route with a quality southbound option. 

Without any confidence about the design or delivery of new bike lanes on Victoria St, Featherston St, and the Quays, it is hard to judge how well the Golden Mile project delivers for people cycling. Especially through the middle section where there is no dedicated space for cycling.

Realising a space that is optimised for pedestrians and bus users on the tightest section of Willis St. will only be achieved by providing an obviously safer, more comfortable through route for cycling on a nearby street. The closest is Victoria St. Without such a route in place as these changes are made - people on bikes will be forced to make inconvenient journey detours.

The centre-cycle-lanes on Willis Street may be useful for some confident riders who want to overtake stationary buses while heading north. I do not think they greatly improve conditions for people of all ages and abilities to ride here though.

I want for people on bikes in this section to at least be allowed to continue sharing the bus lane heading north, as currently, AND ALSO to allow people to share the bus lane heading south while cycling. A quality cycling facility on Victoria St. should make cycling there more appealing and would mean fewer would continue using Willis St. to get through the area on bikes over time.

Has the design team considered moving the southbound bus stop on Willis Street further south to line up with Bond Street? The extra pedestrian space here would make waiting for a bus more comfortable. This change would need to ensure waiting buses do not obstruct access to Mercer Street for people cycling.

As dedicated space is also not provisioned for people on bikes on Manners St. there also needs to be a quality alternative route in place. An appealing option here is to provide dedicated space for cycling on Dixon St. and connect to a quality bi-directional route on Victoria St.

Bike lanes, not shared space

I applaud the incorporation of cycle  / scooter lanes in the design, but these are not as continuous as is needed.

In areas with pedestrian crossings, cycle lanes need to continue so that others using the area will intuitively expect wheeled travellers.

For example - there should not be a gap in the cycle lane in front of the St James Theatre. The lane should continue here, with a treatment that tells people on bikes to expect pedestrians, and visa-versa.

To protect people on bikes, cycle lanes should also continue across intersections with side streets. A connection is only as good as the weakest link.

I understand that the decision has been made to keep accommodating heavy traffic Tory St. but would like to again voice my disappointment with this outcome. Tory St. should be treated as a side street to Courtenay Pl. with a continuous, at-grade cycle lane and pedestrian access across it.

The ‘SHARED SPACE - PEOPLE & TAXIS / LOADING BAYS’ at the far end of Courtenay Pl. creates an unacceptable gap in this route for people on bikes. Such treatment will result in much lower quality of experience and safety for people riding bikes here. They will end up having to negotiate heavy vehicles at most times of the day. Please find a way to fully connect an unobstructed cycle lane through here to the Kent & Cambridge Tce intersection.

Busy pedestrian shared spaces do not provide for good connections for people riding bikes travelling through this area.

Use well-established design features like surface type, colour, and delineation to make it clearer where the bike lane is.

Well-designed bike facilities can make life easier for people with disabilities by being legible and providing space for mobility devices. Slippery decorative surfaces and unclear paths for people on bikes can undermine accessibility. Protected bike lanes can provide a useful buffer between buses and the main pedestrian areas.

Side street connections

I would like to see this project also take the opportunity to improve connectivity between the bike lanes on the Golden Mile and side streets. It is good to see this is designed in some places - such as on Mercer St.

Other locations to be more clearly connected:

• Panama Street - especially key, as the lane does not continue south on Lambton Quay
• Brandon Street (across and on to)
• Johnston Street
• Across Midland Park
• Stoke Street (across and on to)
• Balance Street

More bike parking please

Please detail the addition of a generous amount of secure bike parking to support the increasing uptake of cycling and combat the growing problem of bike theft. The Grey Street sheltered bike rack is very popular. More provision of this quality should be provided by the city all along the Golden Mile.