August 2025 Newsletter
https://www.cyclewellington.org.nz/august_2025_newsletter
Calls to action
Help ensure the next council stays bike-positive!
The terrible transport choices by the current government makes it even more important to elect local representatives who will continue fighting to make our streets work for people on bikes in Wellington.
- Donate or volunteer for local ward and mayoral candidates who you feel support better biking. If you have a property with a fence visible to the road - consider offering to host a billboard.
- Talk to friends and family about why you think making our city safer and more appealing for everyone to access riding bikes is important. What do you love about it? What could be better? What’s stopping you, or your loved ones?
- Encourage others to ensure they get out and vote.
- and, most importantly: Vote!
Voting opens Tuesday 9 September and closes midday Saturday 11 October 2025
More information is available on the WCC website.
Upcoming bikeness
Meet the Candidates - Cycling edition
5:30pm Wednesday 10 September 2025
Bicycle Junction (upstairs)
Join us to hear from local election candidates about their vision and perspectives on cycling and bike infrastructure for Pōneke. Spaces are limited, but tickets are free! Get your free ticket via Humanitix.
Next Cycle Wellington Meeting
6pm Tuesday 2 September 2025
Sustainability Trust, 2 Forresters Lane, and online.
Recent goings on
Patrick Morgan receives Pōneke Civic Award
After decades of successful advocacy, Cycle Wellington member Patrick Morgan was presented with Wellington's highest honour last month.
He received the Pōneke Civic Award from Mayor Tory Whanau and Cr Sarah Free in a ceremony at the Michael Fowler Centre on 31 July.
The citation says "For over twenty years, Patrick has advocated at a local and national level for safe, separated cycling infrastructure to make liveable, healthy urban environments for all: submitting in person, commenting on social media, print media, radio, and TV.
He was involved with Cycling Action Network as a volunteer for 10 years prior to taking a paid role from 2008-2025. He has worked with the Bikes in Schools Trust since its inception. Wellington now has 13 schools with bike tracks and is considered a role model for other NZ cities.
He mentors and encourages many other bike related organisations and emerging riders in Wellington. His tireless advocacy has been crucial in bringing about the cycling infrastructure Wellington now has."
When accepting the Award, Patrick said he dedicated it to Wellington City Council staff who work hard to build a better city for all of us.
Patrick is now working on an election campaign to ensure Wellington's next Council continues to improve our cycling network.
WCC
Cycle wayfinding
Council are working on improving some wayfinding for cycling, including at Oriental Bay with some on-site testing of new signs planned over the summer that will try to encourage better shared space behaviour.
Brooklyn Road
Officers are close to releasing some updated designs. These will be scaled back following reductions imposed by the government.
Original designs assumed the regular 51% subsidy from NZTA - which has since been withdrawn. The initial project had a budget of between $6-8M. Now the budget (council only funding) is less than $2M. There will be lots cut from the design. One key objective is to create more resilient physical separators using concrete to replace the transitional hit sticks.
Waka Kotahi
We've started installing the new overbridge at the Ngauranga end of Te Ara Tupua, a resilience project located on State Highway 2, Petone to Ngauranga in Wellington.
The bridge will be a key connection over the rail line to Hutt Road and beyond. We've designed the bridge to accommodate construction traffic and emergency vehicles, along with its main use as a vital part of the walking and cycling path. Pictured is the first pre-assembled ramp that was recently installed.
Our installation of the overbridge is a big milestone for the project and you can expect to see more progress on the bridge in the coming weeks.
Te Ara Tupua is a resilience project that will protect State Highway 2 between Wellington and Lower Hutt and the rail line alongside the road, on top of which we'll have a new walking and cycling path connecting Wellington and Petone.
We expect to complete the project in April 2026.
Cycling Action Network
Wouldn't it be nice to have ...
From Cycling Action Network via LinkedIn:
The cost of living crisis is certainly a hot topic of conversation these days; insurance up, butter up, electricity/gas up, and even your favourite wool yarn is up. There's plenty of budget stretching going on around the motu - you can almost hear the creaks and strains of it.
But we know that one really good way of making that budget go just a little further is by using your bicycle. The running costs are just ridiculous; you can go a long way on a bowl of porridge or muesli. Provided you do basic maintenance such as changing brakes and oiling the chain you will definitely enjoy many kilometres of cycling. And that's not counting the sheer joy of getting on your bicycle and heading off - to work, gym, school, shops, coffee.
When you vote for candidates who believe in the power of bicycles, you help make possible all the nice things that make our communities pleasant, safe, clean, sociable, affordable, sustainable, and more.
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