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

This stage of consultation has closed. Thank you to all our supporters who made submissions and engaged. There was a lot of engagement with this one.

You can view the full submission made by Cycle Wellington here (PDF).

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Would you like bike and bus lanes between the waterfront and Newtown?

Heck yes! Wellington City Council wants to hear from you about the design. Your support is crucial.

We had a good win with the Waterfront to Botanic Gardens route consultation in July, thanks to you. 75 percent support from your submissions swayed Councillors. But we’ll need to fight hard for Newtown to the city, as we can expect noisy pushback.

Consultation closed at 5pm, 31 August 2022.

The design is configured using the transitional approach, where feedback will continue to be gathered following installation to be used for subsequent ‘transformational’ work that will result in more permanent lanes.

What you could say

Lead with a personal story

Personal stories help convince Councillors of the need to get on with this. Why would you like to ride (bus or bike) more often? What barriers do you or your family face in choosing to do this?

Say: “I strongly support this plan”.

Other important messages you can choose from:

• Everyone in our community deserves safe and attractive streets. Bike and bus lanes are climate action. I am grateful to the Council for accelerating work on this.
• I support the repurposing of street space as much as possible to enable people to travel by public transport, walking, scooting, and cycling.
• If we continue at our current rate of car use, our transport network will grind to a halt. We need to rebalance street space to make it safer and easier for people to walk, ride, scoot, or use public transport.
• This plan is consistent with Council goals for climate (Te Atakura) traffic safety, parking, liveability, and equity. Please get on with it.

Design details you could comment on

You don’t need to comment on all these. Choose the ones that feel most important to you. If possible add a personal comment about your thoughts. Here are some suggestions.

Mein Street intersection

I support the changes to improve this intersection by extending the lane through to Newtown School, and changing traffic light phasing to accommodate cycling.

Riddiford Street

I prefer continuous bike lanes. The merge point near John Street is close enough to the intersection that lots of general traffic is merging into the lane from the right at the same location as bike traffic is merging into the lane from the left. That feels scary. If left as it is, this point will likely put off many from riding the route as they are expected to share the road with heavy vehicles.

Please use enforcement to reduce the amount of general traffic driving the full length of the Riddiford Street bus lane. Painting the whole bike lane green would reduce illegal parking.

I support moving the southbound bike lane to the kerbside as it approaches Mein Street.

Thanks for fixing the ramps at the bus stops.

Please clearly mark the loading zone and cycle lane next to the John St intersection to make the expected behaviour legible for people on bikes and people making deliveries, and to ensure the space is not used for general parking. Time restrictions may help reduce the impact on traffic movements through the intersection.

Adelaide Road

I support removal of the median strip, and reallocating street space from parking to protected bike lanes.

I would like raised pedestrian crossings at side streets to improve walking, and calm turning traffic. Existing example: Wilson Street off Riddiford St.

I would prefer continuous protected bike lanes. I’m alarmed these disappear at the north end of Adelaide Road.

Basin Reserve

Please improve the legibility of the connection between the Basin and Adelaide Road. Cyclists currently access the centre island from the right-hand northbound lane of Adelaide Road. This is not marked as available to cyclists. Adding a marking would help make the connection clearer.

Please ensure the existing route through the Basin Reserve is available 24/7. We understand that major events are sometimes held here, and would like interruptions to the cycling and walking route to be kept to a minimum.

Cambridge Terrace

I support continuous protected bike lanes, and converting the turn bays to green space.

I would like raised pedestrian crossings across side streets to improve walking, and calm turning traffic. Existing examples: Alpha Street and Tennyson Street off Cambridge Terrace.

Kent Terrace

Mark the bike lane across the Courtenay / Kent Terrace intersection with continuous green paint to make it really, really obvious.

Please ensure the traffic light phasing will suit people crossing the intersection by bike. The order of the traffic light phases, the ‘green wave’ speed for cyclists approaching through the previous intersections, and the length of the green light phase for cyclists will all have an impact. As the path is 2-way, avoid allowing any traffic to cross this bike lane while cyclists have a green light.

Bus improvements

I strongly support the provision of dedicated road space for public transport. It is important that, where possible, public transport has smooth, unobstructed passage. Especially on wide, key corridors such as Kent and Cambridge Terraces.

When public transport is a convenient, reliable, accessible, and affordable way for people to get around they will be empowered to reduce their use of private vehicles. Fewer private cars on Wellington streets is a key component for better cycling in Pōneke.

I strongly disapprove of the peak-time only bus lanes on Kent and Cambridge Terraces. It makes no sense to have full time lanes on a segment of this key public transport corridor but not on much wider roads that are closer into the city. I believe that 24/7 bus lanes are required for the length of the project.

Treating public transport lanes as ‘peak hour’ concerns is an out-dated strategy that needs to change. Travel patterns and mobility priorities are changing in response to the pandemic, climate change, and growing awareness of the needs of groups other than 9-5 commuting workers. We need infrastructure that prioritises people's journeys - local and cross-city - that are made without the use of a private car at all times of the day.

Parking changes

I support the changes to parking. These are aligned with WCC’s parking policy to prioritise main streets for moving people, not parking. I note the Council will manage parking on side streets to mitigate the impacts.

Where special arrangements are made to accommodate parking, ensure they do not conflict with Council parking policy and hierarchy of uses for road space.

Ask the Council to roll out the bike lanes smoothly

You could ask the Council to ensure the new bike lanes are available and enforced as soon as possible once street space is reallocated. Drivers can get confused and frustrated when they see people not using what appears to be a completed bike lane.

People on bikes get frustrated when parked vehicles block almost-complete lanes because parking enforcement only begins after the finishing touches are in place. Temporary roadworks parking restrictions can supplement cycle-lane parking restrictions if necessary, to avoid a confusing transition period where parking is allowed in the forthcoming bike lane.