https://www.cyclewellington.org.nz/september_2022_newsletter

Kia ora koutou -

Calls to action

Wellington District Plan

Closes 5pm Monday 12 September

District Plans are really important and pretty dense… Our good friends at Talk Wellington have done the hard yards so you don’t have to! Just whack in a submission – by 5pm Monday!

• Some key cycling points to support in your submission:
  ​​Strongly support the Objective TR-01 (4) New development provides appropriate on-site facilities for cycling and micromobility users;
• Support and improve the Standard TR-S3 Micromobility parking design to 90%-ile for current e-bikes and cargo bikes, as the 2019 Waka Kotahi technical note does not provide adequate guidance for all new residential developments, include manoeuvring and charging.
• Support the Residential Design Guide guidance GG 99-102 (external bike storage), which should be referenced to specific Rules, Policies and Objectives.

Help ensure our next council is bike-positive!

There are several things you can do to help ensure we get a council that prioritises healthy streets, and streets that are safe for cycling.

Cycle Wellington has published a list of candidate endorsements.

Other suggested actions:

• Follow the Vote Climate campaign
• Talk to others about why you think making our city safer and more appealing for riding bikes is important. What do you love about it? What could be better? What’s stopping you?
• Encourage others to ensure they get out and vote.
• Donate or volunteer. If you have a property with a fence visible to the road - consider offering to host a billboard.

and, most importantly:

• Vote! Voting opens on Friday 16 September and closes on 8 October 2022

Reshaping Streets

Closes 19 September 2022

The Reshaping Streets regulatory changes proposal will make it easier for councils to transform streets and better support public transport, active forms of travel, and improved urban spaces.

The proposed changes include:

• a new ‘Street Layouts’ land transport rule which will enable councils to change street layouts, pilot street changes, restrict vehicle access, and establish Community Streets and School Streets
• amending sections in the Local Government Act 1974 covering pedestrian malls, transport shelters (like bus shelters), and temporary road closures
• changes to other rules and regulations enable councils to trial Traffic Control Devices more effectively, reduce speed limits as part of pilots, and to make these rules and regulations more accessible.

“Streets are public places that need to prioritise people, not just vehicles, so our towns and cities are better places to live, work and play. These changes will also help New Zealand meet our emissions reduction targets, reduce deaths and serious injuries from transport, and improve health and wellbeing,” Michael Wood said.

The Government is seeking feedback before finalising any proposals and anyone in New Zealand can make a submission.

Check out the Cyling Action Network submission guide.

Inter-regional passenger rail in New Zealand

Closes 6 October 2022

Cycle Wellington encourages our supporters to have their say on the future of inter-regional passenger rail in New Zealand. Technical knowledge is not critical to warrant a submission; the inquiry will benefit greatly from hearing many personal stories and how better inter-regional passenger rail might improve your or your families quality of life.

Greg O’Connor, the Chair of The Transport and Infrastructure Committee, said “We hope interested New Zealanders will take the time to have their say and help us better understand inter-regional passenger rail and its future in New Zealand.”

The committee welcomes your comments and ideas on the topic and is looking forward to learning what the future of passenger rail could look like for New Zealand.

Be sure to review the terms of reference on the main inquiry page.

Also - check out this submission guide from the #SaveOurTrains campaign.

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Upcoming bikeness

OraTaiao Climate Action Kōrero Webinar

7.30pm Wednesday 14 September 2022

This month OraTaiao are launching their Climate Action Kōrero series. These hour-long webinars will each feature an expert speaker who introduces a topic, followed by discussion. The first webinar features Cycle Wellington Co-Chair, Alex Dyer, who will be talking about the opportunities of rethinking and transforming how we move around. Please RSVP to attend via this link. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Kōrero.

Sunday Best Spring Ride

10:30am Sunday 18 September 2022

Freyberg Beach, Oriental Bay

Frocks on Bikes and Different Spokes are collaborating to bring you the Sunday Best Spring Ride! Dress-ups are encouraged (but not essential). There will be prizes from the folks at Bicycle Junction and Switched on Bikes! All welcome - bring your friends, family, and the dog! Come for some or all of the ride!

Prize categories:

• Most Welly-wonderful
• Most colourful
• Most likely to gett your Nana's vote
• + plenty of spot prizes!

From Freyberg Beach we will head to Cogg Park for coffee, tea, and field games. Please bring your favourite morning tea picnic - sandwiches or baking as you wish. And also BYO picnic blankets and tea cups! After morning tea we continue along the fabulous Evans Bay cycleway, through the Miramar cutting to Double Vision Brewery (Park Road) for a cheeky early beverage.

Switched on Bikes have kindly offered half price ebike rental on the day! And if you do not have easy access to a bike but would like a fixed up second hand one please get in touch with ReBicycle.

Rain date: Sunday 25 September.

Car Free Fridays are coming!

Thursday 22 September 2022

The latest Gen Less campaign is Car Free Fridays, which they’re kicking off on World Car Free Day.

They’re aiming to build a collective of like-minded organisations who will encourage staff and others to use public or active transport options, or even work from home, in order to reduce the number of cars on the road and, therefore, lower our greenhouse gas emissions from transport.

Here’s what taking part means:

• promote World Car Free Day in your workplace (they’ll provide posters and intranet assets!)
• You could also celebrate World Car Free Day with a team morning tea, chocolate fish for staff who don’t drive in….etc etc!
• promote Car Free Fridays in your workplace for 1, 2 or 3 months… (they’ll provide assets).
• Share your story through your social media channels

You can also choose to collaborate with them on PR, or be part of a video they’re producing.

Picnics in Parks

11am - 12:30pm weekly on Fridays

Changing locations

Every Friday (nearly!) we meet up somewhere in central city Wellington in an on-street parking space. Join us for a chat and coffee, and sometimes: knitting, board games, and puppies, and help passers-by rethink the use of public space. We’re usually near a cafe, so come support a local business for your lunch as well.

2022 Cycle Wellington Annual General Meeting

Tuesday 4 October 2022

Sustainability Trust, Forresters Ln. and online

Next month CW will hold our 2022 Annual General Meeting. All supporters are welcome to attend. Along with regular agenda items, during the AGM we will hold:

• A year in review report
• A review of our finances
• Nominations, voting, and appointments of committee Officers & Chair/s

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Project updates

Parklet Build Film

CW Co-Chair, Alex Dyer, is working on creating a parklet and bike parking. While this has been on hold for a while, there have been some key developments. Thanks to Richard Hovey for helping progress a bike parking solution. Enough material has also been secured for the floor, with construction of those components under way.

Application to install the parklet with WCC will be restarted soon with a hope to install within the next month.

Also - keen for anyone who can help fundraise and produce a documentary of the installation and interviews with people involved. Please email if you want to be involved / lend a hand.

Wellington City Council

Transitional Cycleways

Newtown to City

Thank you to all of you who submitted.

Consultation delivered 67% support which is a great result for such a high profile engagement. 

Council debate and vote on this project on Thursday the 15th of September.

Botanics to City

Work on the ground has started!

Teams are working from the intersection on Bowen Street with The Terrace downhill to the Waterfront first, then back up the hill. 

Other transitional projects

The teams at WCC are producing business cases and working towards traffic resolutions for transitional projects.

Officers are aiming to hold consultations at the end of October / early November for Aro, Ngaio, Brooklyn, and Middleton Road (south) in order that these projects can all be considered at the December Planning and Environment Committee meeting.

Designs for transitional changes to Kilbirnie and Thorndon Connections are still progressing.

Middleton Road

Part of Middleton Road - from Helston Road to Westchester Drive - will undergo a transitional treatment this summer to coincide with already scheduled resurfacing works.

The more difficult half of Middleton Road (from Westchester Drive north to Takapu Road) is currently proposed to not undergo any transitional treatment at all. While we agree that this section will require heavy engineering to deliver a great outcome for cycling, Cycle Wellington is concerned about what immediate interventions have been discounted before transformational work is undertaken. We intend to talk further with officers about the potential for speed reduction and other measures that we think could be used to create a safer router sooner.

Waka Kotahi

Streets for People Package

Streets for People is a $30M National Fund spread across 13 councils. It is the next stage of the recent Innovating Streets approach that helped bring us the Brooklyn Road uphill bike path. For Wellington this new package brings funding for the Newtown to Island Bay route:

Wellingtonians have asked for better transport options and action on climate change. Making it safer and easier for people to ride, walk, and use public transport for everyday trips is key to rapidly cutting emissions. Paneke Pōneke is Wellington’s plan for a citywide network of connected bike/scooter routes that will be combined with improvements for people walking and taking the bus.

The Newtown to Island Bay route is the final part of the southern connection between Island Bay and the city, and will make it safer and easier for more people to bike/scoot from the southern suburbs into the city. This full route has been identified for mass rapid transit in the future to support significant growth over the coming years, so this is about providing safe and easy active transport options in the meantime that will be vital to avoid further congestion in this busy area and reduce conflict between people walking, riding, driving, and using public transport.

Whether walking, cycling, or using the bus, the changes on this route will give people better options for how they can get to and from work, school or tertiary study, dropping kids at daycare, working at Wellington Hospital and related health services, visiting shops, and taking part in sports and recreation.

Read more about the Streets for People launch on Stuff.co.nz.

Te Ara Tupua

The major project to deliver an accessible connection for walking and cycling between Hut Valley and Wellington City is progressing. CW Co-Chair Alex Dyer has volunteered to sit on the Project Reference Group (PRG) - to contribute to the implementation and help communicate project updates to our supporters. The first meeting of the PRG is being held on 20 September.

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Recent goings on

RiverLink court decision

We think the court decision (No. [2022] NZEnvC 161 on ENV-2021-WLG-000039) is a fairly good outcome – certainly worth the considerable effort from our friends at Hutt Cycle Network. There are some specific wins and a few things that got left as they are.

Some really good "principles" were discussed or established:

• Good cycling infrastructure is a key component of a transport system – irrespective of health and environmental impact (we don’t think an NZ court has ever concluded this before).
• Mode shift matters and "all reasonable steps should be taken"
• "Safe and attractive" means (much more) than pretty
• Separated paths are safer and therefore better than shared paths

In particular, the court over-ruled Waka Kotahi’s forecasts of cycling demand (which were pretty modest), and also effectively over-ruled Austroads guidelines with respect to whether paths should be shared or separated – with a strong emphasis on separation as the only safe option.