Subscribe to RSSCycleway To Auck Uni Planned
NZTA has begun exploring how the Northwestern motorway cycleway can get as far as Auckland University - and then down to the Tamaki Drive Waterfront.
The transport agency, which has now become a strong advocate for cycleways, says it poses challenges but it’s determined to find a solution.
Project manager, senior engineer, Keith Pauw, who is a cyclist himself, says: “How it happens is being sorted out at the moment.
“There are some tricky options especially around the Symonds St cemetery area.”
He said some thought was given there of cyclists sharing bus lanes but the bus lanes were considered too narrow.”
Grafton cemetery area poses cycleway challenges
Mr Pauw says cycleways are approached at the NZTA as having to fit these criteria:
- Work out how it will fit
- Does it connect?
- Will it suit the neighbours?
But NZTA believes there is much potential for growing cycling use in Auckland and taking more cars off the road.
Their research presently indicated 1% of travel in Auckland each day is by bike but it believed the potential was 8% if cycling was made safer, especially  through cycleways.
With the proposed cycleway to Auckland University, the challenge was to get cyclists from Ian McKinnon Drive, somehow through or under the Upper Queen St bridge and from aroound the Grafton bridge area down to the University of Auckland Business School on lower Symonds St.
Then it wanted to work out how to extend that cycleway both to the Waterfront and the Domain, where cyclists presently encounter the Wellesley St motorway.
He said there had been 150 cycle accidents on surrounding roads in the proposed vicinity in the last five years.
He said NZTA is also working out how to Northwestern motorway can extend to Westgate, as part of the SH16 motorway extensions but there were also terrain constraints to solve as it’s steep in places - as any cyclist encountering Triangle Rd at the moment will have found out!
He said it may be five years before that project is completed.
12 Comments
Ah, didn’t know they where already looking at connecting down to the ports - the link through the CMJ has been discussed publicly since they started work on the Kingsland cycleway upgrade (opens tomorrow at 10:30!).
Yeah, its a bit weird (but not altogether unsurprising or unwelcome) that the NZTA is spending a lot more money on cycleways and cycling than the local Councils…
This is the same agency that blocked Auckland City Council extending the cycleway and pedestrian access across the Wellesley street motorway bridge. Words are meaningless even if well intentioned, if NZTA’s actions are to block cycleway and pedestrian projects in the CBD.
@rtc This guy is driving the project, is a cyclist who has encountered the city traffic and has got buy in to fix it and he will. He very much impresses me.
Let’s give him a chance and stop making assumptions about what they have done in the past.
If we knock him now for what he is doing, it will never happen as cyclists will come across as some PT advocates do to officials - as being one-eyed and never being satisfied.
ARC councillor Joel Cayford, himself a cyclist, said he is amazed and impressed with NZTA’s new advocacy for cycling.
NZTA are definitely well committed to this project, although it is at a fairly early stage of investigation.
Good to get this update thanks. I look forward to hearing more about the options. I think we should be thankful that, even if it seems “weird”, there is an agency with funding willing and able to improve cycling conditions in Auckland.
Awesome. Hope it happens quickly!
rtc - there’s multiple things at work here. The Wellesley Street bridge thing is an old fight, and actually more about the pedestrians (which are legally not allowed on motorways) than about the cyclists. As far as I know, they are attempting at the moment to finally resolve that matter too.
Also, NZTA is a large organisation, with different structures and people dealing with different projects. Some are more supportive of cycling than others. As has been said, lets work with those who are willing.
The NZTA has increased the BCRs of cycleways… I’m amazed they think Auckland can achieve 8%, that is what we see in Portland or Vancouver which have spent decades planning and building their cycle networks consistently…
Well, at least it IS an aspiration (though not necessarily their official policy).
Even ARC has in the past set pretty ridiculously low goals for cycling, so this is a good change in emphasis. Set some ambitious goal and maybe get halfway there eventually is preferable to saying “In twenty years we are looking at having three more cyclists”, which seemed to be the limit of previous goals (which also always conflated walking and cycling gains).
Don’t get me wrong that is a fantastic goal but I just hope they realise the amount of work that is required to achieve it… I’ll back that work 100%..!
8% is massive, but as noted, this doesn’t really seem to be the official policy anyways (it would be up to Auckland Transport to achieve anyway - NZTA can play a crucial role, but it is the local Council which needs some aspirations!)
Has there been any progress on the NZTA study to extend the NthWest Cycleway to the University?