Wellington City Council’s Koata Hātepe Regulatory Processes Committee today gave the go-ahead to improvements that include:
- upgrading the bike lane up Brooklyn Road and extending it along Ohiro Road to the Todman Street intersection
- seven new raised crossings for people on foot and the possibility of additional pedestrian improvements
- a downhill shared on-road bike route to Aro Street
- a new mobility park on Cleveland Street
- changes to the number and location of bus stops to improve bus journey times.
It’s always been planned that more permanent improvements would replace the trial bike lane installed a couple of years ago. Work on site will get under way by mid-2024 once detailed design is complete.
The plans approved were developed based on technical advice, discussions with local businesses, groups and organisations, and feedback from the community on the trial changes.
These plans were shared with the community last month and have since been modified in response to suggestions and concerns raised.
Mayor Tory Whanau says Wellington has recently been recognised internationally and nationally for the progress it has made rolling out the citywide bike network, and the way it is making it possible for more people to bike more often – winning the prestigious Bloomberg Initiative for Cycling Infrastructure and $650,000 prize money in June, followed by the Breakthrough Biking City of the Year Award at the Local Government NZ conference last month.
“Wellingtonians have made it clear they want action on climate change and transport – that is why we are making this progress to deliver more walking, cycling and bus routes throughout the city.
“Street changes like this can take time to get used to – but they are a smart move for our climate and our future.”
Committee Chair Councillor Sarah Free says that it is gratifying to see the committee approve a permanent solution for the Brooklyn cycleway after it was installed as a transitional cycleway in 2021.
“Through our Paneke Pōneke programme we have been able to use low-cost adaptable materials to get a bike network in place as quickly as possible, along with bus and pedestrian improvements. This project is the first permanent cycleway to be approved following on from that process.
“People seeing this trial lane in action and using it, coupled with lots of opportunity to provide feedback has been a real advantage in designing the permanent solution.
“The most common thing we heard from people following the installation of the trial lane was that the safer biking connection needed to be extended from the top of Brooklyn Road to the local shopping centre, so it is great that will happen. We also heard that better, safer walking connections are really vital and we've been able to propose some more improvements there, along with finding some options to mitigate some of the loss of parking.
"Through this process we've heard from many in the community and it's good to see how the plans have been tweaked in response to the latest round of feedback.”
The bike lane planned for Brooklyn Road will be at street-level with concrete buffers from the intersection with lower Nairn Street as far as the top end of Nairn Street. From this point, the bike lane will be raised to footpath height, with a wide kerb to just past the intersection with Ohiro Road.
Changes will be made at the intersection of Brooklyn Road and Ohiro Road to encourage safer speeds and provide space for a new section of footpath. In response to earlier feedback, a painted central median on Brooklyn Road will be reinstated where space allows.