One data source used to monitor the ongoing safety of city roads is Waka Kotahi NZTA’s Crash Analytics System (CAS), which allows precise data about our bike lanes. Between 2016 and 2022, CAS data shows:
- 12 people on bikes were involved in crashes along The Parade in Island Bay
- Over half of them occurred where there was no bike lane, at the shopping area and at intersections.
- Since 2022 when a range of safety improvements were made, there has been only a single non-injury crash reported through CAS.
The Island Bay bike lane in 2014 was the first kerbside lane in Wellington. The original low-cost design included car parking between the bike lane and the traffic lane. After installation several problems were identified. A focus on maintaining as much parking as possible (in line with resident requests) was obstructing sightlines around driveways and side streets. This approach resulted in crashes with bikes.
By working within the existing road space, using fast to install materials, and adaptable designs on some routes, we can keep Wellington City’s bike lane programme costs low, while using real time feedback to adapt and improve as we go.
The expected cost of the bike network is less than one per cent of the City Council’s operational budget over the next 10 years (0.99%). To put this in perspective, nearly a third (29%) of the entire City Council budget over the same period is going towards water-related costs.
The road ahead
By the end of the year the Island Bay bike lanes will be connected with the rest of Wellington’s bike network and provide us with even more data on how people use the completed route.
Results from finished routes, such as the city to Botanic Garden route, and the Newtown to city route show that numbers of people using these routes have increased significantly, and so has safety for people on bikes.
Data also shows that the completed routes are taking e-scooters off footpaths, and improving pedestrian access.
To find out more, visit the Bike Network website.