Wellington
City Council will be installing over 100 new poles and energy-efficient LED
lights on the western side of Hutt Road, from Tinakori Road to Jarden Mile. This
will improve visibility for everyone using this busy route. The new poles will
have big outreach arms of three to four metres to light up the whole road and
shared path.
The
Council’s Portfolio Leader for Public Transport, Cycling and Walking, Cr Sarah
Free, says the old lighting poles on the shared path between Ngauranga and
Aotea Quay will be removed to improve safety for people walking or cycling.
“This
is an important step towards improving the city’s transport network and giving
people better choices for how they travel.”
City
Councillors have voted in August this year to go with a staged approach to
implementing the cycleway and other transport improvements on this route. This
means the shared path can be upgraded and made safer but not yet converted to a
wider two-way cycleway and dedicated pedestrian path.
Councillors also
opted to delay removing the car parks from the shared path until parking solutions
have been identified. Any decisions on parking will be made by the new Council.
The
Council’s Portfolio Leader for Transport Strategy and Operations, Cr Chris
Calvi-Freeman, says the improvements to the Hutt Road cycleway are part of the
Hutt Valley to Wellington city route and a critical piece of the wider
transport network.
“The
need for a safer cycling path along Hutt Road continues to grow and with
support from the Government via the Urban Cycleway Fund and the National Land
Transport Fund, this work is getting under way.”
NZ Transport Agency
Regional Director Raewyn Bleakley says the cycleway is part of planned
investment to make the journey for people cycling from Hutt Valley to
Wellington city safe, consistent and connected.
“We
are pleased to be working in partnership with the Wellington City Council delivering
Wellington’s urban cycleways programme which will help give people more
transport choices for their journeys. Improving safety on this route is a step
in the right direction and we look forward to seeing more progress in 2017.”
The
Hutt Road cycleway will be the first in Wellington City to benefit from the
Government’s Urban Cycleways Programme. Two-thirds of the $9m cost will come
from the Urban Cycleways Fund and National Land Transport Fund. The first stage
from Ngauranga to Aotea Quay overbridge will cost approximately $4 million, including
the street light upgrade..
Cr Free says
detailed construction plans for improvements on the path itself are being
finalised and work is scheduled to start in February 2017. “In the coming weeks
we’ll consider how we can mark this 2017 milestone.”
The lighting work is
expected to be complete in early 2017 with minimal disruption for businesses
and road users.