Longtime Bike Auckland supporter Richard Ashurst has been keeping an eye on changes in Singapore’s bike culture over the last few years, and shares his observations with us… Every few years, I join my partner in visiting her family back in Singapore. It’s is an interesting little country, and after several visits I’m starting to notice how it’s changing over time, particularly with regards to bikes – which, although still a tiny share of the transport system, have doubled in mode share over the last three years. Like New Zealand, Singapore has a history as a British colony, so they drive on the left side of the road and the country speaks English (or sometimes ‘Singlish’). That’s about …
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We’re keen to get your feedback on the new bike parking plan for Devonport’s Ferry Terminal. Read the info below, and give us your comments by Sunday 25th June! The Devonport Ferry Terminal has been bursting with the noise of jackhammers breaking out concrete. Behind the gleaming white screens erected to block off the work areas, serious work is underway on the second stage of the revamp of the rental spaces. At present, the terminal has a range of bike parking, with the most popular facilities on each side of the terminal building. They have ‘sail’ covers which give some protection from the weather and salt spray. On the north side …
Please help us achieve traffic speeds that put New Zealanders’ safety first – make a quick submission by 5pm Friday, June 16! In this guest post, Bevan Woodward of Skypath Trust explains the catch in the proposed speed-limit setting rule, and how to fix it… NZTA is updating the speed-limit setting rule… but it is unwilling to put New Zealanders’ safety first. This is a missed opportunity to make our roads safer, more liveable, more vibrant and more efficient. Instead NZTA continues to require that speed limits be ‘safe and appropriate’. This initially sounds good – who doesn’t want safe streets? And it’s appropriate for traffic to go more slowly on streets where we live, shop, and …
Te Ara ki Uta ki Tai, our Great Eastern Cycleway from Glen Innes to Tamaki Drive, continues to snake its way towards the city. In the last week, Auckland Transport has narrowed down the options for the final section: Stage 4, which will connect the Orakei train station to Tamaki Drive. Three options have been selected for further investigation. The big question is: how will they connect to AT’s proposed but dangerous south-side Tamaki Drive Cycleway from Ngapipi to town – and how could they work with Bike Auckland’s much talked about north-side alternative? With feedback on Tamaki Drive closing on 18 June, we think the case is now even stronger for a safe, logical, connected two-way cycleway along the …
We didn’t make nearly enough of a fuss of Duncan Laidlaw when he topped the charts this February in the Auckland division of the Aoteaora Bike Challenge, for greatest distance covered by a bloke… a whopping 3002km in 28 days! Duncan’s a stalwart member of local group Bike Kaipatiki, helps out at the Roskill Bike Kitchen and various repair cafes, organizes our monthly Bike Breakfast meet-up, and is generally a very good egg. We threw a few questions his way to figure out what makes his biking brain tick. What got you biking in Auckland? About 10 years ago I attended a Go By Bike Day breakfast at the Viaduct, and gave biking to work a go. I was a bit laddish, …
Sailing down Nelson St on the protected cycleway is fun… until you reach the current ‘end of the road’ at Victoria St. Good news: work begins this week on Phase 2 of the Nelson St Cycleway, and should be completed by September 2017! This is not only a major step towards completing a full safe cycleway loop around the central city, linking Nelson St to Quay St – it also links Nelson St to the future Karangahape Rd protected bike lanes. So, here’s what’s happening. (Forgive the low-res images; they’re the best available versions we’ve been given.) On Nelson St: separated and protected one-way cycleways on both sides, from Victoria Street down to Fanshawe Street. Downhill on the west side, …
In case you missed the news: Lightpath will be temporarily closed from Tuesday June 6 for up to 9 days, for the resurfacing of the sinuous Canada St Bridge section. The main surface of Lightpath was successfully ‘repinked‘ in March, but the connecting bridge required more testing, as its surface had become delaminated (peeling away from the surface below). As a safety matter, it needs repairing, and while nobody’s thrilled to have to close access, we agree with NZTA that it’s better to have the job done sooner rather than later – especially with works starting in June on the rest of Nelson St, and the full city loop within sight. The connecting bridge will be …
It’s that time of year again… when frosty starts and foggy mornings are joined by later sunrises and earlier sunsets. Time to break out the warmer gear for riding, consider your wet weather options and brighten up your ride so others can see you. Speaking of brightening up: the sun rises around 7:30am, just in time to join Bike Auckland’s convivial Bike Breakfast! Thursday 1 June, 7.30am-9-ish Scarecrow (corner of Victoria & Kitchener St in the CBD) Everyone’s welcome to Bike Breakfast – you don’t have to belong to any particular bike tribe, and we love casual drop-ins as much as our regular faces. Pop in, stay as long as you like, share the bike …
Victoria Street is one of the key routes into the city from the western suburbs – but what with heavy traffic, huge intersections, and heaps of buses in the mix, you only see the more intrepid bike riders on it. So it’s fantastic that Auckland Transport, as part of the Urban Cycleway Programme, is proposing to add cycle lanes along Victoria from Beaumont Street to Hobson Street, creating a key link to the new Franklin Rd semi-protected cycle lanes and a future College Hill Route into the City. This is one of the best cycleway designs we’ve seen for Auckland in recent years. Most importantly, it includes protected one-way cycle lanes – as opposed to shared paths, or two-way paths …
Feedback closes Sunday 18 June – be a good bunch, and spread the word to support Bike AKL’s Quality Option fora north-side cycleway on Tamaki Drive! This is NZ’s busiest bike route, and in the top ten favourite rides. Why compromise? Last week, we wrote about how Auckland Transport’s current proposal for cycle facilities on Tamaki Drive isn’t just disappointing, it’s downright dangerous. We rushed into print when AT went to the public with their design despite our grave misgivings, to offer an urgent alternative. Our Interim Option solved the key safety issue by widening the traffic lanes nearest the curb to make space for on-road cyclists. It worked… but it was barely adequate. You know what? …
Auckland Transport is currently working with Bike Auckland to review the content and size of all our city cycle maps – and your ideas are crucial. Here’s a link to a speedy survey about what you look for in a bike map, and what you think of the existing ones. Bike maps are such a key element of a bikeable city. Every time I represent Bike Auckland at an event for people keen to give biking a go, or for families whose children are raring to take their parents biking in the weekends, or speak at a community group interested in helping their members become more active or curious to explore the city by bike… I’m …
![Why Bike AKL can't support the design for the Tamaki Drive Cycle Route [Updated]](https://www.bikeauckland.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Tamaki-Lanes-2-e1495427109899-300x137.jpg "Why Bike AKL can't support the design for the Tamaki Drive Cycle Route [Updated]")
AT has just opened consultation for new cycleway works on Tamaki Drive, from The Strand to Ngapipi Road – to create a link for people on bikes from the (in-progress) Glen Innes to Tamaki Drive cycleway, to the Quay St cycleway. As such, it’s a crucial connection. However, for reasons we explain below – and to our own disappointment – we cannot support the proposed design, because it puts a significant proportion of Tamaki Drive bike travellers at serious risk, while not really raising standards for the new riders. Especially when there is an alternative that is safer. TL; DR: The proposed design isn’t great – and will be actively dangerous for a large group of existing …
An exciting announcement today, via the Minister of Transport: Auckland Transport, with the support of NZTA, is moving forward with a feasibility study for a bikeshare scheme for central Auckland! (Christchurch is on the cards too, but naturally our eye is drawn to our city). Says AT’s Kathryn King: By the end of next year we will have completed a number of vital links for people travelling into and around the city centre by bike. This, combined with international evidence that cycle share schemes work when they are done right, mean that now is the perfect time to begin these investigations. The feasibility report is expected around the end of September, …
Heading to the Big Bike Film Night this week? Say hello to the Bike Auckland crew at the theatre entrance – we’ve got stickers and badges and bells, and will also be modeling our fabulous new T-shirts… …which you, too, can now order from our brand new online shop! Get your hands on our gear here! Heaps of styles and sizes and colours, with something for (pretty much) every body and (pretty much) every kind of bike. And if you don’t see something you like, check the FAQs for how to get in touch for a special order. Wear your enthusiasm for a more bikeable city on your sleeve (and your front), in the confidence that you’re sending a little bit …
Auckland Transport is seeking feedback on cycling improvements in New Lynn. Feedback is open until Sunday 21 May 2017 – use the big blue button on the project page, or this direct link. This is the first project out of the gate in response to last year’s area-wide consultation, which revealed a huge local demand for safer cycling links in New Lynn and Avondale. The proposed wider cycle network that will (eventually) emerge from that exercise is here: New-Lynn-proposed-network-map [PDF] And this is the section that’s currently funded and being consulted on for construction: The main part of the project is a new cycleway along the berm on Seabrook Ave between Willerton and Margan Ave, which …
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