Ahoy residents of East Tamaki, Pakuranga, Half Moon Bay, Bucklands Beach, Howick, Highland Park, Flatbush, Botany Downs, and Dannemora! If you walk or bike in the area, and you’re dreaming of a safe school route, or a particular shortcut through a park, or an upgrade that would make an existing route more usable – this is your chance to have your say. Feedback is open on the Howick Local Paths Draft Network until Saturday 7 April 2018. Take a look at the draft map for the area and the consultation document, and add your thoughts here. Q. What are Local Paths? Formerly known as Greenways, Local Paths are all about creating better …
BarbC
We welcome Auckland Transport’s recent media release last week, acknowledging the horrific increase since 2014 in deaths and serious injuries for people using AT’s road network (as laid out in the independent safety report commissioned by the AT board). It’s painful but necessary to have this out in the open, and Greater Auckland covered the topic well in a recent blog post. We especially welcome the proposed response, which is that AT will massively ramp up its spending to create safer roads, joining Minister Genter’s commitment to Vision Zero. I’m keen to hear from you how the extra cycling safety dollars could be used most effectively. While you think about it, I’d like …
A guest post by Christina Bengtson: Last year I had the bright idea of buying a cargo trailer and doing my shopping with that instead of using the car. The underlying reasoning was that we didn’t want to buy a second car, I was keen on the extra exercise, and we felt it fitted into our lifestyle, trying to minimise our carbon footprint. We are a family of 5: three kids, my husband and myself, with one car, five bikes – and now a cargo trailer. I think we’re the only one-car household in our street; it’s definitely not ‘normal’. Because we run our own business from home, business use …
Sometimes it’s very simple. The council is currently consulting on the Regional Fuel Tax (RFT) and what to spend it on via the Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP), and the feedback process couldn’t be more straightforward. Here’s our super-quick-and-easy guide to making sure bikes count. Read on for VERY IMPORTANT DETAILS on how to make sure Auckland doesn’t wind up with a half-pie compromise for cycling. Be sure to have your say before Monday 14 May! Question 1 asks how you feel about the Regional Fuel Tax – support or no? We strongly suggest you SUPPORT this – without it the full range of cycling projects won’t happen. The fuel tax …
Unless you’ve been totally out of media range, you’ll have heard about ATAP: a short acronym for the biggest change in AKL’s transport planning for decades, the Auckland Transport Alignment Project. The news stories have focused mainly on public transport: all the new light rail lines, busways and other improvements on the way. On this score, our friends over at Greater Auckland deserve as much glory as the politicians in Government and Council for boldly articulating the kind of rapid and reliable transport network a fast-growing city needs in the 21st C. Of course, our own eyes went immediately to what’s in ATAP for people on bikes. And the news is good! …
Henderson is set to boom in the coming decade – with more housing and better transport links to serve the growing population. The new frequent bus network for the west is already transforming travel options around the area, and the CRL will allow more fast and frequent services from the super-handy train station. Already, the township’s legacy ‘Twin Streams’ bike paths – along Oratia and Opanuku and Henderson Creek – provide excellent greenspace connections across the area and into the wider bike network. Just add some great local walkable and bikeable links for a truly liveable ‘urban eco-centre’! That’s why Auckland Transport (AT), the Henderson-Massey Local Board, Auckland Council and Panuku Development Auckland …
The GPS (Government Policy Statement) for Land Transport (read it here!) sets the nationwide direction for transport investment for the next decade. The Government wants feedback from local government, the transport sector and community groups – and individuals are also welcome to have a say. This is your chance to be the change you wish to see in the world! If you want a more bike-friendly New Zealand, please take a second to support the draft GPS and its beefed-up focus on cycling, walking, and safety. Details below. Feedback closes at 5pm on Wednesday 2nd May. The quickest way to have your say CAN, the Cycling Action Network, has put together …
AT is consulting on an upgrade to the shared path at Western Springs, on the south side of Great North Road as it passes the sports grounds and MOTAT – a key pathway for kids en route to local schools. Feedback is open until Monday 7 May 2018 – please take a moment to add your voice! A quick feedback guide We see three things to support here, and three ‘could do better’ points: support the raised crossings that give priority to pedestrians and people on bikes support the widening for better footpaths/shared paths support the improved connection to Ivanhoe Rd please pay more attention to signage clutter along the …
It’s been a big week for transport announcements in Auckland, so one recent announcement in mid-April snuck in under the radar: AT’s decision to put its plans for publicly-run bike share on hold. Looks like a win for one company at least – but is it a win for Auckland? HEY THERE! ARE YOU TRYING TO CONTACT ONZO BIKES? They are a private company and nothing to do with Bike Auckland. Please call OnzO directly on 0800 646 696 or get in touch with them via their email or their Facebook page. Thanks! Auckland Transport announced last week that they’ve decided to pause plans to invest in bike share as a result of ‘the …
As temperatures plummeted overnight last week, I went to bed thinking ‘Ohhh noooo, the end of our cycle trail riding before winter!’ As if by magic, an email arrived the next morning from Bike Auckland’s wonderful friend and leader of Bike Tamaki, Kirsten Shouler. Kirsten was still in a state of rhapsody from her Easter ride along Northland’s Twin Coast Cycle Trail with a gang of friends, including her partner Kim Sinclair and mates from the Manukau Veterans Cycling Club. The photos Kirsten sent gave me faith to believe the endless summer weather will return and that we can keep riding more trails before winter truly arrives. There are always …
Women in Urbanism Aotearoa created a special weekend event to bring girls out to play on bikes, in partnership with the Auckland Women’s Centre, Auckland Transport Walking and Cycling, and special guest, Olympic BMX medallist Sarah Walker. Emma McInnes reports on how ‘Pump Tracks are for Girls’ brightened up a rainy weekend and empowered young riders. Right on 10am, children and their bikes began to materialise in Grey Lynn Park, decorating the pump track scene in raincoats and rainboots of vibrant blues, reds, yellows, pinks, adding colour to the dull grey, and bringing life and joy to the track. Plenty just showed up in singlets and tights; the rain was no drama to them, …
Been wondering what’s happening with the New Lynn to Avondale ‘rail trail’ shared path project? So have we. Our Westie correspondent Sam Finnemore takes a look back over the story so far, what’s hopefully coming next, and how it fits into the bigger picture out west. A lot’s changed since Easter 2016, both in New Zealand and internationally, for better and for worse (with no particular order implied!). But let’s focus just on developments for bikes right here in Auckland. Two years ago, the Lightpath had been open and blowing Aucklanders’ minds for just a couple of months. Right at the heart of downtown, the Quay Street protected cycleway was …
Running alongside SH16, the Northwestern Cycleway is not only the key bike path from the western suburbs into the CBD, it’s also a crucial local connection to and between Kingsland, Eden Terrace, and Arch Hill. And it’s booming – daily bike traffic has tripled in less than five years, with a daily average of close to 1000 trips registered by the automatic bike counter near Bond St (and 1500 on the last Thursday in February!). It’s a huge success story – with a major pinch point: the section between St Lukes Rd and Newton Rd. Built in the early 2000s as a shared path for bikes and pedestrians, the width …
Media Release: Final push for Skypath welcomed – Bike Auckland applauds Government’s rebalancing of transport priorities 6 April 2018 Bike Auckland is celebrating the government’s new draft land transport policy, which boosts cycling and walking investment and ensures the swift completion of Skypath and Seapath, fixing the crucial ‘missing link’ across Auckland’s harbour. People on both sides of the harbour have long shown overwhelming enthusiasm for being able to walk and bike over the Harbour Bridge. It’s now realistic to give this project the urgency required for it to be in place for the America’s Cup. Combined with a strong focus on public transport and safer travel on local roads, the …
The Grey Lynn cycleway routes – plus the related safety upgrades, including new crossings and traffic calming – have been paused for review since Christmas, and many readers will be wondering what’s going on. You can keep track of Auckland Transport’s official updates on this page, and you can also sign up for email updates by writing to bruce.thomas@at.govt.nz The review process The main thing to know is that AT has engaged urban design consultants Boffa Miskell to lead a technical review of the Waitemata Safe Routes programme. The review is in two parts – Richmond Road (including the West Lynn shops) and the Old Mill Road, Surrey Crescent and Garnet Road …
Processing...