Our eyes-on-the-ground correspondent Phil sends news and photos of recent major developments along the NW cycleway…
The newly poured shared path from Patiki Rd to Te Atatu opened yesterday, and was very busy last evening. “It’s so great,” says Phil, “it deserves a heap of photos, but these will give the idea of how good it is. NB No barbecue area just yet.”
(That’s an in-joke: autocorrect keeps changing “Patiki Rd” to “Patio Rd” every time any of us tweets, emails, or texts about it… which is starting to feel like a hint from the universe. What do you reckon, a wee parklet, some picnic tables, and a BBQ along here for Friday evening sausage sizzles, a la Tom’s cake stall??)
Te Atatu commuter Ben was so impressed by the smooth runnings – such an improvement on what came before – that he made a little video:
https://instagram.com/p/7W5Be3HkBe/
Back to Phil, who pays tribute to a trusty piece of infrastructure. “This is possibly the last picture of the overbridge across the west-bound Patiki Rd on-ramp. There was a queue of cyclists and joggers taking photos there in the evening sun. I would guess I have ridden over that bridge maybe three thousand times. In the foreground you can see the new on-ramp bridge over the new underpass here.”
And indeed, the dog-leg bridge was taken down overnight. It is no more. RIP old bridge, you served us well. We’ll love the new underpass, but where will we take sunset photos from now? *sob*
The temporary diversion at Patiki Rd is still settling in as both motorists and cyclists adjust to it. Phil reports: “Lots of people in orange jackets helping cyclists cross at Patiki, but they seemed to be packing up at 5pm, well short of the time during which commuter cyclists and motor vehicles will meet at that detour crossing. One issue I had not predicted was that vehicles leaving the Sika site sit across the path as they wait to turn right into a non-existent gap in the traffic. This brings cycle traffic to a halt as the only way around is to go around in front of said vehicle into the east-bound off ramp traffic. This would only be an issue at peak evening travel time, so maybe there could be a left-turn-only 3:30-6:30pm requirement there for the duration of the diversion?”
Phil is also keeping an eye on the quality of the temporary path, which needs to serve us for several more months before we get to ride on beautiful uninterrupted smooth concrete all the way. Down the path from Rosebank to Waterview there are some quite wide cracks which seem to be getting bigger each day:
And on a short piece of temporary path under the Rosebank Rd off-ramp, the sealed surface has failed in many places, accelerated by recent rain. As noted by several other regulars on Twitter and Facebook, this will be quite tricky for cycles with narrow tyres. The patch below is one of maybe 6-8 that will require re-sealing if they’re to be used for many more weeks. We’ve logged both of these issues with our helpful contacts at the Causeway Alliance.
Of course, motorists have to navigate complex changes along this stretch as well. For example, overnight from 8pm on 19 September, car traffic will face a 12-hour closure of two exits (Patiki Rd onramp; Te Atatu westbound offramp), and will be down to one westbound lane in between. This is to accommodate a “bridge stitch” over the Whau Bridge, where concrete will be poured to connect the new structure to the old. Apparently the concrete needs to sit for 12 hours before it can stand up to the vibrations of passing traffic.
But because bikes travel more lightly on the earth, we can continue uninterrupted… And again, it’s good to recall that the cycleway (in some form or another) has remained open for the entire duration of these works. The end is in sight! An uninterrupted NW cycleway by October 2016!
Meanwhile, at the Te Atatu interchange, great progress is being made on the cut and cover for the new underpass.
And on Te Atatu Rd, which is facing a series of temporary arrangements and detours over the coming year to accommodate the reconstruction of the entire road, Phil reports that a temporary bridge waits across the trench at Te Atatu Rd, in place but not yet in active use:
As Phil notes, “It is not cycle-friendly width-wise, but is straight and level. It would be great if there was a second bridge parallel, as it will be difficult for a cyclist to cross over when pedestrians are coming the other way.” (We’re currently in discussion about this and other elements of the Te Atatu Rd project with a view to making detours as safe and intuitive to use as possible. Quick pic below, with more details to come: the purple line is the bridge shown above).
The reason we keep such a close eye on this sort of thing – and are grateful for the good eye of Phil and others, and the responsiveness of the construction partners – is not just to help look after existing riders, although that’s important too.
We want to make sure new riders feel welcome and safe.
More and more Aucklanders are hopping on bikes these days, and we’d hate for them to be scared off by one too many negotiations with frustrating road works. You can always contact us with questions so we can talk directly to the construction companies and project managers, who are more and more responsive, understanding, and helpful.
After all, these arrangements are just temporary bumps on the road to more bike-friendly connections to and through our communities. By way of illustration… when Phil rode through Te Atatu Peninsula yesterday just for a look-see, he found a thriving bike burb, full of people out and about on wheels: “So many cyclists, including a couple of families out with their youngsters in trailers. Took this photo outside the bank – which clearly needs a cycle stand!”
Ride on, Bike Te Atatu! And roll on the completed NW cycleway!
Huge thanks to Phil for his curiosity, intelligence, and energy. We welcome photos, stories, and questions about this and other parts of the city where road work is underway and bike traffic is being detoured.
