A decade and a half after the idea was proposed and over a decade after plans were drawn up, a greater Great North Road is here. While not officially open yet, as the finishing touches go down, the Great North Road cycle lane is nonetheless open for business – and a delight to ride.
Time to celebrate. Right?
A long road
Or maybe time to pinch ourselves.
As one advocate says:
“It took such a concerted effort to get it over the line – and it shouldn’t have. They should have just built it! When the Newton Central School kids first asked, and when the whole #cartruckparty thing blew up.”
Side note: the #cartruckparty refers to recidivist offending by car transporters for the auto dealerships who, short of other options, repeatedly parked illegally on Great North Road. This left people on bikes and on foot in a dicey situation. Fines no deterrent, the offending got so blatant that social and news media got hold of the story and ran with it. We hope it’s an era which is now over, as lay-bys have been built into the new Great North Road design.
Former councillor on the Auckland Council and former chair of the Waitematā Local Board Pippa Coom says:
“It is a triumph for the community who fought tenaciously for Great North Road improvements and didn’t give up over many hurdles. Many people played a part. It wasn’t any one thing that made it happen – it took pressure applied through locals, school community, advocates, politicians and AT internal people on the side of the project – using every avenue available.”
To all of those tenacious visionaries – we salute you.
A case study for better
Great North Road is indeed a triumph. Even while not quiiite finished, the experience is a delight. I see many trying out the cycleway with wide smiles on their faces. I hope the businesses here take note of the full cycle parking outside shops and cafes. Great North Road is a more lovely place to be, and especially so if you’re on a bike, cruising along its wide planes.
It shows what Auckland can be, and it’s a case study for better.
Great North Road shows that multi-modal arterials are smart, logical, and civilised. It also demonstrates that they are relatively easy, fast and affordable to deliver. There’s really no excuse not to bring the same level of service to other key routes around the city.
Here’s an example. In Future Connect, Auckland Transport marked Green Lane West as a cycling arterial of the same importance as the Northwestern Shared Path. Wouldn’t the Great North Road model of a multimodal arterial be a joy for all users on Green Lane West? A true green lane.
Who will use the Great North Road cycleway?
Around 35,000 people live in Auckland’s inner west suburbs of Grey Lynn, Ponsonby, Freeman’s Bay, Herne Bay and Westmere. There are numerous and substantial primary and secondary schools. The artery of Great North Road cycleway pumps into several capillaries heading into those suburbs. That means a safe ride isn’t too far from anyone’s doorstep.
It’s a sizeable catchment for this route into the city centre and a compelling reason to exist. But locals aren’t the only ones who will benefit from the Great North Road cycleway.
Firstly, there are many venues and employers drawing people into the suburb, even if they aren’t resident in it. MOTAT, Auckland Zoo, Western Springs Park and Stadium, Ponsonby’s nightlife, Richmond Road’s relaxed eateries, Pt Chev’s coastal vibe, Jervois Road’s gourmand delights, to name a few.
But more importantly, Great North Road is a different sort of route into the city for those coming from elsewhere. Unlike the Northwestern Shared Path on the southern side of the motorway, Great North Road takes you past shops, cafes and other destinations en route.
We now have options. We can choose a route that lets us get things done along the way, pick up some shopping, watch the city come to life, bump into friends, stop for coffee. Some will also prefer a more peopled route home after dark. Meanwhile A-to-B focused commuters can continue to enjoy their friction-free ride along the NW superhighway.
The key here is transport choice.
What’s next? Fill the gaps
With an almost-complete inner-west network now done, it makes so much sense to close those few remaining gaps.
1) The rest of the Waitematā Safe Routes, linking Great North Road through to Meola/ Pt Chev.
Surrey Crescent is under construction as I write, but Old Mill Road and Garnet Road are yet to come. There’s an urgent need to fill this gap. It completes the longer route linking Pt Chev and Westmere to the city via the ridge, and also connects Grey Lynners and Westmere-ites safely to their local shops and primary schools.
2) The Grey Lynn shops at the top of Williamson Road
This is a major safety black hole between Great North Road and Surrey Crescent. Someone we know was doored here just last weekend. It’s not okay to not have a plan for this area.
3) Protected cycleways on Great North Road downhill to Western Springs.
There’s plenty of room on this former tram route. It would enable heaps more people to walk, bike and scoot safely to events at the Western Springs outer fields (e.g. Laneways). Currently Auckland Transport closes the streets for these events to accommodate the extra buses. Plus, there are major destinations in MOTAT, Auckland Zoo and events at Western Springs Park.
If you were doing this, you’d also make sure there’s a safe continuous route along Great North Road into Pt Chev, including up Motions Road to Western Springs College and the Zoo.
What’s your Great North Road story?
Have you changed a regular route now the Great North Road protected cycle lane is in place? Will you switch to cycling now it’s here? Share your experience with us.
