We thought we would give you a quick update on the Quick Wins: New North Road project – which is turning more into a “Deliberate Wins” project.
But then again, one doesn’t want to end up wasting the $150,000 on design fees for something that can’t be built, or almost worse, on construction that doesn’t achieve anything…
So in the last 2 months, after a user audit and a safety audit, CAA and Auckland Transport have now agreed which changes on New North Road would fit the bill, and will now be taken to more detailed assessment, the key “go / no go” step.
The following items are being investigated:
- Widening the pinch point of the western-side shared path on Symonds Street, near K’Road intersection
- Providing cycle lanes through the New North Road / Mount Eden Road intersection
- Providing an uphill cycle lane as you ride east along New North Road (underneath through the Ian McKinnon Drive underpass) – so that cyclists can stay on the road, and aren’t expected to take the dodgy off-road back route.*
- Assessing parking removal at several intersection pinch points identified in the safety audit as major issues
- If there’s still money left, adding advanced stop boxes to various intersections on the route.
* Where the current road layout takes away the cycle lane just as the traffic lane gets narrow. The concept now developed should hopefully allow us to remove the detour most ignore anyway, and provide for safer conditions on-road.
As you can see, the project won’t exactly turn NNR into a great cycle route on its lonesome, but hopefully, once implemented, people cycling it will agree that it has made a noticeable difference, and that it is worth taking the pilot project forward to other streets.