$$ needed to deliver safety for more people cycling

Sep 07, 2014
$$ needed to deliver safety for more people cycling

BarbC

Grab a copy of today’s Sunday Star and read Alex Mc Millan’s take on what impact $100m would have on cycling safety and uptake. Page 2 “$100m cycleway investment too small for safety – Prof’

(Sorry, the story doesn’t seem to be on Stuff yet)

Alex is an Otago- based academic who is known and respected in Auckland. Today’s article is based on important cycling research she began when she worked at Auckland University’s Tamaki campus Population and Health Studies Dept and cycled Auckland’s streets with her young daughter. She’s a feisty element on the Government’s Cycle Safety Panel, representing females, providing evidence- based advice and speaking on behalf of those who regard Auckland’s roads to be a mean cycling environment.

$100m over 4 years will be helpful to build some major cycling projects – but, we need to be real. I estimate our next big project, the Tamaki to Glen Innes cycleway, will cost approx. $30m to complete. There are similar big ticket projects in Wellington and Dunedin which deserve immediate starts. The money will go a bit further if local Councils collectively have to contribute another $30m, as suggested yesterday by the PM. But this extra money will cover only one more big project – and the money will be all gone.

Where does that leave the money needed for SeaPath to link SkyPath to Takapuna, the SH1 cycleways to north and south of the AHB – plus local links to these routes, and safe cycleways to allow more people to cycle to use public transport across Auckland?

And we’re only talking about Auckland here! Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin have legitimate expectations, not to mention the other smaller cities like Whangarei, Nelson etc etc.

I know the Chair of the Government’s Cycling Safety Panel is also looking to the the Government’s $100m to implement the recommendations of the Panel, which will be finalised in November.

We know the Green Party is better informed on the investment needed to make the difference needed for safe cycling across NZ. It will be interesting to see the result of the election – but once this is known Cycle Action will be pushing for more public discussion of this topic.

I would love to see time allocated for this at this year’s Walking and Cycling conference, but accept the programme was decided months ago.

I promise you Cycle Action is ready and willing for the discussion and will engage with the Auckland cycling community to get more of your views. We work closely with NZTA and AT and will be raising this with them straight after the election.

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