Cycle Action knows Auckland cyclists are huge fans of this fantastic project, but we need your help to make sure Auckland Transport gets the all important local details right – please give your input if you haven’t already!
Consultation on the Glen Innes – Tamaki Shared Path project is still open for another week.We’re delighted but not at all surprised to hear that there has already been great support from local communities coming through to Auckland Transport. We hear that key points in the feedback already received are requests for strong connections to local streets and existing walking routes, so that communities adjacent to the route will be able to access and use local sections of the Path.
Cycle Action agrees: making sure that the project opens up much-needed neighbourhood connections (and links to future residential and commercial developments in the Glen Innes area) will unlock huge benefits and give a major boost to local cycling in the Eastern Suburbs.
Done well, the path will become part of a well-used local network as well as a spectacular regional cycling and walking route through the Purewa valley connecting to Tamaki Drive and beyond.
We think making sure top quality cycling connections are in place is a key message for AT. As a guide for your own input, here’s Cycle Action’s thinking on the most wanted cycling connections:
at the Glen Innes end, links from the Path to the rail station from Merton Rd and Felton Matthew Ave need work to make sure they are safe and effective for cyclists and pedestrians
an important access way to the Path further up Felton Matthew Ave is through an existing ROW which is currently privately owned: we think this is an essential local connection and should be designed with enough space to make an attractive entrance point
where possible, cross connections to the Pt England pedestrian walkway to the north of the rail line and growing Glen Innes residential areas should be investigated
at St Johns Rd, cycle connections to existing very busy local roads including St Johns Rd, St Heliers Bay Rd and Kohimarama Rd are needed (improvements along those roads are badly needed, though these are out of scope of this project)
cross connections between Meadowbank and the northern side of the Path are especially important to enable safe access for students to walk and cycle to Selwyn College and St Thomas’s School.
access from the Gowing Drive area onto the Path, which may be possible via Purewa cemetery.
and we expect to see more detail of future cycling connections at Orakei
Of course, you’ll have many other comments on the overall concept and the design of the Path. Our earlier posts like this one give more background to the project. But we think making sure these local connections are right is a key message – so grab the chance to give your input now!
Bike Auckland is the non-profit organisation working to improve things for people on bikes. We’re a people-powered movement for a better region. We speak up for you – and the more of us there are, the stronger our voice!