Big win for Coughlan as iconic Miramar to City cycleway gets green light

Mayoral Candidate Jo Coughlan said today that a proposal to reallocate cycleway money from the CBD to achieving a direct link from the Eastern Suburbs to the CBD to expedite an iconic harbour side cycle way is a great result and shows that common sense can prevail if the right pressure is applied.
Councillors will vote on 11 August 2016 at the Transport and Urban Development to shift the funding from the CBD works to begin a harbour side route from Miramar to the City.

“We need to get this process underway and deliver an iconic cycleway that befits our city. I am thrilled that we are now on track for a better result from Miramar to the City.”

Coughlan has led the charge for a rethink on cycleways in the city since April which culminated in an amendment at the Transport and Urban Development Committee 30 June that "a cycleway along Cobham Drive and around the bays to Ngauranga from Miramar, as part of the Great Harbour Way (ie an iconic harbour side cycle way) is considered as part of the refreshed cycleway programme.

Officers have reviewed this, taken on board the concerns with the previous proposals and are making changes accordingly.

“Lessons had been learnt from Island Bay cycleway and councillors are realising that there is a finite amount of money available from Government and we have one shot at getting cycle ways right,” said Coughlan.

“I have been advocating we look at this route alongside existing more piecemeal projects which will deliver less value for cyclists and the city. The money is there but we need to use it wisely.”

The Government has allocated $36.91 million for Wellington and local government a further $15.05 million as part of the Government’s Urban Cycleways Programme in Wellington City and the Hutt Valley.

Coughlan who met with Minister of Transport Simon Bridges in April to discuss Wellington cycle ways and a range of transport issues said she supported cycling but wanted sensible cycle ways.

“I was not happy with the way our cycleways were being rolled out. I asked the Minister if there was a window of opportunity for Wellington to consider alternative cycleway options and consider these along with public feedback, while retaining critical central government funding. He said there was.”

This was reiterated in the subsequent Morrison Lowe Report commissioned by NZTA in response to NZTA’s concerns around implementation of cycle ways in Wellington.

Council officers will now review the current Urban Cycle Way Programme – with funding previously tagged for Ngauranga to Bunny St ($9.0 million); Central City ($13.5 million and Eastern Suburbs ($6.0 million)

“We have an opportunity to get this right. A thoroughly considered cycleway solution that will work and is iconic, with commuter and tourism values will be a better outcome for the next 100 years than pursuing the current piecemeal approach at any cost,” Coughlan said.

“I am a huge supporter of sensible cycleways. They are great for health, fitness and the environment. However, given the Island Bay experience we need to do much better with our consultation processes and take the community with us.

“It’s great we can now revisit the cycle ways under consideration with a view to finding a better more visionary solution.

“Other global cities have built cycle ways that differentiate their city from others. We have some great natural attributes for off-road cycling which are world-class. We have an opportunity to build an integrated separate around the harbour cycleway network that will become an iconic part of the Wellington landscape over the next century.

“An around harbour cycleway from Miramar to Petone will inspire people to use it.

“Funding is secure for the $54 million Hutt Valley cycleway and resilience project between Petone and Ngauranga. We have an additional $36 million of Government funding to spend. This should be used to complete the route and enhance seawall resilience to Miramar.

“This would be an excellent infrastructure project that we could work with Government on and I would strongly support.

“This work needs to be done if we are to get the best long-term result for Wellingtonians.

“This isn’t about ideology or party politics. We need solutions we can all be proud of for the next 100 years.”

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