The ‘high quality and continuous’ cycle path running parallel to SH20 between Mangere Bridge and Sandringham was opened in 2010 by Minister of Transport, Steven Joyce, to much fanfare. A walking and cycling bridge over the notoriously deadly Onehunga Harbour Rd was the clincher.
But the problem with this ‘high quality, continuous’ link was always going to be the lack of treatment to the Orpheus Drive and Hendry Avenue sections. It was inappropriate at the time to appear ungrateful (although I did raise the issue a number of times with the NZTA representatives). And knowing the Minister’s less than positive attitude to cycling’s potential role in Auckland’s transport landscape, it wouldn’t have made a difference anyway. At the opening event, he spoke glowingly of the connectivity offered by this piece of infrastructure. He must have been repeating what the site engineers had told him.
Like a chain being only as good as good as its weakest link, significant parts of this project were not included in the upgrade. The hill climb up Hendry Ave is a ‘killer’ and the crossing at Queenstown Rd could be a real killer one day if it is left as it is. I have already commented about this crossing.
So, having highlighted the good and the ugly, let’s celebrate the latest improvement to this cycleway. Big ups to
the considerate citizen who must have toiled at great length to create this piece of infrastructure. I would like to thank him on behalf of Auckland Transport for showing initiative to make Auckland a safer and more pleasant place to cycle.
Entry form North
Effective signage
Entry from South
Unresolved carpark conflict.
Is there a small piece of infrastructure missing from your regular cycle route? Is there something you could do to make it safer or friendlier? What are you waiting for? Get busy! Get creative!
Cycling-the non-vehicular way.
Ha! “Build it, and they will come… and build it.”
This makes me happy there’s action, but incredibly sad about the cake-stalls-for-bombers feeling of people on bikes and foot being half-arsed all the way.
That said, it also has me on the way to being inspired to fix the dumping-into-an-intersection end of the Westhaven Drive cycleway where it meets Sarsfield. A lame fait accompli at the end of an otherwise great trundle, left by dull or ignorant engineers, it makes me angry every time I ride it. Not sure a shovel is going to solve it, though.
@Greg, Here's a new motto…'don't get mad, get building'.
And wouldn't it be great if all the busy builders out there could document their activities so that the whole cycling community were able to celebrate the achievements. Short video footage, perhaps?
I hope this area gets the official treatment when the Onehunga foreshore is spruced up…. The Hendry Ave hill climb is classic example of a traffic engineer thinking bikes will behave like cars and look for the shortest route. I’d suggest cyclist look for “rideable” routes that balance shortest distance with least terrain change, minimal traffic and pleasant scenary
Nice. I think that is what is called a 'desire line'- you see them in parks, where people have ignored the paths laid out for them and worn a track that goes where they actually want to go. Sometimes the powers that be catch on and end up paving the 'unofficial' tracks to stop their condition deteriorating into a muddy swamp. Maybe that'll happen here too?
@Adrian Well spotted. Great observation. I see them all the time. Jan Gehl would be in favour, I imagine. It's like an urban design view as opposed to an engineering approach.
That is … interesting…
For those interested – Cycle Action Auckland has been in discussions with Council about getting a path exactly around this western pylon. And to their credit, Council came up with it first, actually, sometime in mid 2010. Or maybe it was Mark's comments that set them to it.
Our understanding was that it was planned for construction sometime this year or next (the usual financial issues – they had no problem with the engineering of that diversion).
The cautious person in me hopes that this guerrila cyclewaying doesn't end up as a big hubbub with somebody taking umbrage. But yeah, interesting… hopefully, it will be turned into a sealed path soon.
Check out Toronto's Urban Repair Squad for inspiration. "City is broke. We fix. No charge."
http://urbanrepairs.blogspot.com/
Hendry Ave is insane. What commuter would cycle up it on a regular basis? Only one with THIGHS OF IRON. But the rest of the cycle way is very nice and surely beats cycling through that area on roads.
Lucy – Hendy Ave was an old-style design (or lack of it) from the early 2000s, where some managers and politicians (probably NOT the engineers) decided that it wasn't worth millions of dollars to put a cycleway at the foot of the retaining wall (which meant they would have had to cut even deeper into that bank where the 20m high retaining wall is). Hopefully, today that won't happen (much) anymore.
I think we may need to look at alternative routes, such as an uphill cycle lane on Carlton Road, or a second route on the northern side of the motorway for at least that part (though it would s*ck to have to change sides, some other cycle commuters who are already / need to go to the northern side would probaby like it – cycleways both sides a motorway – sounds mad CRAZY, doesn't it?
A 'circular' route was considered by Akl City back in 2001 which included Hendry Ave as the east bound/downhill section. Trafalgar/Herd/Hillsborough was the uphill section. Further design work was completed on this (incl 2008) but it got caught up with the backlash against on street car park removal/reallocation on Mays Rd, & was relegated behind projects that had more chance of success.
The path in this post was designed pre 2008 but apparently the sea scouts were upset by the Manukau Harbour Xing project & needed to be convinced to let Akl City build stuff. Then it was a case of wait for the potential forshore improvements
Bedlam – interesting to hear, especially as it was way before my time, and I thus had not been aware of that at all.
Since the foreshore restoration stops well short of the Sea Scouts hall, the works will not include this area, as has been confirmed to me. But hopefully, by that time, we will have this formalised as an official path.
Oh, and it may interest folks here that this "improvised" piece of path actually came about because Auckland Transport did investigations / works for the future path here. I suspect it wasn't them who stuck up the "shared path" signs (that indeed would be rather spontaneous for them), but I do have confirmation from one of their engineers on the path itself. Actual construction as a boardwalk or concrete path is likely to follow coming financial year.
"the considerate citizen who must have toiled at great length to create this piece of infrastructure. I would like to thank him on behalf of Auckland Transport for showing initiative to make Auckland a safer and more pleasant place to cycle"
So… in short, that considerate citizen WAS in the employ of Auckland Transport