Last chance – submissions close 22 June!
Calling all artistically inclined bike people, with a flair for colour and an eye for opportunity… Remember when this fabulous art installation put bikes on the disused Nelson St offramp, in 2013?
Well, the project to reclaim that space for bikes and pedestrians is seriously under way. The pilings are already being built for the overbridge from Canada St – which will be constructed offsite, and then lowered into place in one fell swoop.
And all going well, this landmark project will be ready to ride by the end of the year! Cycle Action’s Barb Cuthbert sums up the excitement:
“It will be a ‘must ride’ route and loved by Auckland visitors, families, roadies, cruisers and people riding to work and shopping in town. I can see it featuring in tweets already, raising the profile yet again for cycling in Auckland.”
As a pathway for active travel, it’s necessarily going to be more minimalist in design than NYC’s exquisitely planted High Line. And let’s face it, plenty of us would take to it no matter what it looks like. We’ll brighten it up just by being there – picture a colourful fleet of frocks on bikes, neon-clad joggers, and all manner of pedestrians.
But here’s your chance to really jazz up that grey old Spaghetti Junction: Auckland Council is inviting your thoughts on paint colours and designs, via a quick and easy survey. Your feedback will be combined with iwi consultation and technical advice to produce a final design.
The survey only takes a few seconds, and offers lots of options to choose from and combine – all the way from subtle to bright, abstract to deeply local, with the possibility of words and images, too. A river of blue? A vivid, twining kowhaiwhai? Your favourite Don McGlashan lyric?
Think about the way the silos have been brought to life down at Wynyard Quarter with paint and poetry. Nelson St could be a similar shot of colour to an industrial cityscape.
As Councillor Chris Darby says, “It will be one of the new beacons for biking in Auckland. Attractive surface finishes will make it even more distinctive and grab both local and international attention.”
Over to you! Here are a few samples of “attractive surface finishes” from round the world to whet your imagination before you click here to complete the quick survey by June 22nd.
