Hi folks. If you ride the NW cycleway, you will have already encountered the detour to the east of the St Lukes intersection. This will be in place until the end of the year, while the offramp work is completed and a fresh shared path is built.
It’s a pretty zigzaggy diversion from what is essentially our Cycleway of National Significance, although it does take you past some scenic surprises (see right), if you can spare the moment from climbing the hill (or zipping down it.
To be frank, we’ve had some speed wobbles with the way this detour was implemented, and the lack of notice and signage (honestly, would they ever do this to cars – close the path first, and then add signage a bit later?) and insufficient clarity around when or whether bikes are expected to share the footpath with pedestrians.
Leighton, who are in charge of managing the detour, assure us: “the current layout and signage is in accordance with our approved TMP [Traffic Management Plan], however there is always room for improvement.”
So we’re keen to hear from you how the detour is working, and whether it can be further improved.
- We’ve asked for advance signage for those approaching from the west (i.e. past Chamberlain Park), so you can make rational decisions before crossing at the intersection. In fact we asked for that to be put up a few weeks ago, to alert people to the upcoming closure & diversion…
- We hear some of you are saying you prefer to take the Great North Road instead, even with the continuing roadworks across the bridge and outside MOTAT, and the perils of the Bullock Track intersection. Are there other workarounds? What are your feelings on the ratio of time saved to stress added?
- We also know this section of cycleway is heavily used by school students (on foot and on bikes) in the mornings and afternoons, so the coming week will be the real test of how it’s working.
Thanks for your patience – but don’t be shy to speak up about how this is or isn’t working for you, as safety is the name of the game here!
Here’s the latest official comment from Leightons:
We are currently awaiting four diversion map signs to be produced which will be placed around four specific parts of the diversion to help understand the diversion route that is in place. We have been walking the diversion route daily making minor comments and amendments to make this more user friendly for both pedestrians and cyclists.
Our traffic management team are going to implement more sustainable signs so they do not get knocked down or moved as per the approved traffic management plan for the diversion.
We will be also implementing signs that give the distance back to the northwestern cycleway to help with any confusion that is caused from the diversion.
Our team are working hard to make this diversion easy for both the cyclists and pedestrians that use the northwestern cycleway and any feedback regarding the diversion is much appreciated.
We appreciate your patience while we continue to work through these minor changes and our team will continue to update you on the works and progress in the area.
UPDATED 14 OCTOBER – in response to your feedback, Leightons has expanded the signage and information, as below. Let us know how it’s working, and if anything else could make the detour smoother.
