Update: the Sandringham Road Extension Cycle link opened in 2017
Feedback on the Sandringham Road Extension cycle lanes closes Wednesday!
While the big news of course is SkyPath at the moment, that isn’t the only bridge cyclists want to get across. And the Puketapapa Local Board wants you to be able to have a better ride to one of their walking & cycling bridges – namely the Ernie Pinches Bridge across SH20 south of Sandringham.
This bridge links across to New Windsor and the cycleway that runs along SH20 west and east, but is hard to get to safely from the North due to the massive roads around. The last tiny stretch has painted cycle lanes (next to the Countdown supermarket), but crossing Stoddard Road and further north, you’re on your own.
No wonder relatively few people seem to use the bridge on bikes at the moment.
Last week, the Puketapapa Local Board voted to fund proceeding with the Sandringham Road Extension Cycleway – aiming to add protected (!) cycle facilities from the bridge north as far as War Memorial Park / Walmsley Park, where the Board and their predecessors have already got a pretty great Greenways network.
The plans are still pretty concept-y at the moment, as you can see here. It’s also not quite sure what level of protection they intend to add (just flexible posts?), and how consistent the protection will be, especially crossing over Stoddard Road intersection.
So we would like all of you interested in cycling in Sandringham/New Windsor to respond to the online feedback with your comments, which should include requests for:
- (Protected) cycle lanes – not a shared path where cyclists and pedestrians have to fight for space, watch out at every driveway and stop at every side road. Shared paths are best for parks – not arterial roads.
- Consistent protection along the whole length – ideally with solid buffers such as kerbs or Beach Road separators, not just flexible posts (though that too would be a massive improvement, lets be honest)
- Support the car park removal to make the lanes happen – its not much being removed, but we are sure there will be some who feel that it’s outrageous to take it away
- Crossing of Stoddard Road with dedicated pedestrian / cycle signals – not with the cars, with the cycle lanes wedged in-between traffic lanes as the sketch shows. Who would let their children cycle on these?
You can provide feedback here until 7 January. But why not do so now? Support the Local Board’s cycleway improvements!
