The context: Auckland Transport are implementing a bunch of minor changes (40+ pages worth for the design document!) and upgrades to better connect Kelston and New Lynn for people on bikes — in particular, for locals to get to and from the New Lynn transport hub, and also making it safer for local kids to get to and from schools. The proposed design contains a variety of minor, low-cost changes, which together make up a pretty okay connective route for locals on bikes. The full concept plans can be seen here. Much of the project builds on an 18-month Streets for People trial of temporary walking and biking improvements to the area, which have proved popular enough with locals for them to be baked in more permanently.
It’s important that we show support for low-cost, low-disruption upgrades like this because even if most of it is only okay, it will still make a positive difference for kids getting to school and locals getting to public transport. And, we do need all the little wins we can get for bikes as transport, especially in our current political environment with a very limited budget for cycling projects.
Overall, we will be communicating to Auckland Transport that it’s a decent project worth doing, with a couple of crucial elements that must make it into the final design. We will be letting Auckland Transport know that we especially love the traffic calming features throughout the plan (yay for raised crossings!), and that the changes need to be complemented with clear wayfinding signage in order to be most effective.
They need to hear from you too! It is particularly important for folks who live, work, and travel through the Kelston, New Lynn, and Glen Eden areas to have their say, as their words will carry more weight. Read on below for a little more detail from our Infrastructure Team.
Last Saturday, members of our volunteer infrastructure team got together to discuss Auckland Transport’s Kelston – New Lynn walking and cycling improvements project to make sure there are no glaring issues before we put up a submission guide. Luckily, there aren’t! But there are definitely some overarching essentials that are not obviously included in the 40+ page design docs, so that’s what we’ll be focusing on.
Question 4. Ensure there is clear wayfinding
Throughout the design document there are a number of right-hand off-road turns which will not be obvious how to navigate. Since the target demographic for the project overall is clearly non road riders —like, kids, for example— each one will need to be well signposted for wayfinding. This includes surface markings as well as elevated signage.
Likewise, signage and wayfinding in general should be included in the final installation, so that it is clear from multiple points along the routes/sections as to where they go and where the safe infrastructure is. Learn from the lessons of the Dominion Road parallel routes project. In the absence of adequate wayfinding and signage, nobody even knew it was there, let alone how to use it.
Wayfinding is one of those things that you often don’t even think about —neither noticing when its not there, nor appreciating it when it is— but, when implemented well, massively improves the usability of any transport infrastructure.
You can suggest this in question 4 of the feedback survey.
Question 4. Raised crossings and speed humps
There are a few raised table crossings and speed humps throughout the design, which we love to see! These are essential for slowing motor traffic to an appropriate speed for the on-road sharrows that bike riders are expected to use, as well as for protecting pedestrians and bike riders alike at road crossings. Please celebrate these in your submissions, as they really do make our streets safer and more viable for bikes! As well, several of the raised crossings in the design are outside or nearby to schools, which is a huge win for local families.
There is no clear question for adding thoughts on raised crossings so we suggest you include your support for these safety improvements in question 4.
Question 8. Support road space reallocation
In the survey it asks for feedback on reallocating sections the road space into a safe space for walking or riding a bike.
Sometimes road space needs to be reallocated from parking or driving lanes to provide people with the safe option to walk or cycle for their journey. This has been done with great success (and no negative effect on congestion) in the city centre with a section of Ian McKinnon Drive, and with a lane of Nelson Street. These cycleways have become frequent bike commuter routes, providing people with the option to cycle instead of drive and reducing congestion overall. In addition to this, studies show that cycleways make the road safer for all users (people driving and walking included), so roadspace reallocation to walking and cycling is beneficial for everyone using the road corridor.
In the Kelston and New Lynn Walking and Cycling Improvements project, the weird roundabout at the intersection of Archibald Road, Archlynn Road, and St Leonards Road, is getting a significant revamp, doing away with the roundabout. The redesign includes a big raised table at the end of Archlynn, forcing drivers to slow down a lot more than the current version, and lot more space at the junction dedicated to footpath and grass than currently exists (nice!). These raised tables need to make it through to the final design, otherwise it will not be as safe as it needs to be for bike riders and pedestrians.
We’ll be letting Auckland Transport know that that safe spaces for people to get from A to B are fantastic, and we support the reallocation of the road space to provide that safe space. In particular we will be praising the redesign of the roundabout at the intersections of Archibald Road, Archlynn Road, and St Leonards Road, and reiterating our support for the raised crossings at this intersection, as well as praising the reallocation of road space to create protected cycleways.
And that’s it, for now!
We are currently in the process of writing up our formal Bike Auckland submission, with a lot of detail! If we discover any other key themes that we think are crucial, we will update this page. But regardless, please make your submission soon. With the due date coming up fast, and with the state of politics being so anti-bike and anti-pedestrian at the moment, it is better to submit something positive, even if it is not thorough.
Much love,
Bike Auckland
P.S. Are you an engineer, planner, or urban nerd and want to help? Join our volunteer Infrastructure Team here and help with our future submission guides, project watch blogs, and Bike Auckland submissions!
