Last week, we proposed proper bikeways for Dominion Road as part of the light rail project – and we’ve been overwhelmed with the response. “Where do I sign?” was the instant cry. We have an answer for you!
If you share our vision for safe cycling on Dominion Road, please add your name to the petition. We’re also counting on you to share the link and pass on the good news.
You’ll be helping ensure that Auckland gets the absolute most out of this once-in-a-lifetime $6bn opportunity, by incorporating a strategic bike route into the big dig for light rail on Dominion Road. This is our chance to create a great green gorgeous 21st C boulevard for our beautiful city!
There’s definitely room to do this right, which is good – because we need to make space for the future. Check out our previous blog post if you’re curious about how the vision will take shape – and stay tuned for a whole lot of stories about the many reasons why it must.
Also – if you bike on Dominion Road, or would love to, we’d love to hear your experiences. Take our Dominion Road survey!
Below: today’s media release, letting the world know about this vital project.
MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Wednesday, 11 July 2018
Petition calls for adding bikeways to light rail on Dominion Road
Building proper bikeways on Dominion Road as part of Auckland’s $6 billion dollar light rail programme is key to unlocking the full value of this once-in-a-generation investment, says Bike Auckland – but there is no public commitment yet to incorporating bike access.
Today, Bike Auckland launches a petition calling for dedicated bikeways to be included in the light rail project. Cities around the world successfully combine light rail and bikeways to boost both public transport and bike travel, and Auckland should too.
‘For all the reasons Dominion Road makes sense for light rail, it also makes sense as a popular and practical route for people on bikes,’ says Bike Auckland chair and spokesperson Barb Cuthbert. ‘It’s flat and direct, lined with shops, schools, and local destinations, and runs through the highly populated heart of the isthmus. This boulevard deserves a smart and future-proofed design and this “big dig” is the perfect moment.’
Bike Auckland has long campaigned for better biking links to public transport. Safe local cycling expands easy car-free access to train stations, ferry terminals, and bus hubs by three times the distance of walking – taking cars off residential streets and giving Aucklanders more options for healthy multi-modal commutes. International studies show that adding cycleways to arterial streets lifts retail and improves safety for all street users.
Missing this chance to optimise the street for cycling would come at a huge cost, says Bike Auckland; especially given the government’s mandate to increase cycling uptake and build a complete bike network, and Auckland Transport’s Central Access Plan which sees cycling as key to meeting the growing demand for access from the isthmus to the CBD.
’Hundreds of people a day already bike along Dominion Road, despite hostile conditions. Adding safe and attractive bikeways will allow thousands more to join them,’ says Cuthbert. ‘It’s also a golden opportunity to address what we call the “Bike Bermuda Triangle” – the lack of existing safe north-south cycling routes through the isthmus.’
In a blog post on Bike Auckland’s website, the organisation’s infrastructure liaison and transport engineer Max Robitzsch – who inspired what became the Lightpath/ Te Ara i Whiti – has outlined several ways to combine light rail and bikeways on Dominion Road with more space for pedestrians and trees. ‘There is space to make this a resilient 21st C street, by prioritising the most efficient ways to travel,’ says Robitzsch. ‘Bikeways and light rail complement each other perfectly.’
‘We’re saying: let’s maximise this investment in our future,’ adds Cuthbert. ‘A decade from now, Auckland should be able to look back and be proud of the decision to build a smart, green transport boulevard by adding bikeways to light rail. Let’s dig once and do it right.’
