Did you see the Herald story today lamenting the lack of park-and-ride space for people driving to Auckland public transport? As an AA member, I had advance notice of this story via a newsletter in my mail; it’s certainly a case to be made, and fair enough for AA to run with it on behalf of their members.
Of course, the other side of the park-and-ride story is bike parking for those who cycle to public transport.
We often hear from the AA that many of its Auckland members own and enjoy riding bikes, so this would be a natural component of their campaign. Bike-and-ride is not just an efficient way to unlock the power of public transport and free up road space and parking space. It’s also an increasingly meaningful and popular option for those who don’t want to have to drive (or battle for car parking) every day of the week – and the rise and rise of e-bikes makes it more and more reasonable for Aucklanders to add a cycling leg to their commute, as in other comparable cities.
And park-and-ride for bikes is top of mind for me today, given concerning developments in Devonport.
As we recently reported, AT is shifting the best bike parking provided in Auckand at Devonport ferry to make way for new doors in the ferry terminal building. We asked for your feedback, and passed it on to AT… but have had no word since about their transitional plans for bike parking while the terminal is upgraded.
Yesterday, AT instructed the wharf upgrade contractor to post this message. I can’t stand seeing good bike parking trashed without doing my best to alert you to the situation:
The fine print, bottom right, is a plan saying new bike parking will be provided on 28th August on the Victoria Wharf – which is the second big area of bike parking for ferry users.
Not only does this leave a significant gap in the provision of bike parking, it’s a shame AT hasn’t bothered to tell Bike Auckland how the new spaces will be laid out and whether our expert customer-experience feedback was taken into account.
We need to know – because the existing parking on the Victoria Wharf is so poor that every second space is unusable. The design of the bike racks causes the handlebars of one bike to block access to the neighbouring bike space. Will this be addressed in the new parking?
We need to know that the spaces will be undercover, have good passive surveillance and effective CCTV, and easy access to the ferry berth. That’s what we currently have at the ferry terminal. Why on earth would we agree to a poorer standard of service for the growing numbers of people who ride here?
I would love AT to contact me to tell me what’s planned. You’ve got my mobile number, AT. Please send me the new plans asap!
Oh, and by the way: AA, we know you’ve got our back on the importance of quality park-and-ride for public transport, for your members and for ours. Feel free to add your voice to our call-out to AT!
