West Auckland cyclists recount brushes with death, call for cycleways

Friday, 9 November 2018

Robert Powell from West Auckland's Massey bikes 19km each way to work, but said there needed to be more safe links to the cycle way.

News of a cyclist's near-death experience at a roundabout comes as no surprise to other West Auckland riders, who are calling for cycleways on the city-fringe roads.

Last week, cyclist Robin Capper had a near-miss at a Whenuapai roundabout, where he was almost hit by a car which cut him off as it was changing lanes.

Fellow West Auckland cyclist Phil Clements said he'd had several serious accidents in the eight years he'd been commuting from Whenuapai to Auckland city, including being 'deliberately' run off the road and accidentally hit by a car.

The situation was cyclists emerged from the safety of the Northwestern Cycleway, one of Auckland's 'best cycling features', on to city-fringe roads that often had higher speed limits and no shoulder or cycle paths.

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'Once you've reached the end of the cycleway, where do you go?' Clements said.

Clements said separating motorists and cyclists was key. Cycle paths painted on suburban footpaths were still dangerous as they crossed driveways, he said.

Massey cyclist Robert Powell commuted 19km from his home to work, but said it wasn't safe to get to the Northwestern Cycleway from suburbs like Kumeū, Huapai, Riverhead and Whenuapai.

Parking in Henderson and Massey streets to access the Northwestern Cycleway and ride to town was not uncommon.

It was common to see cyclists drive to streets near the cycleway, such as Massey's Triangle Rd and Henderson's Central Park Drive, then park and cycle to the city, Powell said.

He said, NZ Transport Agency's plans for new and improved road corridors were promising for cars, but cycle paths needed to be a priority.

The cycleway is being extended from Lincoln Rd to Westgate, due to be completed in late 2019.

Meanwhile, the number of cyclists in Auckland had continued to increase. Of Aucklanders, 38 per cent, or half-a-million, were now riding regularly or occasionally, according to Auckland Transport (AT) research.

Advocacy group Bike Auckland noted bike traffic was also up 34 per cent on the Northwestern Cycleway in September 2018, compared with the year before.

Bike Auckland communications manager Jolisa Gracewood said, while parking the car near cycleways and then riding was one option, safer local streets and slower speeds in neighbourhoods would allow more people to bike to good commuting routes.

NZ Transport Agency senior manager system design Kevin Reid said $390 million would be invested in walking and cycling over the next three years - an increase of $100m.

The Northwestern Cycleway was currently being extended from Lincoln Rd to Westgate, due to be completed in late 2019.

A proposed share path as part of Brigham Creek Rd to Waimauku safety improvements could be installed in the next few years.

Other cycling routes were being investigated as part of a longer 30-year plan.

These included cycle paths between the existing Northwestern Cycleway and the Upper Harbour Bridge, between Riverhead and State Highway 16, and as part of the State Highway 16 alternative corridor.

Under the 10-year Regional Land Transport Plan, AT's Walking and Cycling Programme is funded $7.1m in 2019, increasing to $56.6m by 2023. It also committed $153m to complete their Urban Cycleways Programme.

However, AT's restructure proposal on November 5, which included folding down their dedicated Cycling and Walking unit, drew criticism from Bike Auckland and Greater Auckland blogger Matt Lowrie, as they questioned how this would help the city.

AT chief executive officer Shane Ellison said the unit was initially set up to focus on cycling and walking. Now growth had been achieved, it would be part of 'core business activities', as it was no longer in 'start-up' phase'.