'Multiple' close-calls on Auckland's Northwestern Cycleway spark safety improvement calls

Friday, 22 February 2019

Pedestrians and school children are one misstep away from a serious accident on Auckland's popular Northwestern Cycleway, according to a local primary school and a pro-cycling group.

Riki Teteina, principal of nearby Newton Central School, said his students had had 'multiple' close-calls with high speed cyclists at a 'bottleneck' on the 13km shared path.

'We've noticed the issue become increasingly dangerous as more and more people use the cycleway.'

It has sparked calls from the school and Bike Auckland for Auckland Transport to undertake urgent safety improvements on the centre-city stretch of the path around the Bond St and Haslett St overbridges.

Near misses with high speed cyclists have led an Auckland primary school and a pro-cycling advocacy group to call for urgent safety improvements on the Northwestern Cycleway.

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Bike Auckland's Barbara Cuthbert says there are 'pinch points' on the Northwestern Cycleway where the path is barely wide enough for cyclists in both directions and pedestrians to pass.

'We want AT to address this challenge as soon as possible to avoid a serious accident,' Teteina said.

Parents Stuff spoke to on the cycleway said they feared for their childrens' safety with cyclists 'whipping' past.

One parent, who did not wish to be named, walked her 9-year-old daughter some 160 metres from her Alexander St home to the Haslett St overbridge just to ensure she got to the school safely.

'It's only going to take one of the kids out of the blue stepping into the path of a cyclist to be hit and badly hurt,' she said.

Some frustrated cyclists had hurled abuse at children at the entrance to the overbridge for getting in their way, she said.

Newton Central School parents are concerned for their childrens' safety on the Northwestern Cycleway due to cyclists 'whipping' past.

'How can cyclists swear at kids?'

AT's Joanna Glasswell said it encouraged those using the section to be mindful of one another, especially children walking to and from school.

'Auckland's cycleways are used by many people of different ages and abilities. We expect people using them to be courteous.'

Bike Auckland's Barbara Cuthbert said the group had seen reports on social media of 'near misses' and crashes on the cycleway.

She said it had been a victim of its own success and had not been envisaged as the 'cycling superhighway' it was today when the first stages were built more than 20 years ago.

In January alone, 27,736 cyclists had used the Northwestern Cycleway near Kingsland.

AT data also showed 238,300 cyclists used this area of the shared path in 2018.

Cuthbert said its popularity with people biking, scooting and walking had created congestion and become a safety issue which required 'urgent attention'.

She said the congestion had led to 'pinch points' where the cycleway was not wide enough to accommodate all of the cycleway's users, the worst of which was between the Bond St and Haslett St overbridges.

Bike Auckland had proposed on its blog in April 2018 to have this particular pinch point widened and for separate spaces to be created for bikes and foot traffic.

This proposal had then been taken to the school and then to AT's walking and cycling team, Cuthbert said.

AT were 'sympathetic', but Bike Auckland was told there was no money in the current or mid-term budget for the upgrades, she said.

Glasswell said AT would look at options in the 'medium term' to improve the section as part of its 10-year cycling programme.

'In the shorter term we are looking at how we can improve it with additional markings and signage.'

However, Cuthbert said it needed to be a 'matter of priority' for AT.

'We're raising the issue again and will be looking to them to collaborate and work with us to investigate how budget can be sourced to plan improvements for next year.'