RNZ: Government crashes plans for a more pedestrian/cycle-friendly Christchurch

At Twitter:

Govt threatens to pull funding for Chch downtown plan https://t.co/H2NIzs9rHz

— RNZ News (@rnz_news) April 15, 2017

Christchurch City Council proposes turning Victoria St into a cul-de-sac………

### radionz.co.nz Sun, 16 Apr 2017 1:37 p.m.
RNZ News: Politics / Canterbury
Govt threatens to pull funding for Chch downtown plan
The government is threatening to cancel its funding for a plan to make central Christchurch more pedestrian and cycle friendly if changes are not made. The Minister supporting Greater Christchurch Regeneration, Gerry Brownlee, said the government was paying 60 percent of the funding for the Accessible City plan, but last week he was granted authorisation by Cabinet to suspend its funding. Mr Brownlee said the plan, which has been partially implemented, risked creating a dysfunctional central city. “Its absurd. I’m hearing all the time from people who are going to have lunch or coffee in the central city and simply can’t park their car. Or end up parking such a long way away from it that they decide they may as well just drive to one of the suburban malls.”
Read more

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Video link received Sun, 9 Apr 2017 at 9:53 p.m.

From the folks who brought you the self-driving car!

Google Nederland Published on Mar 31, 2016
Introducing the self-driving bicycle in the Netherlands
This spring, Google is introducing the self-driving bicycle in Amsterdam, the world’s premier cycling city. The Dutch cycle more than any other nation in the world, almost 900 kilometres per year per person, amounting to over 15 billion km annually. The self-driving bicycle enables safe navigation through the city for Amsterdam residents, and furthers Google’s ambition to improve urban mobility with technology. Google Netherlands takes enormous pride in the fact that a Dutch team worked on this innovation that will have great impact in their home country.

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Link received from Hilary Calvert
Thu, 6 Apr 2017 at 7:53 p.m.

Message: Cycle lane cyclist truck turning left. Very dangerous.

### stuff.co.nz Last updated 07:03, Apr 7 2017
Former Hamilton teacher killed in collision with truck at Hamilton roundabout
By Phillipa Yalden – Waikato Times
Mike Leach taught Fairfield College students for 34 years. Some of the things he was involved in at Fairfield were outdoor education and building drama sets. He was a geography and social sciences teacher, and also a Dean. On Wednesday, as he cycled through the rain down Te Rapa Straight, the father of two’s life was cut short in a collision. The 67-year-old was killed when his bike and a B-train truck and trailer collided at the Te Rapa Road and Sunshine Avenue intersection at lunchtime on Wednesday. […] Quite a few people witnessed the crash on Wednesday, Waikato road police Senior Sergeant Gill Meadows said. “There are a number of people who were quite traumatised by the incident and we have referred them to Victim Support. There is quite a bit of work to be done on that particular incident.” Initial inquiries showed that the Halls refrigeration B-train truck was heading north along Te Rapa Straight when it went to turn left at the roundabout into Sunshine Avenue. “He was in the lane to turn left, and the cyclist was going straight ahead, and was on the left side of the truck. But we are still doing inquiries in regards to that.” There is a cyclist lane that runs along the straight, feeding into the roundabout. The crash occurred metres from shops and cafes at 11.30am. 
Read more 

Hamilton roundabout crash site [Christel Yardley/Fairfax NZ via stuff.co.nz]

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Related Posts and Comments:
22.2.17 SH1 Cycleways : the real story
26.1.17 SH1 Cycleway : Carnage for Dunedin road users and city parking
21.1.17 Mayor ignores serious plight of DCC’s FAILED Otago power network in favour of urban cycleways and CBD
5.8.16 Informed : Flurry of cycleway chills at Dunedin
21.7.16 Not a bicycle accident, not a burst water main —sugar!
21.7.16 Cycleway planning at #DUD

█ For more, enter the term *cycle* in the search box at right.

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

This post is offered in the public interest.

SH1 Cycleways : the real story

Received from Hilary Calvert
Wed, 22 Feb 2017 12:40 p.m.

[begins]

NZTA has produced a Q and A sheet for their project news update on our cycle lanes along the one-way streets.

An annotated version is provided for reality junkies:

Q: Why is there a need for separated cycleways on the one-way system?

NZTA: Cyclists and pedestrians are over represented in fatal and serious injury crashes. There have been 2 fatalities since 2011. Short-term safety measure were put into place in 2013. Separated cycle lanes are the long-term solution.

Reality: There have been no deaths since the cycle lanes were widened in 2013. The two deaths since 2011 were likely contributed to by the very act of creating cycle lanes in the blind spot of vehicles. Had these cyclists been on the road they would have been safer.

Q: Where else in the country are they using these?

NZTA: These lanes are becoming familiar in major cities including Christchurch. Busy urban routes such as the one-way streets in Dunedin need higher standards of cycle lanes.

Reality: No one in their right mind would direct cyclists to State Highway 1, where all the trucks go. If these two parallel roads were returned to two-way streets, you might put trucks on one and bikes on the other. But this is mad.

Q: Why put the cycleways on the right rather than the left?

NZTA: Because it increases cycle safety and separates them from bus stops.

Reality: Bingo! NZTA has finally realised delivering cyclists to the blind side of trucks is very dangerous. But it was NZTA who chose to do that last time. A simple sorry would be a start.

Q: why not on the right-hand side from Duke St to Otago Museum then?

NZTA: This has been done in response to feedback received and supported by further cycle surveys. And there is a large number of cyclists who use this route who would have to cross the road.

Reality: Really? So feedback overcomes safety? Surely this brings into question whether they really understand the safety issues with the left-hand side. WE all know that cyclists are no different from the rest of us, they will take their bikes on the shortest route they can find. Which will mean that they are spending most of their time not on the new cycle lane. Actually, most of their time will be spent walking around campus because the University won’t let cyclists inside – safety issues, apparently.

Q: What impact will this have on parking?

NZTA: Keeping the cycle lanes on the unsafe side of the road will mean we lose 20 fewer parks. Parking will be provided in high demand areas. (see revised plans).

Reality: We will lose hundreds of parks, particularly in the highest parking areas around the hospital (made worse by the DCC proposal to build on the car parking area at Frederick St). Parking is already squeezed in high demand areas. These guys are in la la land, and I don’t mean the award winning movie.

Q: Will these cycle lanes disrupt traffic flows?

NZTA: The lanes are likely to smooth traffic flows and provide more reliable travel times because there will be fewer parking movements.

Reality: Yes more reliably longer times, which are likely to double for anyone using the one-way streets. More phases for cyclists and pedestrians, more traffic trying to find parks, more time needed to get to hospital appointments. It wasn’t that broke. Why are those from out of town so determined to get in the way of traffic in Dunedin?

Q: How many cyclists are likely to use the cycle lanes?

NZTA: Current usage peaks at 500 per day, but this could easily double. We will measure the change.

Reality: Weasel words. Try looking north from Lower Stuart St along the one-way street. There will be several vehicles on the cycle lanes and likely not even 1 cyclist. The reality is that we are likely to have fewer than 1 cyclist per kilometre of cycleway in Dunedin at any one time. The maximum of 500 is not relevant to the usage in general. (And indeed 500 per day is 500 over 1440 minutes, about one every 3 minutes. At the absolute peak. For a moment in time. So it may double to 1 cyclist at the absolute maximum every 1.5 minutes.) And having measured it later, we are still stuck with the cycle lanes even if they don’t create double the usage. Meanwhile there is no proposed monitoring of the time wasted on getting to hospital appointments, or the time spent by students walking further from free car parking to lectures, or any other flow-on effects of decreased parking where it is currently available.

Q: When is work likely to start?

NZTA: May 2017, taking around 15 months and in such a way as to ensure the one-way system is able to operate effectively and any disruption is kept to a minimum.

Reality: These streets are groaning at the seams already. Our entire one-way system will become impossible to operate usefully, and it will take double the time. By this time those who came to Dunedin because the traffic wasn’t so bad will have the start of every working day diminished and their Dunedin experience effectively destroyed around the central city. We have an elderly population, and this will be the last three years of the lives of some of us.

Q: Who pays and what will it cost?

NZTA: NZTA will pay for the work directly related to the cycle lanes. $8million.

Reality: More weasel words. There are large costs not included in the direct costs. Agencies are keen on doing guestimates of the multiplier effect of benefits to the city for, say, acts at the stadium. What about a study of the likely costs to the city of loss of parking revenue, loss of time spent driving around, loss of time spent walking from vehicles, anxiety around hospital appointments, loss of business for those relying on easy car access for their custom etc. There are also costs for the work connecting roads and footpaths etc between the cycleways and the rest of our DCC infrastructure, and the inevitable landscaping in the vicinity. And then the costs of fixing what we had to redo because none of the agencies are working together. An expensive nightmare.

Q: What is being done to provide more integrated transport in Dunedin?

NZTA: NZTA, DCC and ORC are implementing transport related projects: this is one. These cycle lanes will connect with cycling lanes being considered in North Dunedin linking University, Hospital, Otago Polytechnic and the CBD.

Reality: These institutions are already handy to each other. As regards the University the biggest obstacle to cycling is the size of the campus which cannot be crossed by cyclists.

****

Pity NZTA doesn’t have a booth in the heart of Dunedin where they could come and sit and listen to the issues. Perhaps on the corner of Stuart St and the one-way streets?

[ends]

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█ NZTA Dunedin Urban Cycleways Programme
Cycling in Dunedin contributes to improving transport options, providing a more efficient and integrated transport network, improving health, economic and social outcomes and city liveability. The Urban Cycleways Fund, subject to council approval, will help to accelerate the City to Harbour Bridge and the Central City and North East Valley cycle network.

█ NZTA Urban Cycleways Programme [general information]

—

Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

This post is offered in the public interest.

█ GREEN ATTACK ON YOUR BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Two-way separated cycleway on Beach Road, Auckland [nzta.govt.nz]

Informed : Flurry of cycleway chills at Dunedin

A very inventive cycling snowman installation in Dunedin! :-) (via Dunedin News) pic.twitter.com/wYZGALoFJr

— Dave Goosselink (@davedunedin) August 5, 2016

—

Meanwhile, when in warmer parts.

Received from John Evans
Sun, 31 Jul 2016 at 11:42 p.m.

█ Subject: Up to date report on cycleway usage in Australia

After an extensive second trip to examine the use of cycleways in Australia, I can report that there are now more cyclists than I saw at this time last year.

Queensland:
I saw three cyclists in three weeks in Queensland in areas including the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane.
Not one of them was using a cycleway.

New South Wales:
Up until today in two weeks I saw only two cyclists.
Today I took my son and grandson fishing at Kuringai Chase National Park.
There were no cyclists on Pennant Hills road or Highway One.
However, on the road into the national park all of a sudden there was a surfeit of cyclists. 24 in total!

All of them happily riding up and down the hill to the estuary. But surprise, surprise, none of them were using a cycleway. The pesky varmints just keep riding their bikes where they want to go, not where the bureaucrats want to herd them.

What does this tell us.
Cyclists have different intentions when they get on their bikes. They all do not want to go to the same place.

Therefore there are only two choices. No cycleways (a complete saving) or cycleways on every road (a complete waste of money).

One must question just why council employees believe that cyclists will be governed by bureaucrats.

This forensic cycle seeking trip was funded by the Otakou division of the harbour cycleways investigation bureau. A thinktank investigating illogical decisions by councils. This body has so far spent too much time on cycleways, but the inane decisions by various New Zealand and Australian councils need more evaluation. To that end our representative will be travelling over 2000 km seeking cyclists from Sydney to Melbourne to Hobart. We shall report on these investigations later.

[ends]

█ For more, enter the terms *cycle*, *cycleway*, *cycling* or *bicycle* in the search box at right.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Election Year. This post is offered in the public interest.

Te Ara I Whiti – light path #sharedway Auckland

Elevated illuminated space is exciting but how long until the shine wears off – this bad taste won’t even make it to Kitsch.

“This is a great day for Auckland’s inner city cycling network. The cycleway is a new and exciting urban space, creating a city centre where people feel safer and confident to ride a bike.” –Minister Simon Bridges

Comment #13 by David Bridewell  (2 days ago)
I think the cycle – and I trust walkway – is a good idea. But whoever chose that vile colour should be hauled into the centre of Aotea square and mercilessly flogged.

### nbr.co.nz Thu, 3 Dec 2015
‘Magenta Adventure’ cycleway opens in Auckland
By Emerson Howitt
Auckland cyclists are in the pink with today’s launch of the city’s latest piece of cycle-friendly infrastructure. The $18 million magenta coloured Light Path cycleway – already dubbed “Magenta Adventure” – was opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony presided by Transport Minister Simon Bridges, followed by schoolchildren cycling along the re-vamped Nelson St motorway off-ramp. […] The off-ramp was closed in 2005 after an upgrade to the central motorway junction left it surplus to requirements. […] The Light Path features interactive lighting along one side that will illuminate the structure at night.
Read more + 34 comments

iion Published on Dec 3, 2015
Te Ara I Whiti – The Light Path #LightPathAKL
@BikeAKL celebrated the opening of #LightPathAKL with hundreds of cyclists taking to the newly opened cycleway. We went along to see their reactions and join in the festivities. Interactive Light Installation by iion http://iion.co.nz

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Light Path Canada St Bridge [Patrick Reynolds]

### transportblog.co.nz Thu, 3 Dec 2015
Te Ara I Whiti – the lightpath
By Matt L
Auckland’s newest and certainly it’s most colourful cycleway (so far) was officially opened today by Transport Minister Simon Bridges. And I must say, Simon gave a fantastic speech showing he gets it, talking up the environmental, health, congestion and economic benefits of investing in cycling – this view was reinforced in discussion with him later. […] The new bridge connecting Canada St to the old offramp has been given the name of Te Ara I Whiti or the lightpath and combined is a fantastic addition to Auckland. […] One of the most surprising things about the project is just how little time it has taken from inception to delivery.
Read more

█ Video via TVNZ On Demand
Better Together: The Nelson Street Cycleway (4:51)
Get the inside track on the merging of the creative ideas of carver Katz Maihi and landscape architects and urban designers Monk Mackenzie + Land Lab, that have helped shape Auckland’s ambitious new cycleway design.
Link: https://www.tvnz.co.nz/content/tvnz/ondemand/shows/m/microsoft-better-together/s1/e3.html

[screenshots]

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### NZ Herald Online 2:14 PM Saturday Dec 5, 2015
Pedal to the new metal
By Catherine Smith
I don’t usually claim to have much in common with engineers – putting things together is not my strong suit. But on Tuesday, when I donned a fluoro vest and rode the newest piece of Auckland’s cycling infrastructure with project manager Stephen Cummins of GHD, I couldn’t get enough of the geeky details of the shared pathway, formerly known as the old Nelson St off-ramp.

It is barely a year since the Lightpath Te Ara I Whiti (it got a fancy pants name at Thursday’s opening), first got the nod. New York’s glamour former tsar of transportation, Janette Sadik-Khan, was in town to talk up how she transformed the Big Apple’s car-clogged streets to plazas given over to people and bikes. She was less than flattering about Auckland’s un-connected bits of cycle paths. The “three Ls” who shape Auckland – mayor Len Brown, design head Ludo Campbell-Reid and chair of Auckland Transport Lester Levy – keen to impress Sadik-Khan, fell over themselves to promise Barbara Cuthbert of Bike Auckland in front of an audience of over 1500 city-lovers that they would convert the abandoned motorway into a connector between the aging Northwestern cycleway, the new Grafton Gully path and the rest of the city.

The result is extraordinary. This bridge, complete with art works of pulsing lights, pohutukawa trees and a stunning perspective of the city’s favourite bits is no dull bit of infrastructure. Cummins, possibly punch-drunk from lack of sleep, reckons that a project of this complexity would typically take a minimum of two years, but every one of the suppliers was so excited by this build that they pulled out all the stops to whittle that time to eight months. Despite reporting to many “parents” (this is an NZ Transport Agency project as the stretch of road is part of the national motorway), the design team was tight and fast-moving: GHD was lead designer, with architects Monk Mackenzie and engineers from the Agency.

Early thoughts were to plunk something clunky and temporary between the back of K Rd and the old off-ramp. Fortunately, saner heads (and money from minister Simon Bridges’ urban cycleways programme) funded a much better option. Already it’s been named in the World Architectural Festival, design mags are raving.
Read more

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

blue green [transportblog.co.nz]

*Images: (top of page) transportblog.co.nz – cyclists by Patrick Reynolds, pictured at right; aucklandcouncil.govt.nz – Light Path soaring-cycling-sensation

DCC cycle lanes, the real reason……. foul-ups @DUD

Received from Brian Miller
Sat, 24 Oct 2015 at 5:40 p.m.

The real reason why DCC wants cyclists to have their own cycling lane.

So this is why those people in funny clothes wander all over our roads!
—I knew there was a reason why I took up biking.

THE RETIREMENT BICYCLE
Image: Supplied

My doctor says to drink lots while exercising!
And I always follow the doctor’s advice.

—

Related Posts and Comments:
22.10.15 Bloody DCC —superlative cost blowout #cycleways #SUCKS
6.10.15 DCC v Tauranga CC + costly stadium cycle/walkway :[
12.9.15 Cr Kate ‘Cycleways’ Wilson —(disingenuous) fails constituents
3.9.15 Dunedin support for extensive cycle lanes and Free bicycles
22.8.15 DCC cycleway$ now tied to more ‘urban de$ign’ $pend…
18.7.15 DCC Cycleways: SEEING RED, apology NOT accepted
10.4.15 DCC cycleways propaganda continues #SpendSpendSpend
20.3.15 DCC Shame …John Wilson Dr nonsense, now Portobello Rd cycleway
11.2.15 Dunedin Cycleways: Pet project staff, ‘entitlement’? #irony

█ For more on Dunedin’s inordinately expensive Strategic Cycle Network, enter the term *cycle* in the search box at right.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

DCC cycleway$ now tied to more ‘urban de$ign’ $pend, after reha$h numero…..

Image: examiner.com

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Dunedin City Council – Media Release
South Dunedin Cycle Network Changes Start Soon

This item was published on 21 Aug 2015

Alterations to some parts of the South Dunedin Cycle Network will start shortly as the Dunedin City Council works to deliver safe, high quality and attractive cycleways in the city. General Manager Infrastructure and Networks Ruth Stokes says the DCC has listened to public feedback about existing South Dunedin cycleways and in response changes are being made to some intersections.

“We’ve accepted we didn’t get these designs right first time, but we have taken on board what the community has told us and we are making changes. As always, the priority will be safety, not just for cyclists, but for pedestrians and motorists too. There will also be a new urban design element to the construction that will enhance every street which has a cycleway.”

The first step is to remove sections of the existing South Dunedin Cycle Network (SDCN) that have given rise to public concern regarding vehicle access. As each section is due to be altered, residents and businesses in and near the affected streets will receive notification from the DCC and its contractor, Downer. The work is scheduled to begin later this month.

This remedial work incorporates the following:
● At the Hargest Crescent/Richardson Street and Richardson Street/Moreau Street intersections the ‘floating’ traffic islands will be removed to improve traffic flow (kerb protrusions will remain).
● The Marlow Street/Royal Crescent intersection will have two way traffic flow reinstated in response to residents’ requests. Two way traffic flow will also be reinstated at the Prince Albert Road/New Street and Churchill Street/Bellona Street intersections.
● Coughtrey Street and Richardson Street – ‘ghost’ road markings will be removed and new road markings laid.
● Signs and road markings will be installed across all the existing SDCN to improve intuitive way-finding for cyclists.

Over the next few months the design of these SDCN sections will be reviewed and improved with a focus on safety and ease of use for all road users. Residents will be asked for feedback before the designs are confirmed.

Designs to improve the Portobello Road cycleway between Timaru Street and Portsmouth Drive have been prepared in consultation with the community, aiming for a highly practical road and cycleway layout, improved road markings and signs, complemented by a vastly improved general environment providing a family-friendly atmosphere. The design will take residents’ and business access needs into account. The Princes Street cycleway past the Oval, on to Gordon Street and Vogel Street, is planned for completion in October 2015. This will include signs and markings on Princes Street and changing give way priorities to Vogel Street at two intersections. Ongoing Tedder Street construction is due to be finished by the end of 2015, using speed bumps to slow traffic.

Mrs Stokes says the vision for Dunedin’s first urban cycleway is to have high quality, attractive routes which cater for people travelling to work and school by bike, and leisure cyclists, while reducing accident rates for all road users.

Contact General Manager Infrastructure and Networks, Dunedin City Council on 477 4000. DCC Link

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█ ODT: Traffic islands to go soon
The scrapping of some of South Dunedin’s most unpopular cycleway traffic islands could begin as soon as next week as the Dunedin City Council responds to public feedback on the bungled network.
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/353295/traffic-islands-go-soon

● WTF Ruthie-babe ???
“There would also be “a new urban design element” to new construction on the network, she said. That could include different types of paving, seating on appropriate corners, and planting in the separation areas.” (via ODT)

Image: Fairfax Media (via Cycling in Christchurch)

—

Related Posts and Comments:
● 18.7.15 DCC Cycleways: SEEING RED, apology NOT accepted
● 10.4.15 DCC cycleways propaganda continues #SpendSpendSpend
20.3.15 DCC Shame: First, John Wilson Dr … now Portobello Rd cycleway
11.2.15 Dunedin Cycleways: Pet project staff, ‘entitlement’? #irony
3.12.14 Cycling at Dunedin —boring debate, network spending continues #DUD
22.5.14 DCC Transportation Planning —ANOTHER consultation disaster
6.5.14 Roading network screwed by council staff
● 14.2.14 DCC: Broadband AND bicycles #fraudband speed
14.1.14 DCC: Hospital area parking changes #cyclelanes
5.1.14 Norman Foster: SkyCycling utopia above London railways #ThinkBig
24.12.13 Daaave’s $47 million Christmas present to Jinty. We’re paying.
4.12.13 Dunedin cycleways: Calvin Oaten greeted by DCC silence
17.11.13 Dunedin cycleways: Calvin Oaten’s alternative route
17.11.13 Cull and MacTavish… “Have you fixed the debt crisis?”
14.11.13 Cycle lane explosions and puncture kits (SPOKES grenades launch)
8.11.13 Dunedin Separated Cycle Lane Proposal [how to make a submission]
29.10.13 DCC (EDU) invents new job! [GigatownDunedin]
19.10.13 Cycle lobby games and media tilts
24.9.13 Mediocrity and lack of critical awareness at DCC [council reports]
8.7.13 Bloody $tupid cycleways and Cull’s electioneering . . . [route maps]
28.3.13 DCC DAP 2013/14: Portobello Harington Point Road Improvements
26.2.13 DCC binge spending alert: Proposed South Dunedin cycle network
22.2.13 DCC: Council meeting agenda and reports for 25 February 2013
31.1.13 Who? 2010 electioneering
21.11.12 Safe cycling -Cr Fliss Butcher
5.11.12 DCC, NZTA: Cycle lanes controversy

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

DCC Cycleways: SEEING RED, apology NOT accepted

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Laundry at ODT today:

Costly cycleway mistakes
Parts of South Dunedin’s cycle network will be ripped out and replaced, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, because of council mistakes.
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/349513/costly-cycleway-mistakes

Vow to make good bungled cycleways
Council staff and management bungled the roll-out of South Dunedin’s cycle network, letting down the mayor, the councillors, and the city in the process.
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/349453/vow-make-good-bungled-cycleways

Measures satisfy
How affected parties responded to the Dunedin City Council’s acceptance of responsibility for the SDCN faults, and its commitment to put things right.
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/349472/measures-satisfy

Otago Daily Times Published on Jul 17, 2015
South Dunedin by bike

Behind the handlebars: South Dunedin by bike
What’s it like exploring the South Dunedin Cycle Network for the first time? Reporter Carla Green – a newcomer to the city – grabbed a map and hopped on her bike last week to find out.
http://www.odt.co.nz/video/news/dunedin/349443/carlas-cycleway-story

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[screenshot as at 18.7.15 —click to enlarge]

●●● http://www.averyassociates.nz/

█ For more on Dunedin’s inordinately expensive Strategic Cycle Network, enter the term *cycle* in the search box at right. Or WTH, search *citifleet*.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

DCC cycleways propaganda continues #SpendSpendSpend

GREATER DUNEDIN ELECTIONEERING ALERT

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Dunedin City Council – Media Release
Another Busy Year Ahead With Cycleways

This item was published on 10 Apr 2015

Dunedin residents will be able to make the most of safer cycle routes in coming months as the city’s cycleway network continues to expand. Dunedin City Council Infrastructure Services Committee Chair Cr Kate Wilson says cycleways make the streets safer for all road users and hopefully encourage more people to get on bikes.

“For years people have been asking the Council for enhanced cycleways in Dunedin. We have a responsibility to provide networks that give people travel choices, whether that be cycling, walking or taking a bus or car. The more of the network that is completed, the more we can provide for people who want to use cycleways, whether it’s a child cycling to school, an adult cycling recreationally, or anything in between.”

It is also a central government priority to rapidly expand and enhance networks of cycleways around the country, recognising the benefits to health, the economy and the environment. The DCC has received $570,000 from the Government’s Urban Cycleway Fund and the Council has decided the funding will be used to enhance and expand the South Dunedin Cycle Network. The DCC also receives funding from the NZ Transport Agency to build the network.

“Taking advantage of Government funding now is important as we have a limited window of opportunity to capitalise on our position as one of only a few cities with the requisite Strategic Cycle Network Plan. We are a financially constrained Council and the more funding we get from outside sources the less we need from ratepayers.”

In August 2011, the Council adopted the Strategic Cycle Network for Dunedin, which gave the South Dunedin network of routes the highest priority for design and construction. Cr Wilson says 40% of people living in South Dunedin do not have access to a car, which is a key reason for South Dunedin cycle routes being prioritised.

“We understand introducing cycleways to our streets has been a big change for some people, but we’ve got a great opportunity here to improve our city in a very positive way for current and future generations.”

Here’s an outline of what’s happening with South Dunedin cycleways over the next month.
● Portobello Road (between Timaru Street and Portsmouth Drive) – wider consultation on a revised concept plan for this stretch of road.
● Hillside Road/McBride Street – staff are reviewing the proposed cycleway design after meeting with local businesses.
● Neville/Wilkie Streets – a final decision on the type of cycleway for these streets will be made in April. Construction is scheduled to begin in May.
● Harbourside/Roberts Street – the Harbourside Working Group will meet again in mid April.
● Richardson/Coughtrey, Fingall/Tedder, Bellona/New Streets – Construction of these ‘quiet streets’ and dedicated cycleway should be finished in the next couple of weeks.

Residents, businesses and property owners in areas where cycleways are planned will be contacted directly.

█ General information is also available at http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/sdcn and more details will be added as projects are rolled out.

Contact Cr Kate Wilson, Infrastructure Services Committee Chair on 027 443 8134. DCC Link

—

Related Posts and Comments:
20.3.15 DCC Shame: First, John Wilson Dr … now Portobello Rd cycleway
11.2.15 Dunedin Cycleways: Pet project staff, ‘entitlement’? #irony
3.12.14 Cycling at Dunedin —boring debate, network spending continues #DUD
22.5.14 DCC Transportation Planning —ANOTHER consultation disaster
6.5.14 Roading network screwed by council staff
14.2.14 DCC: Broadband AND bicycles #fraudband speed
14.1.14 DCC: Hospital area parking changes #cyclelanes
5.1.14 Norman Foster: SkyCycling utopia above London railways #ThinkBig
24.12.13 Daaave’s $47 million Christmas present to Jinty. We’re paying.
4.12.13 Dunedin cycleways: Calvin Oaten greeted by DCC silence
17.11.13 Dunedin cycleways: Calvin Oaten’s alternative route
17.11.13 Cull and MacTavish… “Have you fixed the debt crisis?”
14.11.13 Cycle lane explosions and puncture kits (SPOKES grenades launch)
8.11.13 Dunedin Separated Cycle Lane Proposal [how to make a submission]
29.10.13 DCC (EDU) invents new job! [GigatownDunedin]
19.10.13 Cycle lobby games and media tilts
24.9.13 Mediocrity and lack of critical awareness at DCC [council reports]
8.7.13 Bloody $tupid cycleways and Cull’s electioneering . . . [route maps]
28.3.13 DCC DAP 2013/14: Portobello Harington Point Road Improvements
26.2.13 DCC binge spending alert: Proposed South Dunedin cycle network
22.2.13 DCC: Council meeting agenda and reports for 25 February 2013
31.1.13 Who? 2010 electioneering
21.11.12 Safe cycling -Cr Fliss Butcher
5.11.12 DCC, NZTA: Cycle lanes controversy

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

*Image: (from top) odopod.com – cycle hero; blogs.independent.co.uk – cycling getty [Getty images]

Cycling at Dunedin —boring debate, network spending continues #DUD

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Link received Wed, 3 Dec 2017 at 2:52 a.m.
Message: For Toll read Cycle

[Or, ‘Madhead’ Daaave plays Dunedin like Monopoly. We lose.]

### newsbiscuit.com Dec 1, 2014
Stonehenge development: ley lines closed during 2015 while toll lanes added
By Adrian Bamforth
The government has announced a radical up-grade to Britain’s dilapidated ley-line network with major closures on all lines and charges being brought in on certain routes when the network re-opens. ‘For years Britain’s natural mystic energy has been having to cope on an out-dated system,’ said David Cameron dressed in a rainbow baggy jumper wearing a large purple feather as an earring. ‘It might have been adequate for the Bronze Age when it was first laid out, but is entirely unsuitable to 21st Century new age Britain.’

Executive ley lines with controversial tolls are to be introduced in 2015, for those who do not wish to wait for their intangible cosmic earth energy. ‘It will mean demolishing Stonehenge…’ said the Prime Minister, but we are confident that the British people will understand that this is definitely worth it.’ Read more

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QUIET STREETS and OTHER ALTERNATIVES TO SH1 SEPARATED CYCLEWAYS

### ODT Online Thu, 27 Nov 2014
Opinion: Your Say
Why Dunedin needs (some) separated cycleways
By GregDawes
Diane Yeldon raises some important questions. She aligns herself with the ‘vehicular cycling’ movement, which argues that the best place for cyclists is in among the traffic, obeying the same rules as all other road users. On this basis, she questions whether we really need separated cycleways.
As a cyclist I follow the vehicular cycling principles every day. I ride my bike in much the same way as I drive my car, claiming the space I need on the road, while trying to share the carriageway considerately with other road users.
On roads with low traffic volume, relatively slow speeds, and no heavy vehicles, this works well. But it requires a lot of confidence to ride this way on busy roads, when cars are passing at speed and there are trucks and buses.
Read more + Comments

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Related Posts and Comments:
22.5.14 DCC Transportation Planning —ANOTHER consultation disaster
6.5.14 Roading network screwed by council staff
14.2.14 DCC: Broadband AND bicycles #fraudband speed
14.1.14 DCC: Hospital area parking changes #cyclelanes
5.1.14 Norman Foster: SkyCycling utopia above London railways #ThinkBig
24.12.13 Daaave’s $47 million Christmas present to Jinty. We’re paying.
4.12.13 Dunedin cycleways: Calvin Oaten greeted by DCC silence
17.11.13 Dunedin cycleways: Calvin Oaten’s alternative route
17.11.13 Cull and MacTavish… “Have you fixed the debt crisis?”
14.11.13 Cycle lane explosions and puncture kits (SPOKES grenades launch)
8.11.13 Dunedin Separated Cycle Lane Proposal [how to make a submission]
29.10.13 DCC (EDU) invents new job! [GigatownDunedin]
19.10.13 Cycle lobby games and media tilts
24.9.13 Mediocrity and lack of critical awareness at DCC [council reports]
8.7.13 Bloody $tupid cycleways and Cull’s electioneering . . . [route maps]
28.3.13 DCC DAP 2013/14: Portobello Harington Point Road Improvements
26.2.13 DCC binge spending alert: Proposed South Dunedin cycle network
22.2.13 DCC: Council meeting agenda and reports for 25 February 2013
31.1.13 Who? 2010 electioneering
21.11.12 Safe cycling -Cr Fliss Butcher
5.11.12 DCC, NZTA: Cycle lanes controversy

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Norman Foster: SkyCycling utopia above London railways #ThinkBig

Or how to put DCC and NZTA to shame for their dangerous, low-design segregated cycle lane solution at Dunners. See the latest DCC / NZTA report, Summary of Cycle Safety Options Made Public, at Comments.

Foster SkyCycle [click to enlarge]

So Big Norm’s a cyclist, and when he gets a wee bit of work in New York City from time to time he likes to travel The High Line [Wikipedia]. But then. He had a gazumping thought about London congestion.

Foster is the only architect on Britain’s rich list.

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### dezeen.com 2 January 2014
Norman Foster promotes “cycling utopia” above London’s railways
News: British architect Norman Foster has unveiled a concept to build a network of elevated pathways above London’s railways to create safe car-free cycling routes, following 14 cyclist deaths on the city’s streets in 2013.
Entitled SkyCycle, the proposal by architects Foster + Partners, landscape architects Exterior Architecture and transport consultant Space Syntax is for a “cycling utopia” of approximately 220 kilometres of dedicated cycle lanes, following the routes of existing train lines.
Over 200 entrance points would be dotted across the UK capital to provide access to ten different cycle paths. Each route would accommodate up to 12,000 cyclists per hour and could improve journey times across the city by up to half an hour.
“SkyCycle is a lateral approach to finding space in a congested city,” said Foster, who is both a regular cyclist and the president of Britain’s National Byway Trust. “By using the corridors above the suburban railways, we could create a world-class network of safe, car free cycle routes that are ideally located for commuters.”
If approved, the routes could be in place within 20 years, offering relief to a transport network that is already at capacity and will need to contend with 12 percent population growth over the next decade.
“To improve the quality of life for all in London and to encourage a new generation of cyclists, we have to make it safe. However, the greatest barrier to segregating cars and cyclists is the physical constraint of London’s streets, where space is already at a premium.”
According to the designers, construction of elevated decks would be considerably cheaper than building new roads and tunnels.
Read more

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### dezeen.com 28 November 2013
Sandwichbike flat-pack wooden bicycle by PedalFactory goes into production
A flat-pack wooden bicycle that can be assembled in less than an hour has gone into production. PedalFactory claims the Sandwichbike can be unpacked and put together in just 45 minutes. The single-speed bike is constructed from 19 parts that are packaged and delivered in a box along with the tools required to assemble it. The Sandwichbike was launched in Amsterdam on Sunday 1 December 2013. This innovative wooden bicycle is now being shipped.
Read more + images/slide show

“If you can make a sandwich, you can make a Sandwichbike.”

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

*Images via dezeen.com

Cull, MacTavish: (to borrow a phrase) “Have you fixed the debt crisis?”

Responding to an espousal on ‘Cycleways and parking issues’ at ODT Online:

DCC’s +$47M cycleways project
Submitted by ej kerr on Thu, 14/11/2013 – 11:13pm.
Cr MacTavish has better things to do. She knows it. Her job
as a city councillor is to take the air out of her various
tyres and acknowledge that her loose-assemblage greenwash
‘political party’ should stop its spendthrift ways. Far
better that they bend over backwards on quickly retiring the
council’s +$623M consolidated debt. A harder workout than
cruising on SH1 with the wind up their tails.

****

Hype O’Thermia kindly forwards this link for serious entertainment…

Published on 13 Nov 2013. ClarkeandDawe.
An Honest Assessment, Project by Project
“Tony Abbott. Head Prefect.” Originally aired on ABC TV: 14/11/2013.

ABCTV: For 25 years, John Clarke and Bryan Dawe have been engaged in discourse on a range of issues. These interviews appear each week on television, radio and online and several collections have been released on CD, DVD and in book form. Every Thursday a fresh interview is loaded and fired into the blithersphere. It can be seen at mrjohnclarke.com, their YouTube site or the Facebook page.

More Clarke and Dawe at Quiz on politics

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Related Posts and Comments:
14.11.13 Cycle lane explosions and puncture kits (SPOKES grenades launch)
8.11.13 Dunedin Separated Cycle Lane Proposal [how to make a submission]
5.11.12 DCC, NZTA: Cycle lanes controversy
19.10.13 Cycle lobby games and media tilts
24.9.13 Mediocrity and lack of critical awareness at DCC [council reports]
8.7.13 Bloody $tupid cycleways and Cull’s electioneering . . . [route maps]
28.3.13 DCC DAP 2013/14: Portobello Harington Point Road Improvements
26.2.13 DCC binge spending alert: Proposed South Dunedin cycle network
22.2.13 DCC: Council meeting agenda and reports for 25 February 2013
31.1.13 Who? 2010 electioneering
21.11.12 Safe cycling -Cr Fliss Butcher

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Cycle lane explosions and puncture kits (SPOKES grenades launch)

“Whilst I know there will be a lot of people that are very favourable towards these changes, overwhelmingly the business community seems to be bearing the brunt of the impact.”
–John Christie, Otago Chamber
ODT Link

Uploaded on 18 Sep 2006. — Bicycle! Bicycle! Bicycle! / I want to ride my bicycle / I want to ride my bike / I want to ride my bicycle / I want to ride it where I like / You say black I say white…

Published on 6 Mar 2012. Sons of Silence. — I rise in the morning, and greet the day / pull out the bike and I’m on my way / The transportation shows I care / Every turn of the pedal – cleans the air…

Published on 3 Jul 2012. — Riding on my bike on a Tuesday night I’m collecting rhymes / I pedal to the left then I kick it to the right and then I change my mind / I met a man who’s shipping bikes to Africa…

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Related Posts and Comments:
8.11.13 Dunedin Separated Cycle Lane Proposal
5.11.12 DCC, NZTA: Cycle lanes controversy
19.10.13 Cycle lobby games and media tilts
24.9.13 Mediocrity and lack of critical awareness at DCC [council reports]
8.7.13 Bloody $tupid cycleways and Cull’s electioneering . . . [route maps]
28.3.13 DCC DAP 2013/14: Portobello Harington Point Road Improvements
26.2.13 DCC binge spending alert: Proposed South Dunedin cycle network
22.2.13 DCC: Council meeting agenda and reports for 25 February 2013
31.1.13 Who? 2010 electioneering
21.11.12 Safe cycling -Cr Fliss Butcher

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

*Image: dreamstime.com – cartoon explosion 17525964

DCC: Councillors delegated street furniture decisions to staff

Peter Entwisle says “some principles need teasing out: CONTEXT, AUTHENTICITY, FLEXIBILITY and TRUE EXCEPTIONALITY”

[transpressnz.blogspot.com]

### ODT Online Mon, 11 Nov 2013
Opinion
Rearranging the street furniture
By Peter Entwisle
Dunedin is adopting a new generation of street furniture. It’s happened before with varying results and we should try to do better this time.
Read more

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Dunedin City Council – Media Release
Free Parking – for Cycles
This item was published on 19 Jun 2012.
The rollout of 56 new cycle stands around the city is almost complete. The sites are high demand and high profile areas that were identified in consultation with community boards and cycling groups.
There are two types of stand – 46 basic U-shaped stainless steel stands, and two sets of five stands that, when installed, spell ‘cycle’. The stands were designed in-house and manufactured by local business Identimark with some parts of the manufacturing process undertaken in Auckland.
Read more

16.7.11 ODT More cyclists than a year ago: survey
Dunedin will spend $20,000 on 70 cycle stands for central city sites over the next two years.

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Bicycle Management
Dunedin City Council: Cycle stands, hitching rails and facilities
http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/services/cycling/cycle-stands

University of Otago, Property Services: Cycling & Cycle Racks
http://www.propserv.otago.ac.nz/services/parkingcyclerack.html

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Related Posts and Comments:
8.11.13 Dunedin Separated Cycle Lane Proposal
5.11.13 DCC, NZTA: Cycle lanes controversy
19.10.13 Cycle lobby games and media tilts
24.9.13 Mediocrity and lack of critical awareness at DCC [council reports]
8.7.13 Bloody $tupid cycleways and Cull’s electioneering . . . [route maps]
28.3.13 DCC DAP 2013/14: Portobello Harington Point Road Improvements
26.2.13 DCC binge spending alert: Proposed South Dunedin cycle network
22.2.13 DCC: Council meeting agenda and reports for 25 February 2013
31.1.13 Who? 2010 electioneering
21.11.12 Safe cycling -Cr Fliss Butcher

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Dunedin Separated Cycle Lane Proposal

### dunedintv.co.nz November 8, 2013 – 7:16pm
Public consultation on State Highway safety options begins today
Dunedin residents are being asked for their views on two preferred options for improving the safety of the one way sections of State Highway One. There have already been some short term safety improvements made, but as the cycle network is expanded and developed the focus is on the long-term.
Video

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Dunedin City Council – Media Release
Feedback Sought on Cycle Safety Options

This item was published on 08 Nov 2013.

Residents are being asked for their views on two preferred long-term options for improving the safety of Dunedin’s one-way sections of State Highway 1.
The NZ Transport Agency (Transport Agency) has been working with the Dunedin City Council (DCC) to improve cycle safety on State Highway 1 between the Dunedin Botanic Garden and Queens Gardens.
Since 2003, there have been 13 crashes on the State Highway 1 one-way streets in the central city that resulted in serious injury to cyclists, including three fatal crashes. There was also a cyclist fatality in 1998.
There have already been some short-term safety improvements and the focus has now shifted to long-term cycle safety as an expanded cycle network is developed for the city.

Public consultation on the two preferred options begins today and ends at 5pm on Friday, 6 December.

Under both options, the cycle lane would be shifted to the right-hand side of the road and physically separate cyclists from traffic. For the first option, the separated cycle lane would continue to run along both of the one-way routes, with cyclists travelling in the same direction as the traffic. Option two involves a wider separated cycle lane. It would run along Cumberland Street (linked in the vicinity of the S bends by Emily Siedeberg Place), with cyclists able to travel in both directions.

The proposal is at a very early stage and if it goes ahead it could be 2-4 years before construction starts.

The estimated cost for the project is $3.5 million to $4.5 million.

Feedback from the community on the two options will be used to develop one preferred option for a separated cycle lane that is expected to be considered by the Council early next year.

Transport Agency Projects Team Manager Simon Underwood says a separated cycle lane would support the Safe System approach which underpins the road safety work of both the Transport Agency and the DCC. This approach recognises road users do make mistakes and whether injuries result is influenced by the nature of the collision or impact.

“This is highly relevant to cycle lanes where cyclists have to interact with other road users in many ways. Even in collisions with relatively low vehicle speeds, there is still a risk of severe injury. The aim of the separated cycle lanes is to reduce crash risk by reducing the extent to which cyclists and general traffic interact.” –Simon Underwood

“This proposal is all about safety. Concern about cyclist safety is what led the Council to ask for options for the central city and now we want to know which option people prefer.” –Dave Cull

Other possible ‘north-south’ cycle routes were considered, but the two preferred options out for consultation are the only feasible routes.

DCC Transportation Planning Manager Sarah Connolly says both options will have an impact on parking spaces on the street, with 391 spaces affected under option one and 185 under option two.

Feedback is also being sought on ways to address parking provision for the area, should the proposal go ahead. Options include moving affected parking meters, P5s and other time restricted parking to adjacent streets where practical and promoting the use of vacant parks in existing car parking areas and buildings. The DCC could also consider providing extra angle parking in Union, St David, Dundas, Howe and Duke Streets, and providing more commercial parking, such as a new parking building.

To access an online survey form or for more information on the separated cycle lane options, visit www.nzta.govt.nz/dunedincyclesafe, or email your comments to dunedinshcyclelanes @ nzta.govt.nz. Alternatively, ring 03 477 4000 for an information pack, or post your comments to:

Cycle Lane Feedback
C/o NZ Transport Agency
PO Box 5245
Moray Place
Dunedin 9058

People are also welcome to come along to the following drop-in sessions:
● 12 noon – 2pm, Thursday 14 November, Wall Street Mall
● 3pm – 6pm, Tuesday 19 November, Otago Settlers Museum
● 12 noon – 2pm, Wednesday 20 November, The Link (University of Otago)

Contact Transportation Planning Manager on 03 477 4000.

DCC Link

More council information at Dunedin Separated Cycle Lane Proposal

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Dunedin City Council – Media Release
Remember – Share the Road

This item was published on 08 Nov 2013.

Scooters, skateboards, horses and vintage cars will be among the forms of transport on the move during Sunday’s Share the Road Parade. The parade will launch the Dunedin City Council’s Share the Road campaign, which encourages all road users to be considerate so everyone can use the road safely.
DCC Safe and Sustainable Travel Co-ordinator Charlotte Flaherty says, “The parade offers an opportunity for many different road user groups to get together and celebrate each other and our transport system.

“People assume the road is for motorised transport only, but it is used by numerous groups, such as horse riders, cyclists and pedestrians as well.” –Charlotte Flaherty

The parade will start outside the Dental School in Great King Street at 2.30pm. It will travel along Frederick and George Streets and arrive in the Octagon at 3pm. A Master of Ceremonies will give a commentary as the various groups arrive at the Octagon.
Read more

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

*Images: NZTA – (top) Option for a two-way separated cycle lane on Cumberland St, shown near North Ground; (bottom) option for a separated cycle lane, shown near hospital entrance on Cumberland St.

DCC, NZTA: Cycle lanes controversy

Starting Friday…
Four weeks of consultation to encourage submissions on two preferred options – both involving a separated cycle lane on one-way sections of SH1. So, you wanna ride your bike on the state highway, up-close to fast moving vehicular traffic that can’t see you, through barely controlled intersections? Then this one’s for you, Cull’s ‘moving backwards’ scheme (modern technology never stepped up for citizen travel and efficient freighting).

### ODT Online Tue, 5 Nov 2013
Public submissions invited over cycling lane proposals
By Debbie Porteous
A proposal to install separated lanes for cyclists on parts of the State Highway 1 network through Dunedin will be open for public opinion this week.
Read more

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Related Posts and Comments:
19.10.13 Cycle lobby games and media tilts
24.9.13 Mediocrity and lack of critical awareness at DCC [council reports]
8.7.13 Bloody $tupid cycleways and Cull’s electioneering . . . [route maps]
28.3.13 DCC DAP 2013/14: Portobello Harington Point Road Improvements
26.2.13 DCC binge spending alert: Proposed South Dunedin cycle network
22.2.13 DCC: Council meeting agenda and reports for 25 February 2013
31.1.13 Who? 2010 electioneering
21.11.12 Safe cycling -Cr Fliss Butcher

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

*Image: spinningmixes.wordpress.com – bicycle cartoon (text added by Whatifdunedin)

Portobello Road Consultation —Public Meeting | Monday 13 May

Here is the latest web update for the Portobello Community.

This week we look at the road widening project and the proposed changes that the City Council has made to the initial plan. The City Council will be giving the community another opportunity to have your say on the proposal and the changes they have made to the plan since the consultation period in March 2013. This is an important issue for our township and community and the meeting is to be held at 7:00 pm on Monday, 13 May 2013 at the Coronation Hall. Pass this message onto your friends, neighbours, colleagues and whanau.

Regards
Paul Pope – Chairman, Portobello Incorporated

● The meeting will be attended by council staff, Cr Jinty MacTavish, and Otago Peninsula Community Board members.

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Related Post and Comments:
28.3.13 | Updated 29.3.13
DCC Draft Annual Plan 2013/14: Portobello Harington Point Road Improvements Project

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

DCC Draft Annual Plan 2013/14: Portobello Harington Point Road Improvements Project

Updated Post 29.3.13

Received yesterday by email.

Something that seems to have slipped the radar in Dunedin news of late is the WIDENING of Portobello Harington Point Road on the Otago Peninsula.

Looking at the Draft Annual Plan, the City Council intends to spend the following on what amounts to an environmental and heritage damaging folly. That’s only 33-34 % of the budget, given NZTA will subsidise the remaining 66-67% of the project.

[click on image to enlarge]

See page 24, Section 1 Group of Activities (PDF, 1.5 MB)
and page 142, Section 2 Financial Statements (PDF, 1.2 MB)

The road widening (including the Vauxhall and Macandrew Bay areas already completed) will reclaim nearly 11 hectares of the Otago Harbour — a conservative measurement given plans show significantly more reclamation if the topography requires it.

Consultation on the current design closed yesterday, Thursday 28 March, indicating approval of the plan is a given despite the consultation process for the Annual Plan this year and in years to come.

[29.3.13 – The plans are not available for viewing online, why not?]

There will be irrevocable damage to the Peninsula and Harbour landscape, heritage features and the ecology if this misguided piece of engineering continues.

It is feared the Council has the bit between its teeth on this project — described as being about “liveability”, according to Mayor Cull at the Portobello Annual Plan ‘roadshow’.

It might be worth pointing out to your readers that they look closely at the Draft Annual Plan in regards to this area of Council expenditure.

Searching Council for cost benefit and recreational analyses fails to show much other than what is in the June 2008 Cycle Strategy (PDF, 787 KB).

[See also: Dunedin’s Proposed Cycle Network, adopted August 2011]

Few will have problems with the desirability of access, but the lack of design sensitivity and impact on the values of the area seem inconsistent with the value of the Peninsula and Harbour to the community and our economy.

This is certainly an issue worth looking at more deeply.

[ends]

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

DCC binge spending alert: Proposed South Dunedin cycle network

UPDATED POST 27.2.13
If there is no [NZTA] subsidy, the cost will be $70.6 million.
See further comment by JimmyJones based on statements in DCC annual plans.

Comment received.

JimmyJones
Submitted on 2013/02/24 at 5:55 pm

That could be, Hype O’Thermia. Perhaps the intracranial aphids explain why they keep getting their financial estimates so badly wrong.
It seems to me that the Team has been working on this for a few years and waiting for a few cycling deaths to help with the promotion of their ideas. The amount of publicity given to these deaths has been far beyond what is typical for previous cycling deaths and very different to the average pedestrian and motor vehicle death. No doubt the Team has good links with the ODT and it helps to have control of the $5 million Spin-doctor Machine. One of those is perfect for persuading the councillors that your ideological brain-explosions won’t cost much and that everyone will like them eventually.
As Elizabeth mentioned, election success can be greatly enhanced by the timing of a cycle-way media promotion, if this is part of your policy. There need not be collusion for this to happen: the Rosebud Team are very focused on their goals and know the value of getting the best people elected that share their ideology. It’s symbiotic self interest, and (probably) not corruption. The good of the Team is the important thing, far more important than the City and the People.

[ends]

Visit the discussion on this thread:
DCC: Council meeting agenda and reports for 25 February 2013

Report – Council – 25/02/2013 (PDF, 1.5 MB)
South Dunedin Cycle Network

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Bike-only subdivision

Tweet:

@AIAColumbia New bike-only development proposed south of Columbia – one its kind in the nation: http://tinyurl.com/23jmf29

After looking at locations in the Carolinas, Georgia and Virginia, the Lexington County site was chosen because it was near so many colleges in Columbia and the new state farmers market, coming nearby to Dixiana.

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NEW BOOK
The Landscape of Contemporary Infrastructure by Kelly Shannon. Published by NAI, Mar 2010, hardback, 27.94×23.88cms, 272pages, 9056627201

The design of infrastructural networks such as roads, railways and systems enabling flow within a city structure is among urban design’s foremost tasks. Around the globe, the awareness of enhanced infrastructure fluidity as a catalyst for economic development is rising. This rare book investigates how infrastructure design determines the organisation and flow of the inhabited landscape as an agency of enhanced mobility, as a design feature contributing to the character of a city and as a sound theoretical approach to a positive experience of collective space. Issues are explored in 4 chapters that catalogue these approaches, each buttressed with key projects from the world’s most important designers in this field, including Arata Isozaki, Paul Andreu, Xaveer De Geyter, Jean Nouvel and Ricardo Bofill. The authors demonstrate how the creative potential of architecture, landscape architecture and urban design is essential to the effective flow of infrastructural networks.

Post by Elizabeth Kerr

Have your say: South Dunedin Retail Centre Strategy

Issues and Opportunities Consultation Document
(PDF, 458.7 kb, new window)

DCC weblink for more information

South Dunedin has historically been an important manufacturing and service area for Dunedin, and it remains a destination retail area for a large number of Dunedin residents. However, the trend over the last 15-20 years has been for a general decline in the main retail centre along King Edward Street, and a comparative increase in large format retail activities on the adjacent industrial land along Hillside Road and Andersons Bay Road.

As a result of this general decline, many people have raised concerns over the increasingly dilapidated appearance of the main retail centre and the overall vibrancy and success of the centre from both an economic and social perspective. As a result, the Council has identified the need for a strategy to revitalise South Dunedin’s retail centre.

The purpose of the South Dunedin Retail Centre Strategy is to identify an integrated package of actions that can be used to revitalise the retail centre, both economically and socially. The suggested goals for the strategy are to:

» Re-establish the economic role of the South Dunedin retail centre as a retail destination for the city by developing the centre into a place that people want to visit and spend time.

» Restore the social role of the centre as a place that provides opportunities for local residents to make regular contact with each other while engaged in routine activities.

The package of actions required to achieve these goals will need to include actions by both the Council and the community, in order to be successful.

The Issues and Opportunities Document is open for public consultation from 14 April 2010. Submitters are invited to return the submission form by 28 May 2010.

Make your submissions via

* Freepost: delivery details are on the form included with the consultation document (address to Principal Urban Designer, Dunedin City Council, PO Box 5045, Dunedin)

* Submit your comments online by completing this online form

* Email to south.dunedin@dcc.govt.nz

* Delivery: Customer Services, ground floor of the Civic Centre, 50 The Octagon, Dunedin

Dunedin City Council invites the community to comment on the range and relative importance of issues and opportunities identified to date.

On Wednesday 12 May, a public open day on South Dunedin Retail Centre – Issues and Opportunities was held at the Gasworks Museum in Braemar St, South Dunedin.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Hopkins’ London 2012 Olympic Velodrome roofed

### london2012.com 01 Apr 2010
World Champion sees Velodrome roof structure complete
World Champion track cyclist Ed Clancy today visited the Velodrome to see the completed roof structure.

The distinctive double-curved roof has now been lifted into place in one of the biggest cable-net roof lifts in the UK, keeping the venue on track for completion in early 2011. It will be the first Olympic Park sporting venue to be finished.

The site was visited today by British cyclist Ed Clancy who became the new World Champion in the Omnium event at the Track Cycling 2010 World Championships in Copenhagan. Ed also won gold at the Beijing 2008 Games as part of the record-breaking Team Pursuit quartet.

Ed Clancy said: ‘Becoming World Champion was an amazing experience and a reminder of the excitement of racing at a major championship, so it was great to see the Olympic Park Velodrome where I hope to compete on home soil in 2012.

‘The Velodrome is already shaping up to be a fantastic venue and I can’t wait to come back here to help Team GB continue our gold rush in 2012.’

The 6,000-seat Velodrome will host the Olympic and Paralympic Track Cycling events during the Games. After 2012, the venue will be used by elite athletes and the local community. It will include a café, as well as bike hire and cycle workshop facilities.

The completion of the Velodrome roof comes as the Olympic Delivery Authority marks its fourth anniversary and announces it is on track to meet its latest set of construction milestones.

View latest images of the Velodrome

View latest aerial images of the Olympic Park

Read full media release

darjole – 18 July 2007
Designed by Hopkins Architects, the 2012 Olympic velodrome with be situated in the north of the London Olympic Park and be an iconic centrepiece for the cycling and BMX events during 2012 before becoming the UK’s premier cycling facility.

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The Velodrome is being constructed by ISG who were also responsible for replacing the track at the Manchester Velodrome where the British team secured nine gold medals at the World Cycling Championships in 2008.

The design team for the VeloPark is made up of Hopkins Architects, Expedition Engineering, BDSP and Grant Associates, who were appointed in 2007 following a design competition judged by leading names from the world of architecture and design as well as Olympic cyclist Sir Chris Hoy.

london2012 – 11 September 2008
Chris Hoy talks about the London 2012 VeloPark design.

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Public Art
Also coming to Olympic Park, artist Anish Kapoor has won a commission to design a 115m high public artwork, to be built as part of London’s Olympic Games in 2012. The sculpture, called ArcelorMittal Orbit, has been designed in collaboration with structural engineer Cecil Balmond of Arup. Link

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Related Posts:
28.1.10 After 2012 Olympics, the legacy is…
8.1.10 Scotland Yard donates to London’s 2012 Olympic site
12.11.09 Zaha Hadid: ‘Gateway into the Games’ London 2012 Olympics
25.3.09 London 2012 Stadium legacy plan

Post by Elizabeth Kerr

‘Autopia: road to the future’

### http://www.wired.com March 19, 2010 at 12:48pm
Feds Deem Pedestrians, Cyclists and Motorists Equals
By Jason Kambitsis
At long last, the feds have said the needs of pedestrians and cyclists must be placed alongside, not behind, those of motorists. In what amounts to a sea change for the Department of Transportation, the automobile will no longer be the prime consideration in federal transportation planning. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says the needs of pedestrians and cyclists will be considered along with those of motorists, and he makes it clear that walking and riding are “an important component for livable communities”.

“People across America who value bicycling should have a voice when it comes to transportation planning,” LaHood wrote on his blog. “This is the end of favouring motorised transportation at the expense of non-motorised.”

When it comes to doling out federal transportation funds, projects that adhere to the new policy statement will be given a higher priority, so it is within the best interests of cities and states to adhere to it.

Read more

Post by Elizabeth Kerr