Capital’s Council commits to cycling

Wellington City Councillors have affirmed their commitment to safer cycling choices for the Capital. The preparation of a draft cycling master plan to guide the city’s future investment in cycling is under development.

Following a meeting of all councillors, Mayor Wade-Brown said the Council is united in its support for a better cycling network.

“More people cycling will lead to many positive outcomes for Wellington, including economics, health and the environment, which is why we’re committed investing in cycling infrastructure,” said Mayor Wade-Brown.

“Councillors are keenly interested in cycling projects around Wellington and we want to extend the success we’ve had with Ara Tawa, the shared pathway through Tawa, completed in 2014.

“Ara Tawa connects Tawa in so many important ways, such as schools with children, local residents with their shops and community facilities, commuters with train stations and Porirua to the north, even before improvements to connect Tawa to Johnsonville are finalised.”

Council will prepare a draft master plan for the Capital’s cycling network, identifying proposed routes and the impacts and effects of proposed routes, to guide consultation and decisions in Wellington City’s proposed Long Term Plan 2015-2025.

“The draft master plan will provide a city-wide view of our cycling, ensure our decisions are consistent with our principles of safer, better transport for all residents, and enable all councillors to have a say on the future of Wellington’s cycling infrastructure.”

The Mayor said that because the master plan will be considered in Council’s LTP discussions, all councillors will have a say.

“The majority of councillors want a say in cycling, today’s decision affirms Wellington City’s commitment to safer, better transport choices,” said the Mayor.

Councillors agreed unanimously to note the preparation of the draft master plan for citywide cycle routes, support investment in safer cycling infrastructure and will seek to maximise the Wellington portion of the Government’s Urban Cycling Fund.

In response to the rise in demand for better cycling infrastructure, Wellington City increased its cycling budget for 2014/15 to $4.3 million, supporting a range of initiatives that make biking safer, including introducing bike fix-it stands, installing bike-friendly sump grates, and lowering suburban speed limits.

ENDS

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