Press release: safety report says no major issues with the Island Bay Cycle Way

Cycle Aware Wellington (CAW) welcomes the report of the independent safety audit on the Island Bay Cycle Way and that it has not found significant issues with the cycle way design itself. It is significant that Only one serious issue was highlighted – old road markings are causing confusion for motorists.

Some moderate and minor issues were identified with the cycle way design however. One issue in particular is that car parking reduces visibility at driveways and intersections. This is not difficult to resolve although it may mean some loss of car parks.

While the report makes good recommendations, CAW chairperson Ron Beernink thinks that the experiences of locals need to be heard and there needs to be a collective focus on how to make the cycle way work. “We need to work together as a community, and that starts with listening and understanding people’s concerns”. On Friday he met with representatives from the Island Bay Residents’ Association (IBRA). “It was a constructive discussion and it was agreed that the parties start working together as soon as possible.”

“This kind of discussion lays a good foundation for the Council re-consultation on the Island Bay Cycle Way that will take place early next year. Having the community work together is a key to creating solutions that people buy into and can avoid the Council struggling to making it happen and making decisions that no-one is happy with”, says Ron.

Both CAW and IBRA agreed that this goes beyond the Island Bay cycle way and that there’s other options to look at like a safe cycling route along the south coast and to Wakefield and MacAlister Park.

The meeting between these two parties was facilitated by councillors Justin Lester and Paul Eagle. Some may see this as election campaigning, but Ron Beernink is just happy that these two have stepped up to facilitate this. “As much as we need to get the community working together, we also need to get the Council to work as one to ensure that we are successful in making safe and enjoyable cycling infrastructure happen for Wellington”.

ENDS

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