A vision of smoothly running inner-city streets, free-flowing motorways and safe pedestrian pathways is one we all want to see.
Auckland Council is working on various ways to improve public transport, ease traffic congestion and encourage safe, practical options for car-free travel.
With a 15 per cent increase in trips made by bike in 2015 compared with 2012, cycling is becoming an increasingly popular means of travel.
The opening of the Beach Road Cycleway and other recent urban improvements will further encourage an increase in the number of people cycling to the city for work or study.
Cycle Action Auckland’s Chair, Barbara Cuthbert, says their vision for Auckland is a place where all kinds of people, of all ages, can confidently choose to cycle. “We know that more people on bikes makes for a better city: happier, healthier, friendlier, and more connected,” she says.
Auckland Council, Auckland Transport and the NZ Transport Agency are working on a $200 million, three-year programme of cycle projects that will make getting around Auckland by bike safer and easier.
Mayor Len Brown says, “Auckland is making huge progress in terms of its transport options, and with the increasing number of cycleway networks being created around the city, more and more Aucklanders will take to two wheels.”
The Nelson Street Cycleway is turning the old Nelson Street off-ramp into a cycling and pedestrian bridge over the Southern Motorway – connecting the Northwestern Cycleway to the waterfront at the corner of Quay Street and Lower Hobson Street.
The public will be invited to the opening of this cycleway, which will be held in early December 2015.
Future projects include the Glen Innes to Tāmaki Drive Shared Path, which follows the rail line to the waterfront; the New Lynn to Waterview Shared Path; and cycleway improvements on Quay Street, Victoria Street and Karangahape Road in the city centre.
