Source: Radio New Zealand
A long-awaited coastal Wellington cycleway in the Hutt Valley has come up short for some cyclists, after leaving “strings of kids on bikes heading into traffic” near Eastbourne.
The $80 million Tupua Horo Nuku – a 4km seawall, and shared cycle and walking path along Marine Drive – opened in April.
The cycleway joins Point Howard to Eastbourne – or almost – as it abruptly stops for almost a kilometre across Days Bay, forcing cyclists to cross oncoming traffic and ride alongside cars without a path.
Some locals, like Kava Crosson-Elturan, have raised concerns about this gap.
He said seeing families and kids show up to the opening weekend was wonderful, but he described some of them ending up in a tricky situation.
The new Days Bay cycleway. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
He pointed to where the cycleway ended around the corner from Sunshine Bay into Days Bay.
“Right through here was especially dangerous, where we had strings of kids on bikes heading into traffic.”
Crosson-Elturan said it was “unfortunate to see” a “lack of planning”, when it came to a long-awaited project, which he thoroughly supported.
Residents agreed the seawall offered much-needed protection from tides and bad weather, and many were excited to use the shared paths.
“I live in Days Bay, so am familiar with the corner and the project,” Local MP and Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Chris Bishop said. “I think everyone agrees the Days Bay section is not great, but it is also a tricky problem to solve, given the obvious constraints.
“I know the council is looking at it and has done so, but there are no easy answers.”
Hutt City Council explained that Days Bay was not included in plans for the seawall and shared path, because it already had “some safe facilities for pedestrians and increased widths for on-road cyclists”. It confirmed that Days Bay was not “shovel-ready” and therefore development of a path there could not have been covered by COVID funding, which made the rest of the project possible.
It had added line markings to guide path users, while a link was finalised, but some residents have struggled with the layout.
Eastborne resident Jessica Haines was looking forward to trying out the cycleway with her kids. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Last weekend, Eastbourne resident Jessica Haines was was looking forward to trying out the cycleway with her kids to visit their grandparents in Days Bay.
“We thought it was an awesome opportunity, rather than driving, to jump on our bikes and come around.”
They ran out of path coming into Days Bay and did not know where to cycle safely.
“It was a bit scary,” she explained. “I was yelling at my son, ‘Hendrix, stop there!’
“The shared pathway ends and you end up in traffic. The other option is a very slim pathway, but then you risk bumping into people coming out of their cars to go to the beach.”
The experience made her more cautious about using the path.
Haines said how pedestrians and cyclists navigate this area needed more consideration, and was already an issue during summertime.
She wasn’t sure of the best way to address the problem, as all options would mean losing either a bit of green, beach or parking spaces.
Father-of-two Will agreed that it was especially dangerous for young children.
“For us, it hasn’t worked out, because we’re not really able to actually make it into Day’s Bay safely with the kids. The path just ends and you’re trapped there.”
He was surprised and disappointed that the council had not thought to add a crossing or markings to guide people.
“I think it’s just such a cool thing that they’ve done and I think everyone who’s used it thinks it’s really great as well, but then it just seems that there’s this massive oversight. It seems like someone without kids has thought of this.”
However, the missing link did not deter keen cyclist Peter Healy, who has used the path most days.
Avid cyclist Peter Healy uses the path most days. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
“Probably six days a week, I’m on the bike away, rain or shine.”
It has been a fantastic addition to his life, making getting out of the house easier in his retirement.
“I can ride safely. I can put my grandkids on it and we can whiz around, and not get bowled by a bus.”
He said it could be easily fixed.
“At the moment, there’s a bit of a gap here, but it’s just a bit of paint,” he said. “They’ll work it out.”
Hutt City Council economy & development director Jon Kingsbury said a link between Sunshine Bay and Days Bay was underway, and would be presented to the Eastbourne Community Board. It would include a path to separate pedestrians and cyclists from cars.
He added that a path through Days Bay would have resulted in the loss of carparking on Marine Drive.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand