The Local - Mt VictoriaTraffic snarl ups around the Kent Terrace and Wakefield Street intersection have prompted the Oriental Bay Residents’ Association to propose an alternative cycleway layout they believe will be better for everyone. Jane O’Loughlin reports.
Rex Nicolls, a former councillor and current committee member of the Residents’ Association, says the current cycle lane in front of the Fire Station has reduced the three lane road to two, causing problems.
“Cars travelling south towards Kent Terrace are using the right lane out of Oriental Bay, blocking the turn into Wakefield St. Cars are backed up past Freyberg Pool in peak morning traffic.”
The solution proposed by the Association is putting cyclists on the footpath behind New World supermarket, freeing up the lane in front of the fire station for cars again.
A light-controlled crossing on the Oriental Parade turn into Wakefield St would allow cyclists to cross that road.
“Our proposal takes away 9 of the carparks on the east side of Cambridge Terrace beside the Welsh Dragon bar, replacing them with a cycle lane. No traffic lanes are lost.”
Keeping the cycleway on the Cambridge Terrace side of the Welsh Dragon would mean doing away with the ‘dangerous’ diagonal cycle lane across the Marjoribanks Street corner.
“It is then a much safer cycle route across onto the Cambridge Terrace median strip.”
Between Courtenay Place and the Basin Reserve the Association is proposing that cyclists could use the footpaths each side of the median strip.
“This would allow the many carparks along Cambridge Terrace to be reinstated, and the current cycle lane to be reused by cars.”
In response, the Council the idea of using the median strip “had several critical safety issues which made it unsuitable.”
A spokesperson said a cycleway route alongside the Welsh Dragon had also been looked at, “however this was changed in later iterations as safety audits raised that it had significant safety issues where it crossed the Wakefield Slip lane.”
Nicholls is seeking support from other Residents’ Associations for the changes, as well as businesses along Kent and Cambridge Terrace. He wants the council to carry out a cost benefit analysis of the proposal compared to the existing roading set up.
“The changes we propose are very cheap, mainly requiring the removal of plastic barriers, altering a few signs, and replacing painted lane markers. More major work is required in the area behind New World and across Wakefield St.
“We are sure that the residents of southern and eastern Wellington who use this busy route will also appreciate gaining back one arterial car lane for their morning commute. “The whole city will benefit by adopting our proposal.”
The council indicated that change was not off the agenda.
“The Newtown to City project has closed its adaptations and changes. Subsequent projects, including the Golden Mile, are looking at changes in the area and could make alterations to the layout.”
The council has monitored and made tweaks to the traffic phasing at the Majoribanks/Kent intersection to improve the vehicle queue time at this location and will continue to do so as the Golden Mile changes progress.
