K’Rd. A great traffic thoroughfare. Along with the rest of GNR, it should have 2 x traffic lanes, 2 x 24hr bus lanes and protected cycle lanes. I know, I’m dreaming, right?
Pippa Coom from the Waitemata Local board tried for quite some time to have cycle lane on GNR through the intersection with K’Rd. AT refused because their modeling showed that this would slow cars down by around 30s. This is the sort of transport agency in charge of Auckland. A massive motorway next door, and yet the 6 lane GNR can’t have any priority taken away from cars because they may be inconvenienced by a few seconds. What’s the point of constantly expanding that motorway if the local roads can’t then have some of their capacity turned over to alternative modes of transport.
It’s also a good ridge road to cycle from Grafton area round to Ponsonby – well it would be if it wasn’t so unpleasant. Yet again it runs right next to motorways and yet once again no priority will ever be given over from cars. Look at Pitt Street, will we have to wait until after the CRL for that road to have any sort of complete street makeover? Even then I have my doubts, it’s not like AT have made any real structural changes around Britomart. In Britomart Place they couldn’t even bring themselves to install a zebra crossing, a pedestrian refuge was all they saw fit for the eastern entrance to the biggest transport interchange in Auckland (and the country?).
Yes! In fact pretty comfortable Remmers to Newmarket to Grafton too, so potentially a really valuable cycle route. One difference with K rd is that I suspect retailers would know very few of their customers arrive in cars, and there’s the under-used cross st car park, so I’d be optimistic parks could be removed.
Agree, K Rd is the best cross-town cycle route south of Quay St. Even as it is it’s preferable to any of the mid-town routes.. and it’s almost flat.
But it would be so much better if there were segregated bike lanes.. And fewer cars squeezing through…
Plus most of the retailers look like the types of businesses that would benefit hugely from replacing cars with bikes. It could be interesting to see what they thought of the transformation of fortunes of cafés and other businesses relying on passing trade in the newly formed shared space streets down. Maybe someone (the WLB?) could arrange a presentation and start the conversation..? Include results from streets recently given cycle boulevards in NY and elsewhere?
Just wondering how AT (AC?) would respond if it were local businesses as well as PT / cyclist lobby groups pushin for change?
Supposedly the business association is quite keen. Totally agree it is the best potential for a cross town route. Links together lots of inner city suburbs, especially ones where getting a bus is annoying. For example going from Parnell to Grey Lynn a real pain in the neck by bus, ends up taking 40 mins! Cycling could do it in 20 if you were brave or had lanes.
bbc- yeah, we were pushing for a PT + cycle lane on Pons Rd.
AT said “not enough PT going along there, so you get no lane”. It’s institutional there it seems. Maybe Mike Lee needs to go down the halls with a broom/ semi auto?
I always find K’Rd to be a bit dead. It just seems like a car thoroughfare. The CRL would really breathe life into the area by bringing people there through mass transit.
While the street has been made decent for pedestrians, unfortunately this makes it difficult for cyclists, and also expensive to add even painted lanes. As this is a major bus corridor going down to one lane each way probably isnt an option. Car-parks can easily be removed, but would have to narrow the pedestrian bulb-outs in the photo above, which makes it a little expensive. Once the Western bus review is done should be able to massively simplify the bus stops as the number of routes would go from a ridiculous number, down to just 3 – GN Road to New Lynn, Westgate and the Inner Link. Should allow bus-stops to be reduced a little, and consolidated. Currently the Inner Link has its own stop, making it a real pain to get from Newmarket to Grey Lynn for example.
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K’Rd. A great traffic thoroughfare. Along with the rest of GNR, it should have 2 x traffic lanes, 2 x 24hr bus lanes and protected cycle lanes. I know, I’m dreaming, right?
Pippa Coom from the Waitemata Local board tried for quite some time to have cycle lane on GNR through the intersection with K’Rd. AT refused because their modeling showed that this would slow cars down by around 30s. This is the sort of transport agency in charge of Auckland. A massive motorway next door, and yet the 6 lane GNR can’t have any priority taken away from cars because they may be inconvenienced by a few seconds. What’s the point of constantly expanding that motorway if the local roads can’t then have some of their capacity turned over to alternative modes of transport.
Yes. We need to weed out the ‘car czars’ from AT and send them to …. well anywhere that wants them.
It’s also a good ridge road to cycle from Grafton area round to Ponsonby – well it would be if it wasn’t so unpleasant. Yet again it runs right next to motorways and yet once again no priority will ever be given over from cars. Look at Pitt Street, will we have to wait until after the CRL for that road to have any sort of complete street makeover? Even then I have my doubts, it’s not like AT have made any real structural changes around Britomart. In Britomart Place they couldn’t even bring themselves to install a zebra crossing, a pedestrian refuge was all they saw fit for the eastern entrance to the biggest transport interchange in Auckland (and the country?).
Yes! In fact pretty comfortable Remmers to Newmarket to Grafton too, so potentially a really valuable cycle route. One difference with K rd is that I suspect retailers would know very few of their customers arrive in cars, and there’s the under-used cross st car park, so I’d be optimistic parks could be removed.
Agree, K Rd is the best cross-town cycle route south of Quay St. Even as it is it’s preferable to any of the mid-town routes.. and it’s almost flat.
But it would be so much better if there were segregated bike lanes.. And fewer cars squeezing through…
Plus most of the retailers look like the types of businesses that would benefit hugely from replacing cars with bikes. It could be interesting to see what they thought of the transformation of fortunes of cafés and other businesses relying on passing trade in the newly formed shared space streets down. Maybe someone (the WLB?) could arrange a presentation and start the conversation..? Include results from streets recently given cycle boulevards in NY and elsewhere?
Just wondering how AT (AC?) would respond if it were local businesses as well as PT / cyclist lobby groups pushin for change?
Supposedly the business association is quite keen. Totally agree it is the best potential for a cross town route. Links together lots of inner city suburbs, especially ones where getting a bus is annoying. For example going from Parnell to Grey Lynn a real pain in the neck by bus, ends up taking 40 mins! Cycling could do it in 20 if you were brave or had lanes.
bbc- yeah, we were pushing for a PT + cycle lane on Pons Rd.
AT said “not enough PT going along there, so you get no lane”. It’s institutional there it seems. Maybe Mike Lee needs to go down the halls with a broom/ semi auto?
I always find K’Rd to be a bit dead. It just seems like a car thoroughfare. The CRL would really breathe life into the area by bringing people there through mass transit.
Why not do some research and start “outing” the various car czars in AT? In a professional way of course. Highlight the road planning teams etc…?
Close the Symonds St motorway onramp and K Road would be WAY quieter and could be narrowed.
While the street has been made decent for pedestrians, unfortunately this makes it difficult for cyclists, and also expensive to add even painted lanes.
As this is a major bus corridor going down to one lane each way probably isnt an option.
Car-parks can easily be removed, but would have to narrow the pedestrian bulb-outs in the photo above, which makes it a little expensive.
Once the Western bus review is done should be able to massively simplify the bus stops as the number of routes would go from a ridiculous number, down to just 3 – GN Road to New Lynn, Westgate and the Inner Link. Should allow bus-stops to be reduced a little, and consolidated.
Currently the Inner Link has its own stop, making it a real pain to get from Newmarket to Grey Lynn for example.