The Grafton Gully cycleway just got a bit more useful today with the NZTA opening the new bridge connection to Whittaker Place
The final section of Auckland’s Grafton Gully cycleway, the link connecting the cycleway with the two Universities between Grafton Gully and Symonds Street near Whittaker Place, will be opened tomorrow (24 December).
“We’re extremely pleased to have been able to deliver this link before Christmas,” says Mieszko Iwaskow, the NZ Transport Agency’s Auckland and Northland Transport Planning Manager.
“We want to develop a great cycling city, with other projects such as the Westhaven Promenade and the Northcote Cycle Route, we’re investing in projects that will integrate cycling with other modes of transport across Auckland.”
The Whitaker Place link is a 40metre S-shaped bridge, connecting the two universities to Symonds Street. It diverges from the Grafton Gully cycleway, connecting Upper Queen Street and the Beach Road cycleway, which was officially opened by the Prime Minister in early September.
Here’s a photo of it from our friends at Cycle Action Auckland
Now we need one on the other side of Wellesley St to connect to the proposed path we learned about a few days ago.
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Great to see. An access at Symonds Street (south end) would be cool as well, though I heard the heritage people were all worried about a cycleway going through a cemetery.
Wasn’t heritage. It was one person in particular.
What person? The heritage thing got noted in the papers, but you’re just saying this and aren’t even explaining who?
The irony is that it is lack of people in the cemetery that has led to it’s current state. More non-angry people passing through would have reduced the incidence of vandalism.
Protect the cemetery by building access for people on foot and bikes!
I though the cemetary thing was a good idea. Tasteful, non invasive paths for walking on linking through the space. Open it up, let people enjoy it rather than fear it as a den for weirdos and sulking goths. You couldn’t cycle through there anyway, to steep and constrained, and I believe they were proposing gravel paths anyway?
I liked the wildflower meadow, that was nice.
Yeah like that motorway shoved up its arse 50 years ago didn’t do all the damage?
I believe that NZTA could put a cycle link up to west side of Symonds St between Upper Queen St bridge and Symond St motorway overbridge without impinging on the “cemetery” anymore than what they did in the 60s when the motorway went through.
The actual motorway clearance zone was well wider than the bridges so the land near to Symonds St bridge is probably empty of graves, alternatively they could run under the Symonds St bridge then double back beside the motorway on-ramp.
But isn’t the plans to turn this into a shared path going to risk clogging this up with walkers,
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11370969
Where are people going to walk to, except the bit by the university where you can already walk?
Wouldn’t you just walk down Symonds St and avoid the detour?
Looks like a good project. So well done all involved. Government funding in a positive direction good stuff NZTA something we can use in 100 years and good for the environment, and good transport option one less thing to fix up good work. Now about the rest of the programme?
Whitaker Place is very steep, so it will be interesting to see who uses this. It may stop the Wellesley East connection – which would actually connect the cycleway to two universities via a less challenging incline.
Its a pity, the Grafton Gully Cycleway has been so empty since day two, I can watch it almost every week day, counting the occasional bicycle each hour is not difficult since there are so few.
Where are the regular cycle commuter numbers quoted ( per day ) for this build’s justification or were those figures just another bicycle myth.
To quote Stephen F above… ” something we can use in 100 years “.