Cycling supporters say Wellington's main cycleways aren't as well linked up as they should be. Photo: RNZ / Jake McKee
A city councillor has labelled the bike lobby "greedy" as a proposal to link up Wellington's popular cycleway network along the waterfront quays threatens to divide the capital's transport factions further.
Lobby group Cycle Wellington said new bike lanes from Newtown and Oriental Parade were funnelling hundreds of riders into the shared pathways along the city's waterfront.
Spokesperson Patrick Morgan said the group recently counted nearly 300 cyclists along Oriental Parade in a single hour of early morning traffic.
He said a two-way path running on the harbour-side edge of Jervois and Customhouse Quays would bridge a gap through the central city, taking the pressure off shared routes.
"The city is building a network and, if you have a missing link in the network in your central city, you're really not getting bang for buck," Morgan said.
"The waterfront is busy, with people on foot, people hanging out and it's not really a place for people to be cycling fast. [We] need a good connection to go from Courtenay Place through to the northern part of the city and Thorndon. So that's why 'Quays Please' is the fix."
The group's proposal said the cycleway should be in place to coincide with bus routes being shifted during the construction of the Golden Mile revitalisation, from October 2023.
But city councillor Nicola Young said too much had been done to appease cyclists who were still a minority among commuters.
"They want everything and they want it now, it's greed," Young said,
"They're a very well-organised lobbying group and they can't see anything past cycles.
"Why press on with this stuff when there's such a huge question mark over it? I think it's actually irresponsible. They're just trying to get as much of it done as they can to make it harder to unpick."
She said she wanted new projects and contracts related to Let's Get Wellington Moving to be put on hold until after the election.
Wellington Central National Party candidate Scott Sheeran said the city needed to step back from poorly consulted cycleways which were sowing division one project at a time.
"Let's Get Wellington Moving has sucked up a lot of oxygen in the debate in this city. But we actually need a strategy for the city which is more than just transport," Sheeran said.
"We need to talk about the vibrancy, about the investment, about infrastructure, about housing. But we're not, because everyone's talking about Let's Get Wellington Moving, which is not moving and that's a real shame."
Councillor Iona Pannett said the city council would continue to have a strong focus on walking, cycling and public transport regardless of who was in charge in the Beehive.
"Cycle Wellington is asking for money council has already allocated to put into this project," Pannett said.
"We do get some money from government, so I guess we would have to have further discussions about it. But if they believe this is a really key route then we do need to listen to the cycling community."
Fellow councillor Tony Randle was frustrated that Cycle Wellington seemed to be more organised than local authorities in nailing down a plan for the area.
"Our plan into the city is very disconnected. We've got large parts done by the city council, other bits by Let's Get Wellington Moving and people are getting confused as to what's going to happen next," Randle said.
"And still we have no bus plan."
Meanwhile, the council's planning department told RNZ it was likely that any decision on Cycle Wellington's proposal would be parked until later next year.
