Presentation to Wellington City Council on Pop-up Cycleway and Removal of Angle Parking
Kevin Isherwood, Committee, Oriental Bay Residents Association
Thank you for inviting the Oriental Bay Residents Association to present today.
We are here to represent the interests of the the wider Wellington region and the rights of all Wellingtonians to have access to the Oriental Bay beach and promenade.
While Oriental Bay has for now, been moved off the agenda as a location for a cycle lane, we have no doubt that there will be a very strong push to have it reinstated.
Oriental Bay is a safe and friendly meeting place, a destination, which is currently in easy reach for everyone – families, the disabled, elderly, cyclists, runners and walkers. Removing the angle car parks will reduce drastically the ability for the vast majority of Wellingtonians to use what everyone rightly claims as their city beach.
We ask, how do you weigh the rights of the wider Wellington public to drive to their beach against those of a narrow group of cyclists who use it for the most part as a transitory route to get from A to B? The interests of cyclists are already very well served by the existing cycle lane from Herd Street to the Freyberg Pool. If the speed limit on Oriental Parade is reduced to 30km/h, cyclists could continue safely along the short stretch of the road to the new cycleway that starts at Carlton Gore Road. Children could continue to cycle along the footpath under the supervision of their parents.
Moreover, the consequences of removing the angle parking would be disastrous for local businesses. These businesses rely on custom from the wider Wellington region. We surveyed and interviewed 10 of them: Shine Hairdressers and the bars cafés and restaurant Coene’s, Bernie’s, Gelissimo, Lola Stays, Corello del Gelato, Kaffee Eis, Beach Babylon, Pomelo, and Patel’s Dairy. Eighty percent of their income is derived from people outside of the Bay area.
These businesses have suffered enough during the current health crisis. Just as they see the possibility of getting back on their feet, to then face the loss of 80% of their income would spell disaster for them all. “Suicidal” was how Mr Patel put it. Charlotte from Beach Babylon asked “How could they possibly do this to us?”
The last thing Wellington needs is to be pulled apart over a cycle lane. We need to come together and act in the interests and the rights of Wellingtonians
Thank you.