New Auckland Transport parking proposals have caused an uproar while confidence remains more Aucklanders will ditch their cars for bikes and buses. Video / NZ Herald
Auckland Transport (AT) has spent nearly $10 million and awarded contracts to dozens of companies on a controversial and little-used cycleway in Grey Lynn, which is even being criticised as inefficient by bike advocates.
The cycleway caused a furore at the West Lynn shopping village when it was built in2017. Carparks were removed, bus stops relocated, cycle lanes became an obstacle course and business owners were outraged.
Since then, AT has brought in landscape architects Boffa Miskell and contractors to redesign, repair and extend the cycleway to Westmere.
A Herald investigation has found the cycleway on Richmond Rd and Surrey Cres, and a nearby greenway cycling path, have cost $9.9 million since 2013.
Most of the spending has gone on the cycleway, new designs and remedial works.
What's more, a Herald survey over four days in March found just a handful of cyclists - between four and eight - used the cycleway over an hour in the morning peak.
The controversial cycleway has caused all sorts of problems in the West Lynn shopping village. Photo / Michael Craig
The $9.9m has been spent with 50 different contractors and other parties, as well as an unspecified number of third party suppliers. AT said it would "commercially prejudice" the suppliers to say how many have been used.
A big chunk of money has gone to contractors and engineering firms, including $3.8m to Dempsey Wood to build the cycleway, $1.9m to Traffic System to build the greenway cycleway, $1m to engineering firm Beca and $760,000 to contractor John Fillmore for repairs this year in West Lynn village.
Other contractors include media, recruitment and advertising companies. Retail experts First Retail Group and Marketview were hired for risk management consultation and to understand consumer spending in West Lynn at a cost of $71,420 and $6500 respectively.
AT plans to spend a further $19m on improvements and extending the cycleway to Westmere, including ripping up a 500m section of the existing cycleway running through a grass berm for a new on-road section separated from traffic.
Work on the $19m project and a new $35m cycleway between Westmere and Pt Chevalier was meant to start about now, but is now not expected to start until the third quarter of this year.
AT infrastructure project delivery boss David Nelson was not surprised at the number of contracts awarded for the two projects, which started in 2013 with the greenways cycleway through Cox's Bay Park and Grey Lynn Park.
"Delivering infrastructure of any type in built-up areas is both complex and complicated. There are many things to consider and address," Nelson said.
The costly and long-running issues with the Grey Lynn cycleway come as AT tries to find faster and cheaper ways to expand the city's cycling network, with its finances in a perilous state.
Bike Auckland chairman Tony Mitchell. Photo / Jason Oxenham
A draft cycling business case by AT said the cost of building safe cycleways has increased greatly since 2015, from about $4m per km to between $8m and $11m. Opposition to a draft parking policy to remove carparks for cycleways is another obstacle.
Bike Auckland chairman Tony Mitchell said there is too much time and too much money being spent on building gold-standard cycleways when safe infrastructure to get people moving can be built more quickly.
He said the cost per km is far too high compared to other regions and suggested new technology, such as smaller concrete barriers or bolted-in rubber barriers.
"We would hope that for any future infrastructure implementations that the speed and efficiency is greatly improved," said Mitchell, who says that AT has good policies but something is wrong when it comes to implementation.
Freida Margolis wine bar owner Mike Howie. Photo / Michael Craig
At West Lynn village, Mike Howie, owner of Freida Margolis wine bar, is at his wits' end.
After putting up with the disruption and aftermath of the 2017 works, Howie said AT had stuffed up again with remedial works outside his business in the past few months.
He said a new retaining wall built to improve wheelchair access to a pedestrian crossing has left a 900mm gap between the wall and a plastic wind sheet for his outdoor dining area.
"I'm now [legally] not in the right position for outdoor dining which is a third of my business... I need to be able to put that sheet down," said Howie, who is meeting AT staff today to resolve the issue, armed with a 2014 council letter approving outdoor dining.
Howie said it was "crazy" spending almost $10m on the two cycleways and awarding dozens of contracts.
"The contractors must be smiling... it's just a joke," he said.
