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Manurewa cycle and intersection improvements Manurewa cycle and intersection improvements

Cycle separator project, Weymouth Road and Great South Road

Auckland Transport (AT) aims to increase the uptake of active transport, including cycling. Cycle delineators have been shown to be effective in improving safety for cyclists. Improved safety will encourage more people to take up cycling and existing cyclists to cycle more.

Map showing proposed location of cycle separator on Weymouth Road and Great South Road

24 April update

The proposed cycling components of this package are now on hold until further notice. The safety projects will be going ahead as planned.

Projects going ahead:

  • Friedlander Road, Weymouth Road roundabout improvements
  • Coxhead Road, Weymouth Road intersection signalisation.

Projects on hold:

  • cycle separation: Weymouth Road between Mountfort Park and Russell Road, including bus stop upgrades along this section of Weymouth Road
  • cycle separation: Great South Road.

Background

Cycling infrastructure improvements will make it easier, healthier and more efficient for everyone to move around Tāmaki Makaurau – on wheels of any size. The lack of a safe, connected network is the biggest barrier for people choosing to cycle in Auckland. 

This project will quickly and efficiently upgrade existing painted cycle lanes with physical protection, making intersections safer and less imposing for cyclists. Improvements are proposed on Weymouth Road and Great South Road (between Browns Road and Weymouth Road).

Current painted cycle lanes do not provide any separation for cyclists. The changes will enhance the appeal of the existing facilities, encouraging new riders and making bike journeys safer and more enjoyable for all riders. 

In addition to the cycle separators, 7 intersections along these routes will be improved to cater to cyclists. Two more intersections will also be upgraded for safety outcomes:

  • Friedlander Road, Weymouth Road roundabout
  • Coxhead Road, Weymouth Road intersection

Proposal outcome

In September to October 2023, consultation for these projects was completed via the Climate Emergency Respond Fund. Although progress on the project stalled due the Minister of Transport cancelling this funding stream, AT has now identified funding to deliver the above projects. Further funding will be sought to deliver Browns Road in the future.

After reviewing community feedback, we are proceeding with the proposal with the following changes:

  • Weymouth Road will have rubber cycle separators instead of the proposed concrete.
  • Great South Road will include a painted buffer.

Please note that there is no loss of parking or lanes on Weymouth Road. The separators will be placed along existing painted cycleways. Four parking spaces will be removed on Wordsworth Road, and 5 parking spaces will be removed on Rondorlyn Place. This parking removal is needed to provide visibility at the new crossing points.

  • Friedlander Road, Weymouth Road roundabout – Change in design, implementing raised crossings on Weymouth Road and graded zebra crossings on Friedlander Road and Wordsworth Road.
  • Pedestrian crossing at 85 Weymouth Road – This project is cancelled.
  • Coxhead Road, Weymouth Road intersection – The intersection will be signalised but not raised.
  • Construction for Coxhead and Weymouth Roads will start before the end of June 2024.
  • Construction at the intersection of Friedlander and Weymouth Roads is likely to commence in the second half of 2024.

What happens next

We plan to construct these changes before the end of June 2024, with the Coxhead and Weymouth works carrying over into July 2024. The Weymouth and Friedlander works will start in the second half of 2024. Residents and businesses adjacent to these projects will be notified before the works commence. We will aim to keep disruption to a minimum during the construction phase.

Community feedback

Thank you for adding your voice to this proposal.  

Through the consultation process, we heard some questions and concerns from residents. We have summarised the comments and queries we received and responded to each below. Download the full Community Feedback Report. 

Have clearways instead of permanent cycle lanes, which are hardly used, except night and morning for school or work. 

The cycle lanes are existing, and the proposed project aims to provide physical separation alongside them. There is no intention to remove the existing cycle lanes. 

The concrete cycle barriers are dangerous to cyclists and motorists alike. Cyclists have been injured if they hit them. Cars have received serious damage if they’ve hit them. 

The concrete separators are positioned to allow space for both vehicles and cyclists to travel comfortably. For most of the route, there is a 0.3m buffer between the edge of the traffic lane and the concrete separators, to allow for some margin for error if vehicles drift out of their lane. The cycle lanes have a minimum width of 1.5m, allowing enough space for bikes to travel, including bikes with trailers. 

A number of visibility aids will be used to ensure that the separators are as visible as possible. These include reflective paint on both ends, vertical signage at the beginning of long runs of separators, retroreflective pavement markers (cat's-eyes) alongside the separators, and painted edge lines on along both sides of the separators. 

The concrete separators to be used are around 30mm lower than those used elsewhere and have a more chamfered front end. If a vehicle travelling at the speed limit were to drift out of its lane and hit a separator, the vehicle is likely to receive only a bump and manoeuvre over it. 

The traffic is already terrible there. There are already bike paths along Weymouth Road and plenty of space for the small number of bikes that actually travel that way. 

No traffic lanes are being removed on Weymouth Road, and capacity at intersections remains within acceptable levels. The existing bidirectional bike path on Weymouth Road ends alongside Mountfort Park, and the proposal extends separated cycle lanes from there. This greatly extends the total length of separated facilities, allowing users to reach a number of destinations while having some physical separation from general traffic. 

We would not be able to park out front of our homes anymore.

The cycle lanes on Weymouth Road are existing, so parking is not currently allowed within them. The proposal involves no parking removal on Weymouth Road. 

Not many people ride bikes around here.

Manurewa currently has relatively low volumes of cyclists compared to other parts of Auckland, although much of the feedback received during this consultation came from people who cycle in the area.

The purpose of this project is to upgrade existing painted cycle lanes and intersections to make the route safer and allow users to feel safer when riding. Feedback from Aucklanders who are interested in taking up cycling as a transport mode shows that that one of the biggest barriers is not feeling safe when they have to mix with traffic. Providing a level of physical separation helps alleviate that feeling, particularly for less confident riders such as schoolchildren. Post-construction, we will evaluate the impact these projects have had on cycle volumes on these roads.