KEY POINTS:
Narrowing vehicle lanes on the Auckland Harbour Bridge to make room for cycling and walking lanes is being looked at by roading agencies.
The idea comes from Cycle Action Auckland, which believes it would create a recreation and tourist attraction.
Transit NZ says it will sound out its planning partners for Waitemata Harbour crossings - North Shore and Auckland cities, and the Auckland Regional Council and its transport arm.
A previous proposal was to provide cycling and walking opportunities by adding clip-ons to the bridge's present two sets of clip-on lanes.
This would take an estimated $40 million from regional roading funds.
Cycle Action chairman Bevan Woodward said that was a "gold plated" proposal, and the desired space for cycling and walking could be created for $3 million to $4 million within the bridge's existing surface.
He said a lane 2.3m wide could be provided initially if Transit was prepared to reduce its clip-on lanes to 3.1m wide instead of the present 3.5m.
This should not be of concern because lanes in the central part of the motorway system were 3.1m wide.
Mr Woodward said the job could be done as part of Transit's plan to strengthen clip-on lanes for $45 million over 2 1/2 years against fatigue caused by heavy trucks.
Transit regional manager Peter Spies said the idea to use existing space by narrowing clip-on lanes must have appropriate connections to the road network on either side of the bridge.
Walking and cycling options were being looked at as part of any additional harbour crossing, and Cycle Action's plan could be considered a lower standard, intermediate solution.
Mr Spies said the effects of lane narrowing had to be checked against the needs of buses which used the outside clip-on lanes. "There would be restrictions like we have for motorcyclists when wind reaches certain levels."
Mr Woodward said a walkway/cycle lane could have an outer barrier of a basic mesh fence. The barrier between users and vehicle lanes could be a perspex wall which would deflect wind, loose objects and noise without blocking motorists' views of the harbour.
Committees of the North Shore City Council and ARC want Transit to investigate doing the link during the clip-on upgrade, and Auckland City's transport committee advocates a walkway and cycleway across the harbour bridge.
Te Araroa Trust supports the plan.
In December, an online survey of 300 Aucklanders by advertising agency Y&R found 76 per cent support for the links.
