Cyclists fuming over Wellington City Council's Shelly Bay Rd pathway plan

Shelly Bay. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Cyclists are fuming over the Wellington City Council's choice to ignore a working group on improvements to the Shelly Bay Rd, saying it's "punching a hole" in initiatives to get Wellington away from cars.

A new multimillion-dollar housing development along the road is expected to almost triple traffic but - with the road being small, winding and surrounded by hills on one side and ocean on the other - people who use it for cycling and walking are wondering how their needs will be met.

Patrick Morgan from Cycle Wellington told NZME the road is a "jewel in Wellington's crown" and the council's current position of doing the bare minimum to keep it accessible for all is unacceptable.

"We're looking for upgrades, widening the path - the plan is one to one-and-a-half metre shared path and that's not acceptable. Paint is not protection and people on bikes and foot need to be protected."

"The city council has to decide how to protect people on bikes and foot while a decade of construction traffic goes on."

He says it makes little sense to "punch a hole" in Wellington's cycling network by not including cycling paths on the road and hopes the council will make further improvements.

Wellington's deputy mayor Sarah Free said widening the road for cyclists and walkers would be a challenge as it is "far from stable".

"The consented design included two traffic lanes three metres wide and that leaves one to one-and-a-half metres for a shared pathway for cyclists and walkers so at the moment it's certainly less than ideal.

"We've looked at lots of options but we've fixed ones where we can use the road as it is, or with minor adjustments."

Free told NZME she knows the council needs to do better – but there are budget constraints which mean the scope of action is limited.

"We're looking at other options because at the end of the day it's a balancing act between spending on this or, looking at what's needed elsewhere. We are charged as councillors as doing our best with the whole city.

"Personally, I'm very attached to this area, and I think we need to do better than what's on the table."