Jonathan Coleman is being mocked on Twitter for complaining about a traffic jam caused by works for a new cycleway in his street. File photo
Jonathan Coleman is being mocked on Twitter for complaining about a traffic jam caused by works for a new cycleway in his street. File photo
Northcote MP Jonathan Coleman is being mocked on Twitter after he tweeted a complaint this morning about cars being held up by work on a new cycle path in his street.
Coleman, who has criticised the cycle path as "over-engineered", posted a photo of stationary traffic at 9.08am with the comment: "Another morning of long queues out of Queen St, Northcote. Continuous roadworks here for over 2 years now."
9.08am: Another morning of long queues out of Queen St Northcote. Continuous road works here for over 2 years now pic.twitter.com/0kwBOcgf4h
Twitter users responded quickly. Radio NZ journalist Tim Watkin tweeted: "You should have a word with the local MP."
Someone with the Twitter handle @Amzatron tweeted: "Lololol! there is so much irony in a National Party minister complaining about roadworks. Maybe take it up with your boss @BillEnglishMP."
Ben Fraser wrote: "Won't it be great if the local MP was doing something about it? Maybe it's a 'road of national insignificance'?"
Others blamed Coleman for adding to the traffic jam by driving rather than taking public transport.
Warren Dixon commented: "Love it! Self-inflicted gridlock steering you in the face every morning. While you sit in gridlock, contemplate 9 years of mismanagement."
Love it! Self-inflicted grid-lock steering you in the face every morning. While you sit in gridlock, contemplate 9 years of mismanagement
Andrew Harris said: "Take a deep breath and enjoy the long wait like everyone else because of your decisions not to invest in good efficient public transport."
Several also took a dig at Coleman's opposition to the proposed Skypath pedestrian and cycle path under the Harbour Bridge.
Torken Faddy tweeted: "Wouldn't it be just dandy if people could cycle over the bridge eh? By the way the problem isn't the roadworks but the string of mostly single-occupant cars ahead of you."
An Auckland Transport spokesman said the roadworks were part of a $16.3 million 5.2km cycle path being taken off the roads from the Northcote ferry terminal along Queen St, Lake Rd and Northcote Rd to Smales Farm.
"We are building a cycleway because of Skypath," he said.
"We started work in lower Queen St [near the ferry terminal] in April and that was completed in July, and work started in upper Queen St [near Onewa Rd] in May and will be completed this December, not two years."
The cycle path to Smales Farm is due to be completed by the middle of next year.
Coleman, who lives in Queen St, Northcote, said there had been other roadworks in the street before the latest work.
"The place has been dug up continuously for two years," he said.
He repeated his view that the cycle path was "over-engineered".
"It should be shared walking and cycling down the side of the road," he said.
The Skypath would be slung underneath the Auckland Harbour Bridge. File drawing
He said he did not oppose Skypath if it connected to a 3km "Seapath" planned by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) mainly along the inland side of the motorway from the Skypath exit at Northcote Pt to Esmonde Rd and Akoranga Drive in Takapuna.
"My position on Skypath is that as long as it links to Seapath, and the sole point of egress is not Northcote streets, I'm supportive," he said.
"The main point of exit needs to be down by the old toll gates [near the Stafford Rd motorway exit] and linking to Seapath."
He said decisions on Skypath and Seapath were up to NZTA, which would need to consider the effect of up to 8000 cyclists a day on the "clip-on" outer lanes, which were added to the Harbour Bridge in 1969.
"The Harbour Bridge can support a structure, but there is a tradeoff in terms of the longevity of the clip-ons," he said.
"So it's in their [NZTA's] hands independent of the Government. It's also a function of the volume of people that you put through and the volume of traffic."
