‘High-conflict areas’: Napier cyclists want improvements to most dangerous city

Napier is the most dangerous city for cyclists in the country, according to Waka Kotahi data from the past five years. Napier City Council admits there are “gaps” in the safety of the
city’s cycling network when it reaches urban areas.

Filling these gaps will take a lot of time and money and cyclists have little protection in the meantime. James Pocock reports.

A Napier cyclist claims council is “downgrading” deadly roads for cyclists and skimping on safety improvements even after they were informed of the high risk to cyclists in the city.

The Kennedy Rd intersection with Georges Dr used to have solid green cycle lanes and Advanced Stop Boxes (ASBs) before the road was resealed and the cycle lane was repainted periodically with only a green outline and symbols.

A council spokeswoman said it wants to transition from painted cycle lanes on key routes towards more physically segregated facilities, which are safer and encourage higher use.

Neill Gordon said council staff told him through email that motorists were familiar with the cycle lanes and extra paint was unnecessary relative to the cost.

He disagreed, referring to the change as “downgrading” and noted a cyclist was killed in Georges Dr between Kennedy Rd and Thistle St in 2017.

A Napier City Council spokeswoman confirmed there had been a change in the way cycle lanes were painted, from solid green to green dashes and white lines with white symbols at intervals, but she said solid painting was still used in “high-conflict areas”.

“Drivers tend to notice the higher contrast provided by the solid white lines and actual cyclists who are in the lane, as they are more within the driver’s view space,” she said.

Gordon said the council had even more reason to be attentive to cyclists’ safety with Napier’s placement on Waka Kotahi’s Communities at Risk Register, but it had not informed the public or taken any other immediate action.

In particular, the council has long considered improvements to the Marewa Shopping Centre due to frequent crashes, but Gordon said he was unsure how cyclists would be kept safe while that and other improvements were planned.

“The council has no money in their budget for that redesign. This is a high-priority, high-crash area. They have not put any dollars towards it and it can’t happen unless the council make that budget allocation,” he said.

“In the meantime, in this high-priority, high-crash area, the cycle lanes have been completely neglected.”

The council has promised two major cycle projects on the horizon — Transport Choices, which includes works in Tennyson St, Lee Rd and Kennedy Rd, and a Carlyle St project making it safer for cyclists to access the CBD.

The projects represent $2.7 million and $608,580 of investment respectively, but they are almost entirely funded by Waka Kotahi, with the council covering 10 per cent of the second figure.

Robin Malley, team leader of transportation, said the council is spending $100,000 on network improvements as part of the draft annual plan 2023-24 and admitted it was a small contribution.

“Yes, the council contribution to its walking and cycling programme for 2023-24 is small, as it is taking advantage of centrally funded initiatives,” Malley said.

“Please note during this time period council will be working on a number of Local Area Traffic Management schemes, which will create a safer environment for walking and cycling.”

He said a key factor in the success of the changes will be the willingness of road users to adapt to them.

“Looking out for others is such a big part of being a responsible road user.”

Laura Jackson, Gordon’s wife, said she had been knocked off her bike three times and had five near-misses in the 20 years she has been biking past the Marewa shopping centre on her way to work as a teacher.

“When I’ve been knocked off it’s been by mums distracted by kids in the car and not watching the road. Thankfully, my injuries were limited to minor bruising each time,” Jackson said.

She said she still values the benefits of biking to work and back, despite the risks.

“I cycle because it’s healthier for me and the planet,” she said.

The council spokeswoman did not specify which locations in the city were of most concern to the council, but she said gaps in the network have been identified and they will be addressed over the next long-term plan (LTP) period.

Improvements for cyclists around the Marewa shopping centre could be included in the LTP and Regional Land Transport Plan.

She said the council would look at providing more off-road facilities or separated cycle lanes to remove the potential for conflict between cyclists and motor vehicles.

For cyclists like Jackson and Gordon, it means they have no choice but to brave the roads for now if they want to navigate within much of the city on a bike.