This route is part of Paneke Pōneke, Wellington’s bike network plan and provides 2.1km of bike and bus lanes and pedestrian improvements for safer, easier travel from Newtown to the city and Oriental Bay.
The route connects major regional destinations, including Wellington Regional Hospital, a large concentration of schools, Oriental Bay, Waitangi Park, Courtenay Place, the Basin Reserve, and Newtown shopping centre.
These street changes were made with adaptable materials so that the Council could take a transitional approach, allowing for a quick roll out of sections of the network over months rather than years. Transitional bike lanes are formed with minimal physical works and can be refined after installation. Street changes like these usually take between 3-6 years but the Newtown route has been completed under two years.
What changes were made?
- 24/7 bus lanes installed along parts of Riddiford Street and Adelaide Road
- Bus lane hours extended on Cambridge and Kent terraces from peak-time only to 7am-7pm
- Separated bike lanes installed on Riddiford Street and Adelaide Road, along with a two-way bike lane along Cambridge Terrace from the Basin Reserve to the waterfront. Two bus stops removed and one relocated to improve journey times.
The overall project budget for Newtown to city street changes was $4.65m. The overall spend to September is $4.55m, with the expected project completion cost being $4.6m ($10,000 under budget). Just over 41% of this cost has been funded by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, at $1.9m, with the remaining $2.69m funded by the Council.