Scrapping of Auckland Harbour cycle bridge no surprise

Urban designer Emma McInnes reckons the Government has bowed to pressure from “irrational, uninformed cycle-hating talkback hosts” in it’s decision to can Auckland’s $785 million cycling and walking bridge.

But McInnes, who supported the proposal when it was announced just a few months ago, says no one's surprised by the Government back down.

“People saw it coming,” McInnes told Landscape Architecture Aotearoa. “I didn’t think Minister (Michael) Wood would be able to hold the course. There wasn’t a lot of vocal support for it and I thought they’d get quite nervous and end up just listening to talkback hosts, who have no idea what they’re talking about but who are influencing all the angry people in Auckland.”

A concept image of the now scrapped cycle bridge sitting alongside the harbour bridge.

Opponents of the bridge proposal, including many cycling enthusiasts, believed the expense of a separate structure was unwarranted. Announcing the decision to scrap it Transport Minister Michael Wood said “it did not get the public support needed for a project of its scale, and we acknowledge that.

“Work will continue on a public transport-led additional harbour crossing.”

McInnes believes the Government pitch around the pedestrian bridge was all wrong. “By framing it as a cycle bridge it’s become very divisive and made it about the cycling community.

“We know that the community very much wants a walking route over the harbour, and this bridge would have been used more by walkers, and people with scooters and skateboards than by just cyclists.”

Demonstrators at Point Erin Park alongside the Auckland Harbour Bridge. They were calling for a bridge lane to be reallocated as a cycle lane. Within hours the Government announced a seperate cycle/pedestrian bridge would be built. Image credit - Bike Auckland.

Wood says the money allocated for the bridge would instead be used on other projects such as bringing forward the $1.4 billion Eastern Busway project. But McInnes said the money should be used for other cycling and pedestrian projects instead. “Cancelling this bridge without spending money on cycling elsewhere is really devastating.”

Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency will now look at lower cost options for getting pedestrains and cyclists across the harbour, including the possibility of dedicated bike ferries or buses in the short term.

“That’s not planning for a network which encourages more people to cycle,” McInnes says. “We won’t be able to keep up with the capacity of those wanting to cycle. And again, it’s like we’re missing the opportunity for people to be able to walk over their harbour. So many other cities around the world didn’t make this mistake and have wonderful access.

“We’re just ignoring again and again climate change. We need to decarbonise our transport system and we need to be putting in infrastructure that’s going to generate a lot less carbon.”

Skypath observation deck. The proposal was to attach a lightweight structure underneath the southbound clip-on of the Auckland Harbour Bridge. Work on the proposal was well underway before being dropped in favour of the seperate pedestrian/cycle bridge. Image supplied by SkyPath Trust.

Meanwhile transport planner and former SkyPath Trust project director Bevan Woodward says now is the time to deliver the original SkyPath. Woodward says “Over the past 10 years NZTA has been closely involved in SkyPath’s design, testing and resource consenting. NZTA has invested over $5 million of taxpayer funds to get the SkyPath design finalised and approved. SkyPath’s lightweight structure was costed at $68 million, this included NZTA’s costing of $15 milllion for localised strengthening works on the Auckland Harbour Bridge.

“The cost of delivering SkyPath is less than NZTA’s estimate for setting up and running a ferry services for pedestrians and cyclists.

“We now welcome the opportunity to work with NZTA to deliver on the most critical link in Auckland’s walking and cycling network”

Minister Wood says he’s told Waka Kotahi to go ahead with a summer trial allocating a lane on the existing Harbour Bridge for walking and cycling “if it’s safe.” However he’s already decided that won’t be a permanent solution.