East-west cycleway faces further delays as councillors grapple with routes
A long-awaited cycleway linking Nelson’s east and west faces another delay, with councillors seeking further safety assessments as they grapple with competing routes.
The East-West Cycle Link, originally due for completion in 2024, is unlikely to have a final route approved until early 2027, as the Nelson City Council undertakes further work on safety, design and costs.
The project aims to connect the Railway Reserve corridor in the west with the Maitai River in the east.
Photo: Braden Fastier / Nelson Mail
The council’s preferred route would take cyclists along Van Diemen and Trafalgar streets towards Nile St, following quieter roads and existing routes used by schoolchildren.
An alternative proposed by sustainable transport advocacy group Nelsust would use part of Rutherford, Ngātiawa and Hampden streets.
It would provide a flatter but slightly longer journey. However, at a workshop on Thursday, councillors heard how it would traverse busier roads and require some streets to become one-way to retain parking.
A final route was expected to be presented to councillors in September, but was delayed following requests to investigate Nelsust’s proposal further.
At the workshop, council staff reaffirmed their preferred route, which would remove an estimated 144 car parks, compared with 120 under Nelsust’s proposal.
Council capital projects manager Rebecca Dawkins said officers had met Nelsust several times and assessed its alternative.
The proposal would make the southern end of Rutherford St, at the intersection of Waimea Rd, as well as Ngātiawa and Hampden streets all one-way to retain parking.
In comparison, the council’s route would maintain two-way traffic at the expense of more car parks.
Councillor Trudi Brand questioned whether the same design principles had been applied to both proposals.
“I’m just trying to understand how you’ve taken the comparison from your preferred option, then use the same methodology and choose this preferred option for streets being one way.”
Dawkins said Nelsust had proposed one-way arrangements to retain parking, while officers had considered whether its route could operate without them.
“So we certainly did interrogate our design as officers,” Dawkins said.
“Nelsust’s route could be accomplished without one-waying the routes, but it would come at the cost of parking. It would come at the cost of trees. It would come at the cost of decreasing the footpath widths.”
Officers maintained their route provided stronger connections between schools, followed established student travel patterns and improved dangerous intersections for cyclists and pedestrians.
It would also avoid conflicts with Nelson College bus movements and provide connections towards the city centre and the Brook.
Hampden Street School did not support Nelsust’s alternative, while Nelson College’s existing bus routes were incompatible with its proposed traffic direction, staff said.
Other schools had not expressed a preference, instead supporting improvements to student safety.
However, councillors questioned whether the flatter route might appeal more to younger or less confident cyclists, despite being approximately 300 metres longer.
Ross McPhie, Stantec senior civil engineer and Nelson transport team lead, said cyclists might use only sections of the route, making connections and access points important.
Deputy mayor Pete Rainey questioned safety during school drop-off and pick-up periods, particularly outside Nelson College for Girls.
Dawkins acknowledged those periods were significantly busier but said the council’s route avoided commercial traffic along Rutherford Street.
“So whilst it’s busy outside Girls College for those pick up and drop off times through all other parts of the day, it’s basically a quiet street versus Rutherford Street with these commercial operations happening all the time.”
But Rainey said traffic outside the school was “bumper to bumper” during those periods.
“ I personally fail to see how this going to work at that time.”
The debate prompted calls for a comparative safety assessment of both routes, which officers confirmed could be undertaken.
Mayor Nick Smith expressed concern about directing cyclists along Rutherford St, which carried about 12,000 vehicles daily.
He warned of opposition to making residential streets one-way.
“Do not underestimate the level of backlash you’ll get from the community.”
Parking losses were another major concern, particularly around Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT) and Nile St businesses.
Of the 144 spaces potentially lost under the council’s route, 99 would be on Nile St, reducing parking from 192 spaces to 93.
Smith questioned whether nearby land could be secured for NMIT parking, noting students travelled from areas without public transport.
Officers said that had not been investigated. Although NMIT supported alternative transport, it wanted parking retained wherever possible.
Councillor Lisa Austin questioned whether the proposals could be delivered within the Long Term Plan budget.
Councillors initially discussed a $4.7 million budget before officers clarified that just under $5.6m was allocated across several years.
However, officers acknowledged that might not be enough to deliver the entire cycleway to the highest standard without compromises.
No route was approved, with officers expected to return with further information, including comparative safety assessments, before a final decision was made.
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