Video: E-bikes could use Auckland Harbour Bridge cycleway

A preferred option for an Auckland Harbour Bridge 24-hour shared path which includes cyclists has been released by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA).

Electric micro-mobility modes such as electric bikes, electric scooters and electric skateboards are expected to be allowed to use the pathway which could see construction start as early as next year.

The five-metre wide path linking Westhaven and Northcote Point on the southbound traffic side will be attached to the bridge piers rather than the clip on.

That means no load restrictions and no limit on the number of people able to access the path at one time, the NZTA says.

It’s also designed to cater for future demands.

The path will be safer than other alternatives, because there is greater room for different active modes to share the space, as well as the ability for people to access and exit the path from the existing bridge in an emergency, the NZTA says.

The agency adds the pathway will transform walking and cycling not only across the harbour, but throughout the city and will connect with the future SeaPath route – a proposed 4km shared walking/cycling link between Northcote Point and Esmonde Road, Takapuna, on Auckland’s North Shore.

“We know Aucklanders want to cross the harbour on foot and by bike as quickly as possible and the transport agency has been working hard to develop a design that meets the future demands of all bridge users, is affordable and preserves the structural integrity of the Auckland Harbour Bridge,” NZTA system design and delivery general manager Brett Gliddon says.

“We’re confident this will deliver the safest, most enduring solution not only for people now but also for future generations, and that it will become much more than just a transport connection.”

The NZTA acknowledges the work of campaigners for a bridge walking and cycling connection, particularly the SkyPath Trust.

The path will include wide viewing galleries without impeding pedestrian and cycle travel, and clear day and night modes.

Funding is already included in the National Land Transport Plan for a walking and cycling connection over the bridge.

Meanwhile, an independent investigation by legal firm Simpson Grierson on aspects of the agency’s dealings with the SkyPath Trust has found no wrongdoing by NZTA staff and that it acted in good faith.

The report did not address the issue of intellectual property, which has been raised by Bevan Woodward of the SkyPath Trust, because a separate legal opinion has determined this has not been breached, the agency says. However, the report did say there could have been better communication between the two organisations. The NZTA has written to the SkyPath Trust to acknowledge that the agency could have communicated sooner that it was looking at alternative options.

“The transport agency is committed to improving our relationship with the SkyPath Trust and to help facilitate that we are asking Bevan Woodward from SkyPath Trust if he would like to take part in conflict resolution with an independent person agreed by both parties,” NZTA interim chief executive Mark Ratcliffe says.

Visit www.nzta.govt.nz/AHBpath for more information.