Designer bike rack costs out of the park: councillor

Thursday, 5 September 2024

Diane Calvert despairs at the no-expense-spared bike park.

Wellington ratepayers have shelled out out more than $550,000 on the upgrade of a 32m laneway to accommodate a new designer bike rack and two extra motorbike parks.

Work to install the two-tier bike rack in Shell Lane, off The Terrace, was carried out earlier this year as part of a council project to “make the area safer for everyone”.

Other work included widening the kerb, installing two new street lights at either end of the lane, installing extra security cameras and a new rubbish bin and adding two motorbike parks.

The total cost of the upgrade came to $562,942 with the cycle rack sucking up $136,000 of that – eclipsing the $85,000 spent on a similar bike rack alongside Freyberg Pool in Oriental Bay by $51,000.

Councillor Diane Calvert blasted the spend as an “unbelievable waste”.

“And especially when there is an empty bike rack 50m up the road outside council. This highlights yet again a troubling pattern of council spending decisions made without adequate oversight or insight into the real needs and concerns of our community.”

Island Bay businesses speak out about the ongoing upgrade of the village centre. Locals are furious at the disruption as are businesses with one owner pleading for people to keep visiting.

An itemised list of the cost of the work done on the lane, which a Google search shows is just 32m long, reveals $85,000 was spent on the manufacture of the Dutch double-decker shelter while the racks themselves cost $26,000. Installation added another $25,000 to the bill.

The bike shed was made by Rongotai’s Tilley Group. At capacity it holds 24 bikes.

Its design, according to a council information sheet about the project, was being constantly tweaked and improved in response to feedback. “This one, for instance, will have slightly more space between and above the bike bays to make it easier to park larger and wider bikes. It will also have internal lighting and two CCTV cameras.”

Cyclist Richard Martin and the Oriental Bay bike rack

The project was about enabling “more people to get around safely in zero or low carbon ways so we can support growing neighbourhoods, reduce emissions, and keep traffic flowing for freight and people who need to drive”.

Increasing bike parks in the inner city reduced the number of bikes locked to poles and other street furniture which obstructed the footpath for pedestrians, the council said.

In an email to Calvert, a council official explained extending the footpaths at the entrance to the street on both sides reduced the distance people walking up or down The Terrace had to cross.

However Calvert wasn’t convinced, saying photographs of Shell Lane before the makeover showed there was already a safe pedestrian footpath on both sides of the road, so “essentially all the work done was for the bike parking”.

The same official told Calvert the council had experienced a number of challenges over the period of the project. It had introduced some process measures to address them and was undertaking a review of the construction issues.

Asked to clarify what that meant, and whether or not the $2240 bill for a new rubbish bin was to replace one moved during the upgrade, a council spokesperson said the project took longer than initially anticipated because the council had to lay new cabling, work around existing underground services, and wait for the electricity company to provide a supply point.

The existing rubbish bin was in good condition and was re-used.

“I have people in despair emailing me worried about how they can pay a 20% rates increase,” Calvert said.

“I challenge the mayor, other councillors and iwi representatives who voted for this to look them in the eye and say it’s a good spend [of] their money. No wonder the council has lost the public’s trust and confidence.”