Cycleways cost $518 per Wellington household
Saturday, 24 August 2024
Wellington City Council has ploughed almost $42 million — or $518 per household — into cycleways in the last two years.
The lanes are part of an ambitious plan to increase the number of people biking, cited as a way to reduce pollution, ease traffic congestion and make it safer to get around the city.
But with household budgets stretched and rates bills climbing as the city grapples with failing infrastructure and an economic downturn, the investment has become polarised, pitting motorists against cyclists.
A new 10-year budget, the long-term plan, saw funding cut by $66m – leaving $111m to deliver 115km of a planned 166km network across the capital.
New figures, released under freedom of information laws, reveal the council has spent $41,974,478 since October 2022.
That works out at $518.18 for each of the city’s more than 81,000 households.In the first year $15.4m was spent, rising to $26.6m in the following June-July period.
A breakdown of the costs shows $6.5m was spent on internal labour and personnel, $32.6m on contracts, services and materials. Another $2.6m went towards professional costs and “general expenses”.
Over the same period, the council says it estimates there were more than seven million trips.
It used sensors, placed at a number of locations around the city, which counted 7,353,392 cycle journeys in total between July 2022 and July 2024.
The council did not clarify whether a journey which passed multiple cameras would count as several trips.
It also noted that the sensors have had technical problems, including battery failure, and disruption from construction and new infrastructure re-directing cycle traffic.
The council said it could not answer five questions on the expenditure, posed by The Post on Thursday, until next week.
Alex Dyer, co-chair of Cycle Wellington, said he was “very glad” to see greater spending on cycling infrastructure.
“I do emphasise with ratepayers, however, and wish there was much greater investment at the national level.”
Late last year, minister Simeon Brown told the transport agency Waka Kotahi to halt work on cycling and walking initiatives.
“The Netherlands spends the equivalent of around $65 per citizen every year on cycling infrastructure over the last few decades,” Dyer said.
“I just don't think you can understate how much benefit people moving about in active ways has for us. We have sleep-walked into a built environment which encourages driving.
“So, it's really understandable that people have a mis-appreciation of what success looks like. When we actually tally up how much harm, and harm to others that too much driving does, those costs really pale in comparison to how much we're spending on infrastructure.”
City councillor Diane Calvert said figures supplied to her by council officials in May showed spending over the next 10 years would top well over $200m.
She wants the council to listen to opposition from local residents in order to make savings.
“The council is proceeding with cycleways and the spend without a significant mandate of the people it serves. This is evidenced through the amount of opposition to the work expressed by local communities,” she said.
“For instance, only 21 people from Wadestown submitted out of 1140 responses on council’s city bike network plan in 2022 which was ultimately approved. This year 633 responses were received on proposed cycleways through Wadestown with an overwhelmingly majority opposing them.”
She said some political parties, cycling advocacy groups and the council’s “own bureaucratic leanings” have had too much influence on planning.
“They know how to manipulate the system. Essentially ratepayers’ money is being used as their personal ATM because of the political make-up and lack of community connection of this council.”