Summarised by Centrist
Journalist Luke Pierson likens Wellington’s cycleway saga to the Emperor’s new clothes – council parading an empty network, convinced it’s a brilliant idea. Yet, the rest of us can plainly see there are no cyclists.
Only 30% of Wellingtonians support the project, while 60% want it reduced or stopped entirely.
“Our streets have become littered with a mishmash of painted strips, cones and poles… incoherent road markings,” he writes.
Aside from the environmental mismatch—Wellington being a city of steep hills, strong winds, and frequent rain—Pierson points out the $8m lost in parking revenue and its contribution to increased rates.
He claims the cycleways disproportionately benefit “tertiary educated, able-bodied, professional knowledge workers” while excluding parents, elderly, disabled people, service workers, and practically everybody else.
Pierson suggests the council’s actions favour a “privileged few”
He writes: “I’ve run some numbers, and I reckon they represent well under 5% of the city’s population – before anybody asks whether they even want to cycle in the first place.”
He concludes by warning that, if the council continues its “diabolical” $111m cycleway project, it will make Wellington less liveable for the majority, “and force the rest of us to pay for it, at a time we can least afford to.”
