Mt Albert cycle lanes coming soon

Auckland City Council will begin creating cycle lanes along Mt Albert Road, from Wednesday, 7 November, weather permitting, to make it easier for people to walk and cycle in the area.

The cycle lanes will take eight weeks to complete and will run from the intersection of Woodward and Mt Albert roads to the intersection of Sandringham and Mt Albert roads.

The council came up with an innovative design option after public consultation to retain as much parking as possible along the route and accommodate the cycle lanes.

This design puts the cycle lane on the southern side of Mt Albert Road out between the parking spaces and the road, rather than against the kerb.

Some parking will be removed along the northern side of Mt Albert Road as the cycle lane will run along the kerb there, but 61 parks will remain.

Four new pedestrian islands will make it easier and safer for pedestrians to cross the busy road.

The cycle lanes will run for about 2.5km in each direction and will help reduce the number of cyclist crashes in the area.

There were 39 cyclist-related crashes in the Mt Albert area in the five years up to 2005, including 13 crashes along Mt Albert Road.

Project manager Marcus Pillay says, "our experience building cycle lanes in other areas of Auckland has shown that creating the cycle lanes make it a lot easier for cyclists to get around. More people will use the road to cycle to work or school once the cycle lanes are complete. We build them and the cyclists come.

"The Mt Albert cycle lanes are an important connection in the citywide cycle network that will enable more people to make sustainable, safe travel choices."