Dear Editor
I live in Greenlane and watched as the Auckland Council took perfectly usable footpaths and turned them into cycle lanes. These footpaths were used daily by walkers walking to and from Cornwall Park. They were also shared together with cyclists who respected each other’s right to use these paths.
Now these paths are totally cycle lanes and are hardly ever used. I walk to the park daily and from what I have seen the cycle lanes have very few cyclists using them at all.
If you drive up Greenlane Road you will understand why as the driving is erratic at best and cyclists take their lives in their hands to ride on these lanes.
All around this area dedicated cycling lanes have sprung up and again from what I have observed are scarcely used and when they are it’s not by the faint-hearted.
Drivers in this country have very little tolerance for cyclists and it shows in their ignorance of cyclists’ rights to ride while drivers have the right to drive on the same piece of road. If you read the news you will see exactly who comes off worse in a case of a cycle versus a car which brings me to the point of my letter.
This Labour Government wants to build a dedicated cycling/walking bridge over Auckland harbour. How naive are these people? When you see who’s championing it, Grant Robertson and Michael Woods, it comes as no surprise as they are both ostriches with their heads in the sand along with their leader Jacinda Ardern.
Who in their right mind would undertake a project this size and cost? I can only hope that given Labour’s history of making promises and failing to deliver that this will become yet another white elephant.
It wouldn’t surprise me if Jacinda makes a dedicated lane for Maori users where you will have to speak Te Reo to be able to use it, as this government seems hell-bent on undertaking stupid projects and dividing the country racially.
The sooner we get rid of them the better. Bring on election year.
Signed
Don T
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