I like the design, overall, thogh it is a shame it had to swap over near Ilam school with that awkward wiggle.

As noted by Stephen, the concrete seperators are a bit of a fail, for multiple reasons. I hope we don’t see any more of them. The plastic seperators would have been better, though I don’t think they look great either.

My favourite option is a continuous row of red pavers, with a slight rise and a nicely tapered concrete edge, though I guess this would be the most expensive approach. Some planters with a decent (eg 20m) seperation between them might have been a better option for this side.

I like the cut-out at the corner of Montana Ave, but the designer messed up the geometry a bit, so I always end up going around the footpath side of one of the islands, which obviously wasn’t what she intended.

Even with the protection from motorists that the concrete separators provide, I prefer the open and flat cycle lanes of the main arterial routes to what has been installed on Ilam Rd.

If those curbs were bigger and radiused we wouldn’t need chains, underground pipes? Until then trail bikes often make most sense.

Pros:
1. Great to see something being done to make cycle commuting safer.

2. I like the painted car door separator beside car parks.

Cons:
1. The concrete separator kerbs are much too large. They are a danger to cars and cyclists alike. Their height makes them a serious crash hazard, and their width wastes too much of the road width.

2. They are spaced far too close together, so that it is impossible to pass by briefly moving into the car lane. Unlike cars, cycles travel at vastly differing speeds, so passing must be easy and safe.

3. The narrowing of the road means that cycles will be forced to use the cycleway even if it is more dangerous for them, otherwise car drivers will be understandably irate.

4. On straight sections of road the main hazards are from driveways or side streets, and car doors. These concrete kerb separators do not address either problem.

5. The costs are outrageous. Money should be spent instead on making intersections safer. This is where the real hazards lie.

6. The concrete kerb sleepers are incredibly ugly.

Personally, if this system is rolled out across the city I will be forced to commute using other unmodified routes, and chance my luck amongst the cars. Not the desired outcome.

The whole issue can be resolved by using the low Riley separators, especially with plastic posts on corners, similar to the trials on Strickland and Kotare streets. These have had resounding support from all users. They work perfectly, providing a reminder of the separation to both cyclists and car drivers, without insulting car drivers or endangering cyclists.

Then let’s start focusing on making intersections safe.

I prefer not to bike with my cricket gear! That bag is massive.

There’s still parking on one side; there’s a whole university car park across the road that’s hardly used on a Saturday. Or you could bike… 🙂