A bit of recent news activity points to some improvements looming for anyone riding to/from the seaside suburbs of Sumner and Redcliffs. This will be of great relief to anyone who has suffered the hair-raising ride over the past couple of years.
Firstly, many of the shipping containers that have been protecting travellers from potential rockfalls in this area are being removed in the coming weeks. While they might have technically reduced your odds of being hit by a loose rock, it did seem that (in the process) the containers and their surrounding fencing increased the odds for people cycling of being struck by a passing motor vehicle instead. Now various sections of containers and fencing will be removed, and some missing cycle lanes will be reinstated.
The other good news is that the work on the McCormacks Bay causeway is on track and should reopen around November 1st. The causeway road was closed back in April to allow for repairs of the seawall and culverts, with all traffic being diverted around the bay. While the extra distance was enough of an inconvenience, the additional distractions along the McCormacks Bay Rd diversion weren’t much fun for cycling either, with additional parked cars and pinchpoints to contend with.
The reinstated causeway will provide a much smoother ride than its post-quake equivalent. More importantly for cycling, there will also be cycle lanes along each side, plus additional width provided on the seawall for the future Coastal Pathway. While not part of the original causeway reinstatement works, the contractor Fulton Hogan chipped in $250,000 of work gratis to help form the base for the future 4m-wide pathway.
As we start to head into the warmer months it might be that, once again, taking a ride out to the seaside might be a pleasant thing to do…
What are your experiences of riding out to Redcliffs and Sumner?
I’ve been in constant dialogue with FH, SCIRT, CCC, Ruth Dyson and the local community regarding the McCormacks Bay Road route, as well as reporting dangerous driving to the police. We eventually got a reasonable solution at the western end with coned off cycle lanes (with the bollards being hit daily by drivers, better than a cyclist). The realignment of the centerline cones is an improvement. Local pressure resulted in the ped crossings in locations with limited demand (no crossing at the market though) which I personally had dozens of near misses on my daily commute. Banning parking on the eastern side would go a long way….
Awesome !
I’m looking forward to bike rides to the beach 🙂