Cycleways

The arguments of a lone Dunedin city councillor seeking to have the South Dunedin Cycle Network stopped in its tracks fell largely on deaf ears yesterday.

Decisions on the most controversial routes of the South Dunedin Cycle Network will be saved until last.

The $4.5 million South Dunedin cycle network may not be completed within the Dunedin City Council's four-year deadline, as Victoria Rd potentially poses another stumbling block.

Dunedin's apparent obsession with car parking will not be allowed to derail the new cycle lanes project, city councillors warned yesterday.

The Dunedin City Council is to analyse parking use along the central Dunedin stretch of State Highway 1 proposed for a separated cycle facility, and investigate alternative parking options.

With three days remaining before submissions close, the New Zealand Transport Agency has already received 1780 responses to its proposals for separated cycle lanes through central Dunedin.

More details of how the Dunedin City Council will deal with the parking changes required if it opts for separated cycle lanes on arterial routes have been released in consultation documents.

The expense of a ''protected-lane'' for cycles on Dunedin's one-way system is not prohibitive, writes Robert Thompson, of Spokes Dunedin. Options to replace lost parking spaces are also present, he says.

The flood of submissions on the proposal to install separate cycle lanes on part of State Highway 1 through central Dunedin, a large number of which are in favour of the plans, underlines strong feelings on cycling in the city.

A plan to replace hundreds of Dunedin's inner-city parking spaces with cycleways has been labelled ''utter lunacy'' by Golden Centre shopping mall general manager Simon Eddy.

Work has begun on the first stage of a $4.5 million cycle network around South Dunedin.

A proposal to install separated cycle lanes on parts of State Highway 1 through central Dunedin has attracted more than 1000 submissions in the first four days of consultation.

A proposal to install separated lanes for cyclists on parts of the State Highway 1 network through Dunedin will be open for public opinion this week.

Dunedin city councillor Lee Vandervis has been accused of misrepresenting former Olympian Kashi Leuchs' views on cycleways to ''push forward his own agenda'' at a recent Dunedin City Council meeting.

Cyclists and pedestrians are still at risk on Dunedin roads and footpaths, but proposals to improve safety are encouraging, an international road safety engineer says.

New safety features for cyclists have been installed at an intersection where a cyclist was killed.

Between 200 and 400 parks on the central Dunedin one-way system will be removed and replaced by dedicated cycle lanes if a new plan by the New Zealand Transport Agency goes ahead.

Dunedin's multimillion-dollar cycleway plans have hit a speed bump after opposition from a group of businesses forced part of the new network to be put on hold.