An innovative new plan for Matiatia could see a keyhole without congestion, cycleways lining the road to the ferry terminal and a completely new car parking area circled by a one-way loop road. The Cycle Action Waiheke design comes after three Auckland Transport concept designs for Matiatia’s multi-million dollar redevelopment were deemed short-sighted by several key stakeholders late last year.
The area’s large-scale landside redevelopment has been in the works for years, but progress has been slow due to funding restraints and Covid-19. Concerns over the transport company’s draft plans for the area arose in September last year when groups including the Waiheke Local Board, the Transport Forum, Cycle Action Waiheke and Waiheke Island Tourism Inc took a look at the three concept designs.
Transport Forum and Cycle Action member Tony King-Turner said the designs needed a “radical rethink”, and transport forum chairperson Bianca Ranson said the concept plans “wouldn’t work now, let alone in the future”.
In a report to the transport forum this week, Waiheke Cycle Action members note several issues with Auckland Transport’s proposals, including little provision for cycle lanes, unmitigated congestion issues, and a loss of parking.
“If we are designing anything for transport at Matiatia, we need to design for what we want – not what we have now,” says Cycle Action Waiheke co-chair Vibeke Brethouwer.
“We need to make it possible for people to use active transport modes and for those who want to bike but don’t because they don’t feel safe enough. Whether it’s by bike, on foot, or e-scooter, we need to make that possible. If it’s not clear where people can go, they will be mixing with traffic which causes conflict and stress for all road users.”
• Sophie Boladeras
