Petone rail station

This blog records the good, the bad and the ugly of an 11km bike ride from Petone to Wellington.
Thanks to Simon for the concept, and to Claire for inviting Wellington Regional Land Transport Committee members along for the ride.

Start your journey at Petone rail station.

Petone roundabout

0.8 km from Petone Rail Station.
Cyclists riding south on Hutt Rd need to move into the right lane to enter the roundabout.

SH2 cycle lane starts

2 km from Petone.
Some like to use the cycle lane, but most people stick to the shoulder: it's faster, smoother, wider, and has less debris.

Rating - Good

SH2 cycle lane

4.8 km from Petone.
Uneven service covers makes this a bumpy ride. Debris piles up from the highway and railway, and puddles collect in the dips.
The cycle lane narrows to 1 metre at one point. The Austroads standard recommends 1.8 metres.

Rating - Good, but could be better with attention to detail.

Ngauranga

6 km from Petone.
Nice ramps allow easy transition between path and road.
Am still looking for that wine trail - maybe it's down there next to the stock effluent dump.

Rating - Good

Hutt Rd - signpost on bike path

7.1 km from Petone.
There's a signpost in the middle of the bike path. Would we put a post in the middle of a road?
Further along Hutt Rd, there's 15 lampposts in the middle of the path.

Rating - Bad

Hutt Rd cycle lane

7.7 km from Petone.
Hardings Furniture store items in the middle of the cycle lane.

Trucks use it as a loading zone. Even a jogger has to step off it to get by.

Rating - Ugly

Carters

7.9 km from Petone.
Carters have a busy yard on Hutt Rd, with lots of traffic entering and exiting. Chris, manager of Carters, says they plan to improve safety here by replacing the wood fence with a chainlink one, allowing better sightlines for cyclists and drivers.
Carters have a sign alerting exiting drivers to cyclists.
He says there is a road behind the yard, next to the railway line. He suggests this could be used to provide bike access from Ngauranga to Thorndon.

Hutt Rd bus stop

8.4 km from Petone.
The bus stop by Animates is a squeeze point. Vehicles frequently park here, blocking the lane.

Rating - Ugly

Spotlight, Kaiwharawhara

8.5 km from Petone.
Spotlight have installed yellow judder bars and signage to alert people exiting their carpark about walkers and bikers.

Rating - Good

Aotea Quay bridge

9.2 km from Petone.
The cycle lane dips under the Aotea Quay bridge here. Bollards prevent vehicles parking on the cycle lane.

Rating - Good

Hutt Rd

9.6 km from Petone.
Cycle lane ends.

Thorndon Quay angle parking

10 km from Petone.

Angle parking on both sides of carriageway. We suggest replacing it with parallel parking to free up road space for a cycle lane.

Heavy traffic in rush hour and lots of trade vehicles at other times. The only cycle commuter route in and out of town for commuters using the cycleway further north.

Rating - Bad

Thorndon Quay bike parking

10.8 km from Petone.
4 bike parking stands by BodyWorks and Pipitea marae.

Rating - Good

Wellington Railway Station

11.3 km from Petone.
Our journey's end.

Bike parking available -12 bike lockers are located at north side of terminal next to platform 9. The number of lockers is inadequate compared to those offered in other areas. Bike racks located on south side of station.

On the upside there are bicycle lanes on the southern and western sides of the station - although the paint could use a touch-up.

Rating - Good (but could be better)