Auckland Cycleway - Upper Queen Street to Nelson Street

The new cycleway from Canada Street, which is located off Upper Queen Street and runs down to Nelson Street, was opened today. It is an impressive project because it travels right through the heart of Auckland’s motorway system at its busiest point Spaghetti junction.

The vision of the planners to use the old motorway ramp is impressive as was the length of time it took to build which was only eight months. The cycleway links the Upper Queen Street Area with the waterfront which makes it an important addition to the network of cycleways in Auckland. The bikeway continues down Nelson Street to nearly the bottom. At the top of Queen Street the new cycleway also links up with the Grafton Gully cycleway.

The overall planning and implementation for the Auckland Region network of bikeways is making solid progress and gives cyclists and pedestrians hope and optimism for the future. While motorways usually divide communities cycleways and walkways serve to connect communities.

The next logical extension to the regional cycling network is the cycleway across the Auckland Harbor Bridge.
Those that oppose the cycleway have suggested that their local roads will be overrun by cyclists parking their cars there to use the cycleway. The  more likely scenario is that cyclists using the harbor bridge will cycle through Northcote rather than loading their bike on their car and driving to Northcote in order to cycle across the harbor bridge.