It’s been over a year since the much-maligned Wellington Bypass was opened. How does it stack up?
“The bypass” as it is invariably known was a motorway extension that knocked through one end of central Wellington’s bohemian arm to smooth out the east-west crossing. I wrote about it before, first back in Sept 2004 and then again when it opened this time last year. I also made a post that linked to a a good roundup at BuzzAndHum.
In the 2004 post I was a bit florid, but I still agree with what I wrote. Here’s the key bit in terms of what I expected would happen:
Cuba Street is the seat of the city’s creative energy, its endless innovation, its diversity. It is the city’s soul… [The bypass] will carve a symbolic wall through Cuba Street itself and cut it off from the extensions of the Cuba-Street-idea – places like Aro Valley, Brooklyn. It will have a huge effect on the city.
Now, I’m not saying that the bypass will definitely change everything or will definitely be the tipping point. There’s no way for us to know that. But it will cause significant change, of that we can be certain. If it comes to pass, Wellington will not feel the same. The balance will be shifted. If worst comes to worst, the balance will be completely upset.
(I also took a couple paragraphs to ridicule the pro-Bypass argument that it would add to business productivity by getting staff to work a few minutes earlier.)
I hit the same themes a year ago:
This is a significant step away from the kind of Wellington I feel we should have towards one that we should avoid… [The arguments against the new road are] speculative and subjective. There is no set of facts that could convince a Bypass-backer that the new road creates an unpleasant psychological barrier or squanders the area’s value. However, it is crucial to remember the other side of the coin, which is that the rationale given for the bypass was, and is, nonsensical. The bypass will not significantly improve congestion in the city, as car traffic will expand to meet the available roadspace. The bypass will not improve the productivity of Wellington’s business community, as was so earnestly claimed and debated in the Council Chambers. These claims are, quite simply, ridiculous. And they have cost us $40 million, and one more chunk of the city’s soul.
So, one year on, and Wellington’s new road is heavily used. I notice myself how it is now easier and faster to get from the motorway to the basin reserve; I wonder, however, how much of that is due to the rolling green lights that you always get on the bypass, rather then the new route itself.
I also notice how it’s made many other journeys through the city more annoying. Heading east from Aro is a nightmare, for one thing. The lanes and lights in many of the changed streets are a real nuisance. Crossing the bypass in either direction is usually a hassle.
However, I’m not a heavy driver and especially not in peak traffic times, so I can’t speak to the ultimate success or failure of the time-saving claims that built the bypass.
What I can say is that the bypass has indeed torn a swathe through a part of Wellington with a lot character. Upper Cuba and upper Willis, in particular, show the effects of the Bypass. The Bypass itself is lined with scenic gardens that no human will ever use, and beautifully restored residences that no sane human will want to live in. It’s notable how lifeless the bypass is, compared to all the other streets around it. It’s a corridor of dead space.
Overall, while I’m glad that I get to drive across town more easily, this increase in ease is hardly compensation for what has been lost. (And considering the environmental impact of driving, making it easier to drive is hardly a straightforward positive.) I feel that one year on, the key fears of the anti-bypass campaigners have been realised. A chunk of Wellington has been sacrificed for something that is, ultimately, of very little worth. The money should have been spent elsewhere, for example on public transport – Wellington’s public transport system is massively in need of investment.
That’s my take on the bypass, one year on. What say you?
All it has done is move the traffic jam somewhere else.
Getting out of town from various places is a lot easier, but that is the only improvement I have noticed.
Colossal waste of time and energy imho.
I’m going to end up driving the wrong way down a one way street tomorrow, aren’t I? I hate it when they change the roads …
As one friend pointed out to me, the road ‘improvements’ have always been about getting people to and from Wellington Airport, not about improving the city. I think she’s right.
I notice how applicable some bits of DLGAMC is. And you’re right: the space on either side of the bypass is completely dead.
Yeah. The bypass thing was in my head the whole time I was reading that.
(DLGAMC is The Death and Life of Great American Cities, which blew my mind, and is discussed here:
http://www.additiverich.com/morgue/archives/002227.html
It’s slowed down traffic through Newtown. It’s slowed down traffic from Hataitai to town. It’s made it harder to get from town to Brooklyn.
It hasn’t, in my experience, speeded up travel from outside town into town.
It may, possibly, have moved the bottleneck on the motorway to airport route a kilometer or so, but it doesn’t seem to have removed it.
I really resent my money having been spent on it.
Morgue: you’ve fallen prey to the “no linky in commenty” thing that keeps getting me. [morgue sez: I did too! fixed now.]
As a resident of Aro Valley, I resent having to walk a very roundabout route to avoid having to go through 2 very time-consuming extra sets of traffic lights right next to each other, twice a day. The very least they could have done is build a walkway over it.
Mixed feelings here. I’m a relatively recent import to Wellington, and the impression I got when I moved here in 2000 was that the Cuba precinct maintained its seedy bohemian character precisely because the area was under the shadow of the bypass. That deterred renovation and new paint, let alone the type of development that was turning neighbouring areas into trendy-with-money inner-city living, and left Cuba with a range of cheap, run-down, multi-use spaces.
I’d be keen to see areas with the flavour of Cuba developed and cherished around the central city, but without the threat of demolition I’m not sure how you’d stop them being turned into trendy apartments and/or clones of Willis Street. Any ideas?
My 2 cents worth as someone who uses it almost every day: they didn’t spend enough. From my understanding, the original bypass was meant to go under Cuba/Willis etc streets, not through them, but the decision was made to keep the bypass above ground. Which does still speed up traffic, but it is not a more pleasant experience, especially with some of the laneswapping/hogging Wellingtonians are notorious for (I try and keep my own to a minimum).
You are right Morgue in that the developments on either side of the road are pointless – cycle lanes that lead nowhere useful, footpaths for hundreds of pedeistrians who avoid busy roads like the plague.
And then there is the possible Buckle Street “redevelopment” now that a park has been deemed necessary outside the war memorial.
It all seems like a bit of a joke really. Half measures and then grandiose “re-imaging” of projects seem to plague the Wellington administration. Pumpkin patches at the airport? And there is still no sign of Transmission Gully, or whatever viable alternative is finally decided upon. Auckland has the same problem I suppose (Stadium anyone?), so perhaps its a New Zealand thing.
Rant over… 🙂
R
I can’t think of any real benefits that the bypass has given us. It seems to be marginally quicker getting from Miramar onto the motorway, but whether that is the new roads or new lights I don’t know.
As a pedestrian, the whole upper Cuba bypass area is horrible to walk around, there is no life immediately around the bypass roads, streets are harder to jaywalk across because of two-way traffic or turning cars, also I still get mad at the barriers on Cuba Street to make you stop crossing in certain places.
As a driver, I find the road changes a little confusing but I will get used to them. What I think is really bad (and dangerous) is the way that lanes change randomly around, two lanes on one side of an intersection will both have to offset by a few metres to match up with the lanes on the other side. Also road markings – there are some pretty ambiguous arrows around, and often it’s hard to tell (if you don’t know the roads) which lane you should be in to do what. Actually I think Wellington has always been bad for these.
BYPASS RAGE!!!
Katherine
Bypass = shit
Since moving down to Kingston (southside 4 ever!) I’ve really begun to get a hate on for the bypass. It’s not helping me, at all, with every day things like getting to my workplace near the Railway Station, or getting anywhere along the Willis Street – Lambton Quay ‘golden mile’.
As Katherine pointed out above, the lane markings and lane changes down Willis Street are just insane, making for interesting experiences whether one is driving oneself or a passenger on a bus.
There may’ve been gains for traffic coming to and from the Motorway to the basin, but for traffic trying to move across that line it’s just madness.
And, of course, there’s the asthetic of those bland sidings and empty houses. Feels very, very, impersonal.
Out of necessity, my main travel route into town if I’m either driving or busing is down the route that takes in Britomart St and Hutchinson Road that comes out by the Show Buildings – that’s the #21 bus route. By all common sense, the most direct route should be the #7 bus route, or driving along The Ridgeway – Washington Road – Brooklyn Road – Willis Street. But the traffic madness once you hit Willis Street makes that route slow.
Surely, this wasn’t the intention of this bypass, to drive people onto the winding roads on the sides of the Brooklyn hills?
Ha, commented on the wrong entry!
*AHEM*
“I suspect that the bypass became too much of a pissing contest and whoever has the biggest penis at Transit decided “I’m not giving in to those Aro Valley queers, no matter how bad an idea the bypass it!”
What a shocking collection of no-mark liberals. This is like therapy.
Where are the 60+percent of sane, NORMAL, fiscally promiscuous Wellington citizens who voted for Prendergast & the Bypass. Morgan, your coverage is seriously partial.
Fight Club anyone?
Bradley: 30+percent is closer to the mark.
Pearce: the Silent Majority is even closer.
Brad –
Firstly, some stats:
2001 Prendergast received 19782 of 57768 mayoral votes cast – 34.2 %
2004 Prendergast received 27002 of 70961 mayoral votes cast – 38.1%
2007 Prendergast received 21868 of 68994 mayoral votes cast – 31.7%
So, even assuming that everyone who voted for Prendergast supported the bypass, it’s still a majority of votes cast (let alone of the population as a whole).
Second, Morgue asked for our subjective experiences of the bypass, one year on, not any kind of final objective overriding statement. None of us are capable of providing it, but were’ all capable of sharing how we feel about it. Most of us don’t feel to positive towards it, but, please, feel free to contribute your postive experience. The best way to bring balance is to contribute.
Third, equating our somewhat negative experiences of the bypass to insanity and abnormality is to draw a rather long bow, don’t you think?
public transport public transport public transport. let me beat the drum…public transport. more roads are irresponsible on so many levels.
Scott – just by way of clarification – Bradley is being a bit of a devil’s advocate here. Mischievous son of a __ that he is…