WCC beware

Stuff reports:

Hundreds of Island Bay residents gathered at a public meeting on Monday night to hear discussion of the process for rebuilding the southern Wellington suburb’s controversial cycleway. …

The proposals out for consultation include returning The Parade to its original layout with some enhancements, at a cost of $4.1m; keeping the existing layout with some enhancements, for $5.2m; changing to a one-way separated kerbside cycleway above road level, for $6m; or installing the new road-level cycleway and reverting to angle parking, for $6.2m.

However, Island Bay Residents’ Association president Vicki Greco got the biggest cheer of the night when she urged the meeting to endorse a fifth option, known as Option E.

It calls for a return to the pre-cycleway design, with the cycleway put back to the roadside of parked cars, restoring bus stops and removing speed bumps. The residents’ association estimates it would cost only about $750,000.

Greco called the four sanctioned options an insult, and warned the removal of 57 car parks could economically ruin the suburb.

Four options put forward, none of them what the community want. The Council may end up adding insult to injury if they are not careful.