Cycle planning & design

ViaStrada provided cycle network advice to support the scheme assessment stage of road development in the Long Bay area of North Shore. 
The work included cycling network context advice to support the scheme assessment stage of road development in the Long Bay area of the North Shore, peer review of the East Coast and Glenvar Road Project Feasibility Reports, and an estimate of potential cycle demand.  

The Hamilton City Council commissioned ViaStrada to undertake a review of physical barriers to cycling in the Hamilton central city, as well as identification of current and potential cycle routes.

Project Background

Based upon the Hamilton Cycle Network Strategy Report (1999), Hamilton City Council has embarked on a ten-year programme to construct a city-wide cycle network.

John, Axel and Jeanette have developed an automatic cycle counting programme for Hamilton City Council (HCC). The project identifies approximate site locations, counter types, time frames and indicative costs.

Since 1998, the Christchurch practice has been to apply red coloured surfacing in selected sections of cycle facilities to heighten the awareness of motorists and cyclists regarding the presence of these facilities, particularly at conflict points. However, apart from Waimakariri District, the rest of New Zealand uses green coloured surfacing for cycle facilities, as well as for bus lanes.

NZTA commissioned ViaStrada to update more MOTSAM (Manual of Traffic Signs and Markings) material. Gone are all the old double limit lines, for example. Some of the more noteworthy amendments are:

Walking and cycling strategies are useful tools that aid councils in providing for pedestrians and cyclists. In 2005, earlier research found that 36 strategies were held by 30 different councils throughout New Zealand. A stocktake of all current walking and cycling strategies was undertaken. This revealed that there are now 61 strategies prepared by 55 different councils (out of 85).

Transit NZ (now NZTA) commissioned ViaStrada to update the cycling-related road marking content of the Manual of Traffic Signs and Markings (MOTSAM). In a parallel process, we were also assisting in a revision of the NZ Supplement to Austroads Part 14 Bicycles, the NZ cycling design manual (the revisions have now been published). We think the industry has been eagerly awaiting the outcome of these processes.

ViaStrada was engaged by ARTA to develop a tool to convert short-term manual cycle counts to "annual average daily traffic" (AADT) estimates of cycle traffic. The methodology used standard pneumatic traffic counters with softer than normal rubber road tubes for detecting cycles.

Cycle traffic was counted at five sites around Auckland, with counts undertaken continuously for up to two weeks. In addition, manual counts commissioned by ARTA and undertaken by Gravitas during March 2007 were used to verify the reliability of the automatic counts and to help develop the tool.

ViaStrada presents cycling planning and design courses at both fundamental and advanced levels. Over 700 people have attended these courses to date. This page contains background information on the Fundamentals course and its PowerPoint presentations can be downloaded from near the bottom of the page.

Environment Canterbury (ECan) is developing a regional cycle network plan. ViaStrada staff developed an audit methodology, enabling alternative network elements to be compared with one another. The resulting methodology combines site visits with a clever RAMM assessment.