Petition to include fit-for-purpose walking and cycling facilities in the new Mt Victoria tunnel
I've started a petition on Change.Org:
The current Mt Victoria tunnel, 94 years old, is a vital link between Wellington’s eastern suburbs and the city centre and beyond. It caters primarily for motor traffic. The elevated path for pedestrians and cyclists is extremely narrow, congested, noisy and polluted. Despite this, it’s used by about 1000 walkers and cyclists every weekday. They deserve better!
After decades of delay, the Minister of Transport has promised “spades in the ground” before the end of the current parliamentary term, for a new two-lane Mt Victoria tunnel to run parallel with the existing tunnel. However, there has been no mention of whether this new tunnel will include pedestrian and cycling facilities.
There is therefore an urgent and crucial opportunity to ensure that new, high-quality facilities for walkers and cyclists are included in the new tunnel. This could be achieved by placing a wide pedestrian and cycling path under the traffic lanes, as shown in the sketch shown in the petition. Alternatively, the path could be placed alongside the traffic lanes, separated from the traffic by a wall, or even as a completely separate new tunnel. Whatever the configuration, the new walking and cycling facility needs to be at least 5.5 - 6.0 metres wide, divided into separate two-way walking and cycling lanes, and it must be well lit, well ventilated and CCTV monitored.
Progressive cities, including London, Amsterdam and Copenhagen, have invested heavily in new cycling facilities and have seen these facilities widely adopted. “Mainstreaming” cycling and walking dovetails with efficient public transport, increases mobility and accessibility for the city’s residents, reduces traffic congestion and contributes to the city’s liveability and climate-change goals. Reduced traffic congestion improves the speed and reliability of public transport and increases the efficiency of goods delivery and business servicing.
Please sign the petition to ensure that the new Mt Victoria tunnel includes the greatly-improved walking and cycling facilities that current Wellingtonians, and generations to come, deserve.
chng.it...
🧩😏 Riddle me this, Neighbours…
I am an odd number. Take away a letter and I become even. What number am I?
Do you think you know the answer?
Want to stop seeing these in your newsfeed? No worries! Simply head here and click once on the Following button.
Poll: Are you still heading to your local for your caffeine fix, or has the $$ changed your habits? ☕
Wellington’s identity is built on its cafe culture, but with costs climbing, that culture is under pressure. We’ve seen the headlines about recent closures, and it’s a tough pill to swallow along with a $6+ coffee.
We all want our favourite spots to stay open, but we also have to balance our own budgets ⚖️
We want to know: How are you handling the "coffee math" in 2026? Are you still heading to your local for a chat and a caffeine fix, or has the cost of living changed your habits?
Keen to read more about "coffee math"? The Post has you covered.
-
35.8% I avoid spending money on coffee
-
54.3% I still indulge at my local cafe
-
9.9% Irrelevant - coffee is not for me
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
Loading…
