After being rejected by community consultation several times, Auckland Transport's latest push on the Grey Lynn Cycleway, has been done by only asking pro-cycleways stakeholders.
The Surrey Crescent and Richmond Road intersection has a major design change from the traffic lights to a roundabout that narrows roads to single lanes, taking away all parking for these businesses.
*AT’s official feedback says, “During the consultation period, meetings were held with the following stakeholders: 8 February – Waitematā Local Board; 14 February – Grey Lynn Business Association; 22 February – Cohaus; 11 March – Bike Auckland.
"On Friday 25 February, a door knock of 11 businesses was undertaken in the area around the intersection of Surrey Crescent and Richmond Road. This door knock was undertaken because the decision to install a roundabout at this location was taken subsequent to the 2018 public consultation and business owners might be unaware.
"We received 232 submissions and 246 pieces of feedback through the Social Pinpoint site.”
Bike Auckland, (130 Facebook followers) formally known as ‘Cycle Action Auckland’ who had their rebranding paid for by Auckland Transport, now get to rubber-stamp ALL cycleways. (Councillor Coom’s partner was the former treasurer.)
Occupy Garnet Road, (548 Facebook followers) who presented two petitions with 3654 signatures against the Grey Lynn Cycleway to Waitematā Local Board, were not consulted.
Grey Lynn Business Association coordinator, Irene King, when contacted by AT suggested they consult with all 55 businesses at ‘Black Box Corner, as they had expressed concern about parking removal and the dangerous placement of pedestrian crossings. She also questioned the relocation of the bus stop that cost $1million when moved four years earlier.
Neither the committee nor members were consulted, West Lynn Painters and Panelbeaters owner and building owner with eight tenants, Barry Jujnovich, is the only door knocked businesses found. He told AT, “the roundabout would negatively affect businesses by taking away most of our parking. It’s not necessary and if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it.”
St Columba Church rents parking to businesses during the week and allows parents to use it for school pick-up since AT’s ‘temporary design’ outside the school removed parent parking. Street parking for weekday funerals and hall activities is also needed but AT didn’t ask them.
Waitematā Local Board had a secret workshop with AT. These predominantly ‘City Vision’ members and Councillor Coom, on their website, supported Bike Auckland‘s ‘Bikeable Auckland’ strategy. WLB’s representative on GBA, Julie Sandilands, had not passed on GBA views to the board. Living in Wellington, from October 2021, she had not attended GBA meetings.
A month ago, she moved to the UK. WLB has not replaced her.
Cohaus (20 apartments) is a group of people with shared cycling interests who wanted an exemption from their resource consent to build without off-street parking. Maybe they were consulted because cycle lobbyist Councillor Coom’s mother lives there!
19 Surrey (35 apartments) and The Isaac (75 apartments) is where community activist Lisa Prager’s mother lives, maybe that’s why they weren’t included in Auckland Transport’s ‘consultation’.
Auckland Transport only sought the opinions of those who agreed with them, the ‘cycle lobbyists’, not their opposition, the ‘community advocates and activists’ who out number them.
The ombudsman is investigating a lack of transparency of local government. He has been informed of this biased process, WLB’s ‘closed door’ workshop with AT and evidence of residents’ feedback responses, via the ‘Social Pinpoint’ site, not included in Auckland Transport’s redesign.
(GAEL BALDOCK)
www.at.govt.nz/media/1989212/grey-lynn-and-westmere-improvements-engagement-report.pdf