Frequently Asked Questions

As outlined in our recently released Integrated Transport Strategy Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai Lower Hutt is facing challenges, including the environmental impact of transport emissions, the effect of this on community wellbeing, and also the unsafe environments created by high traffic volumes.

56% of Lower Hutt’s city-wide emissions come from transport and transformational change is needed to help achieve our goals of halving our emissions by 2030, and net carbon zero by 2050.

We are working to address these challenges through our key focus area of developing a connected and safe transport network that makes it more attractive for people to cycle, walk or use the bus.

Creating a city-wide, safe and connected active travel network is a key part of Council’s vision to improve the transport system and reduce reliance on the use of private cars.

Our community has already told us that they would travel more by foot or by bike if they felt safer on the roads and they had a good quality, convenient and pleasant environment to travel along. To meet the needs of our community we need to provide that safe option to enable more people to choose to bike or use another active travel mode to get around.

A safe and attractive route will encourage students to get to school actively. If it is safe and works well for primary aged students, then it will be safe and work well for all users.

By connecting Waterloo Station, a transport hub, it is designed to encourage commuters to use this route to travel to and from home and work or to visit services and retail in the CBD. This also provides the next step in the connection for the completed Oxford Tce shared path. As the greater bike network is built and connected, our community will be able to travel across the whole city on a safe designated lane or shared path.

This project will be co-funded by Hutt City Council and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.

When all feedback has been recorded and reviewed the final findings will be updated on this page. Opportunities and challenges identified by your feedback will be considered when creating layout options for the bike lane so it meets everyone’s needs

The feedback we get from the local community, businesses and other stakeholders will help us move forward with design ideas, including key decisions like locations for pedestrian crossings, whether a one-way or two-way cycleway will be most effective, and what the street layout will look like.

There are different treatments for bike lanes because there is not a one-size-fits-all. There are many factors that affect what design of bike lane suits a particular street and suburb. Assessments, like those we have undertaken, help us to understand what will best serve this community and the variety of road users who will use it.

In order for our traffic team to have time to review all feedback, create designs with external experts, get approval and then set the wheels in motion for suppliers and contractors for installation, we need to close off consultation by July.  

No. We are talking to Waste Management to make sure any design options will still allow them to undertake their duties safely and efficiently. Any future changes deemed necessary to bin placement and collection will be clearly communicated with residents.

We are engaging with Metlink to ensure bus routes are not affected and to ensure any design options created are suitable for larger vehicles.

A lot of work is done in partnership between Hutt City Council and local schools to ensure students learn cycle safety and scooter safety skills at all Lower Hutt primary schools.  A safe and attractive route will enable students from these schools to put their skills into action and increase the number of students getting to school actively. If it is safe and works well for primary aged students, then it will be safe and work well for all users.

We are working closely with schools on, and adjacent to, the route to ensure we incorporate their feedback into the design so the final design works for students, whanau and staff. 

We are talking to all local emergency services to ensure their feedback informs design options and they can plan accordingly for the future.

During the cycleway trial on Knights Road vehicle speeds were noted to have decreased and the number of cyclists using this route increased. We learned more about design, safety and road surface quality which showed that it isn’t the best choice for a bike lane and lead us to look at other possible options for this important connection.

Knights Road is the most direct route between Waterloo Station, the new bike and walking path on Oxford Tce and Lower Hutt’s CBD. It is also wide enough to have safely trialed alternate layouts. Knights Road also offered good connections to a number of local schools.

We understand the uncertainty that residents and businesses will be feeling about what will happen to car parks along Waterloo Road and Birch Street and appreciate that parking is an important issue. 

The feedback we get will help us understand where and when parking is most important on these streets, which will help us design the layout.

Once we’ve explored design ideas, we’ll be able to come back to the local community, businesses and stakeholders to advise on how many car parks will be impacted.

The decision on a preferred route for the connection between Waterloo Station and the city centre was determined by a group of experts and keys stakeholders. We want feedback to ensure this route meets the needs of the community and to gather ideas to help plan the street layout.