Cyclists form human barrier to highlight lack of protection on Wellington cycle paths

April 10, 2019

A group of Wellington cyclists created a "people protected" bike lane in the CBD today to protest the lack of protection for riders commuting around the capital.

According to Stuff , around 45 people assembled on Featherston St this morning to act as a human barricade between cyclists and the vehicle lanes next to them.

A cycling advocate group say they've been trying to get Wellington City Council to build protected bike lanes around the CBD for 20 years.

"They've made some good progress on Hutt Rd and Oriental Bay, and in Kilbirnie, but there are almost no bike lanes in the CBD. We're fed up. We need protection," Cycling Action Network project manager Patrick Morgan told Stuff.

"There are some paint-on bike lanes in the city, but paint is not protection. People on bikes deserve the protection of some kind of barriers or posts to separate them from fast-moving traffic."

In response, Wellington City Council's Sarah Free said while it was the cyclists right to hold a protest, the council has been making good progress on bike lanes.

"I've been in this role nearly three years and I stand by our record. We haven't been idle in that time," Ms Free said.

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