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There is a significant conflict between walkers and cyclists on the Portobello shared pathway, research shows.
University of Otago sociology students Jacinta Aldridge, Vanessa Beck and Tanika Langbridge conducted a research project to understand safety issues on the pathway.
They researched literature about national and international shared pathways, interviewed nine walkers and cyclists, and read Otago Daily Times letters to the editor.
Their project highlighted the ‘‘significant existing conflict’’ between walkers and cyclists on the shared pathway, which was further exacerbated during the Covid-19 lockdown and restrictions.
While conducting their interviews, they found most walkers wanted cyclists to use bells to warn other path users they were approaching.
But cyclists felt this was ineffective.
One walker, Michael, was concerned with the lack of bell-usage, especially from faster, racing bicycles.
‘‘If the bikes are coming up behind you at speed, they just need to ring the bell once and I’ll get out of their way,’’ he said.
James said cyclists who did not ring a bell were ‘‘virtually silent’’.
Many walkers had experienced ‘‘near misses’’ with cyclists, which made them feel unsafe on the pathway.
They felt the path was a beneficial resource to Dunedin and enjoyed using it for recreational and commuting purposes.
However, there was a ‘‘general disdain’’ for cyclists due to safety concerns such as cyclists’ lack of bell usage and travelling too fast.
Of the four cyclists interviewed, only one regularly used a bell and wore high-visibility clothing, and thought these made a difference.
The other three felt bells were ineffective as walkers did not hear them and many wore headphones.
All the cyclists tried to actively slow down when approaching other path users.
Jason believed the problem was a systematic city planning failure.
‘‘If they put seven extra metres on the width [of the road] would it really hurt to put an extra metre and a-half on it [the pathway] in the big scheme of things?’’ he asked.
None of the cyclists experienced a near miss or collision with an adult walker, but had with children, dogs and other cyclists.
The students recommended the Dunedin City Council install a fence on the harbour side of the pathway, put green paint on the pathway to indicate when it becomes a separate cycleway, erect more signage on the pathway, and put a clear directional centre line to encourage path users to keep left and give each other space.
Council transport group manager Jeanine Benson said the council occasionally received complaints about path users’ behaviour, including cyclists not using bells and people walking dogs on long leashes.
‘‘Most people remain considerate of other users of the pathway, but we do ask all users of the pathway to be considerate of each other and that cyclists use bells where appropriate to alert other users of the shared pathway to their approach,’’ Ms Benson said.
The council was reviewing the NZ Transport Agency’s new guidelines on shared pathways to see how they could be applied to the Dunedin network.
It would also run a campaign this summer promoting safe use of the shared pathways.
The students’ others suggestions were noted and would be reviewed, Ms Benson said.
Otago Peninsula Community Board chairman Paul Pope said he was aware of issues between pathway users, such as cyclists riding at speed and people walking side-by-side.
The Peninsula Connection was still relatively new, so it was too early to make assumptions and people needed time to get used to it, he said.
He called for peaceful co-existence between walkers and cyclists.