21 November 2016

A big win for the pink Lightpath

The World Architecture Festival has announced Auckland’s pink Lightpath Te Ara I Whiti as the winner of the transport category at its annual awards in Berlin.

The pink Lightpath, which was built by connecting a new bridge to the unused Nelson St motorway off-ramp, beat projects in Sweden, Chicago, Denmark and Taiwan to take out the Transport – Completed Building category.

Two Auckland architects, Monk MacKenzie Architects and LandLAB worked with Auckland Council, NZ Transport Agency and Auckland Transport on the design.

The surface of the path has been coated with a pink resin and 300 custom made LED lights on the eastern side of the path. The lights have sensors so they can be programmed to change colour when someone passes creating a ‘wave effect’.

Aucklanders are loving it says Kathryn King, AT Cycling, Walking and Safety manager. “A lot of people are using it and then continuing on the protected cycleway on Nelson St to get to work or study in the city centre. It’s also being used for recreation.

“We also know lots of people are coming into the city centre in the weekend to cycle or walk over it with their family friends. It’s a perfect example of what we know from overseas, that if you build go infrastructure like this, people will want to get out and give cycling a go.”

With its first birthday of 3 December approaching, Lightpath has recorded more than 200,000 cycle trips at an average of 564 per day. AT will be working with Bike Auckland to celebrate the local landmark’s first birthday.

For more on cycling and walking: https://at.govt.nz/cycling-walking/

ENDS

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