Model and actress Geeling Ching is at the centre of a battle to prevent a $1 million cycleway from being installed at an Auckland dining hotspot.

A high-profile Kiwi model who featured in a David Bowie music video is caught in a clash to prevent a cycleway being installed in Aucklands Viaduct.
Auckland Transport has described its Project Wave cycleway trial as the missing link in the city centre cycling loop, running along Market Place, Customs Street West, and Lower Hobson Street.
But model, actress and restaurant manager Geeling Ching is among many residents and business owners opposing the million-dollar project.
Model and actress Geeling Ching is part of a group of locals and business owners who are opposed to a new cycleway trial in the Viaduct Harbour.
Im not sure how our suppliers are going to make deliveries without blocking the entire street, Ching, the operations manager for Soul Bar & Bistro said.
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It will be really difficult for them, and were a very busy place so on any given day we will have large amounts of stock coming in.
Ching shot to fame after starring in the music video for David Bowies 1983 hit single China Girl.
She went on to appear in several films, including Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.
Her concerns about the cycleway also include how popular it will be.
Ching is currently the operations manager at Soul Bar. She rose to fame after starring in a David Bowie music video in 1983.
I live in the area and often go for morning runs, youll only ever see about three cyclists in this area, she said.
It feels like it’s not very well-thought-out, and the businesses haven’t had any part in the consultation.
Project Wave is part of the Governments Innovating Streets programme, which supports councils to create more people-friendly spaces in towns and cities.
Market Place and Customs Street West have been transformed into one-way streets in the trial, with one lane now occupied by the cycleway.
Auckland Transport spokesperson Mark Hannan said the idea behind the trial is to test the design over a period of months and make refinements.
Project Wave is the missing link between the popular Nelson and Quay Street cycleways, and will increase cycling across the region, according to advocates.
He noted extra loading zones and places to drop people off have been included in the project, with parts of Customs Street West and Lower Hobson Street reserved for this.
AT consulted with the community on a cycleway along this route in 2017. Most people were in support, he said.
We also consulted with the community on the Market Place section of this cycleway in early 2020.
A community meeting held last week was attended by many residents and business owners voicing similar concerns to Ching.
Ching and many Viaduct businesses are concerned the cycleway removes parking for customers and delivery vehicles.
Kiro Gurshin, 60, co-owner of the Viaduct Grill, Portafino and Frida, feels frustrated.
A one-way street will not work, we need space for taxi and Uber drivers to park to bring our customers. It will have a negative impact on our business, he said.
Shanshan Lin, 38, is the owner of Sierra Café and said she thinks the project is a disaster.
Its making a really big mess around this area. We have people who come here to have coffee, and its really hard for them to find a car park, she said.
Not a lot of people ride bicycles around this area, in one day youll see maybe two or three.
Bike Auckland is a cycling advocacy group that had a role in instigating Project Wave.
Spokesperson Barb Cuthbert said the project will improve the entire cycling network in Auckland by connecting two popular existing cycleways.
It will increase the opportunity for people to ride bikes for transport, and fewer cars in the city has to be a goal because congestion is a big problem, Cuthbert said.
The cycleway will open in stages, with Customs Street West and Market Place sections completed and Lower Hobson Street to be finished by May 12.
Auckland Transport will decide on its long-term future in mid-2021.