The capital is set to get about 150km of new cycle lanes over the next 20 years thanks to a $101m plan.

Wellington commuters may have to give up their car parks to make way for cycle lanes.

A new framework setting out the how decisions about cycle lanes will be made has been developed by Wellington City Council. It comes as the Government considers which centres will benefit from the next round of funding from its Urban Cycle Fund.

If Wellington is successful in its bid, it could lead to spending of $1 million a month for three years on building cycle lanes.

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The framework outlines a network of about 150 kilometres of cycle lanes that are planned for the capital. They are broken down into four categories:

Quiet routes through suburban areas where bikes share the road with cars;

Shared vehicle and bike zones in commercial areas;

Protected bike lanes on main routes;

Off-road bike paths.

The plan also sets principles for how space would be allocated, including the effect on car parking.

Council transport and waste operations manager Geoff Swainson said that "in certain situations, yes, parking would be the lower priority". However, it would depend on the place and type of parking – for instance, parking in front of high-demand shops such as corner dairies would remain.

The framework said residential car parks would remain, but "proximity and volume may change", and commuter car parks could be restricted to allow for residential and retail parking.

"We will not look to replace car parks that are primarily used for people commuting by car."

Swainson said officers would be recommending to councillors that the amount of funding for cycleways in the long-term plan, currently under consideration, be doubled to about $5m a year for the first three years, with less funding for the following seven years, in order to "leverage" off available government funding.

If government funding was forthcoming, both through the Urban Cycle Fund and National Land Transport Plan, that could lead to about $1m being spent each month for three years, with the focus on northern, central, and eastern cycling routes.

Transport Minister Simon Bridges said 59 applications had been made for this round of funding through the Urban Cycle Fund, and he expected to make announcements by the middle of the year.

Mayor Celia Wade-Brown said the framework reflected a local appetite for cycling.

"The framework is about creating choice for schoolchildren and adults, for shopping and going to school or work."

The speed of implementation would depend on council and Government decisions, she said.

Cycle Aware Wellington chairman James Burgess welcomed the framework, but said the proof would be in the actions that followed the words.

"This shows a good set of principles and processes, and I hope it reflects in actually being able to get some stuff done relatively quickly."