Golden Bay cycleway complete
A long-awaited cycleway and walkway has finally been completed in Golden Bay, three weeks before schedule.
The $1.2 million cycle trail connecting Pohara and Takaka was officially opened yesterday at a ceremony at Motupipi Primary School.
Work to complete the route, which is the first stage in a 20-year plan to connect most of Golden Bay by cycle trails, has been ongoing since last year.
The Golden Bay Cycle and Walkway Society’s strategy was given the go-ahead for funding by the Tasman District Council and NZ Transport Agency.
The route, which has been mooted by the community for decades, follows Abel Tasman Drive from Motupipi and Meihana St to Selwyn St in Pohara.
Co-ordinator Debbie Pearson said there was still work to be done building a clip-on addition to the bridge over the Motupipi River adjacent to Burnside Rd.
‘‘There wasn’t enough money to complete the bridge, ‘‘ she said.
‘‘The team have put up a design that will go up in front of council in February, for new money to do it. We’re all keeping our fingers crossed because it can be dangerous.’’
She said the route’s completion was ‘‘20 years of effort by so many people’’.
‘‘Derry Kingston was one of the early visionaries who got this going ... then Victoria Davis who was a leading light for the campaign early on.’’
Pearson said the next stage was to link Takaka and Paynes Ford, with work aiming to be complete by July this year.
After that a feasibility study would be done by NZTA for another route linking Takaka and Rangihaeata, aimed to be completed by 2021.
The focus would then be to finish the trail in Collingwood, with longer-term plans to eventually link Upper Takaka to the Heaphy Track and the Abel Tasman.
‘‘Once we get these in we have a great set of commuting trails to link people, link communities and link schools,’’ Pearson said.
Cycleway user Helen Kingston said she felt ‘‘so safe’’ on the new cycleway. However, she said she was concerned about the safety of cyclists at the bridge.
‘‘We need that clip-on ... I’m worried everyone won’t stop to cross [the road with their bikes] and there’ll be an accident.’’
Jane Baird, a community stalwart for the cycleway for 20 years, said there were 160 people using the trail on December 28. ‘‘And it’s used every day by cyclists, prams, wheelchairs, dogs and people walking.’’