New cycle tracks funds approved
Funding for new cycleways between three Waimakariri centres has been approved.
The new cycleways between Kaiapoi, Rangiora and Woodend will be two metres wide, off-road, sealed and shared between cyclists, mobility scooters, skaters and pedestrians.
Funding from the National Land Transport Fund was most recently approved and, together with funding from the Waimakariri District Council and the Urban Cycleway Programme, made up the total of $2.32 million needed for the two cycleways.
Waimakariri District Council’s roading manager Ken Stevenson said the designs would be finished ‘‘before Christmas’’ this year, with start dates next year to be announced soon.
‘‘This funding approval means we can continue with our planning and start putting in some firm construction timeframes. We’re very excited to be able to deliver this cycling infrastructure to our communities’’.
Although work would likely not start until late in 2017, the work would not take long and should be completed by early 2018 said Stevenson.
He said the off-road routes could encourage people, who had been put off by the risk of cycling along busy roads, to cycle in the area.
‘‘Because there has been no facilities on those roads, [cycling] levels have been low ... we want to encourage and get more people cycling.’’
It would be hard to say how much road incident levels would be lowered by the cycleways because of the low cycling levels in the past, Stevenson said.
The NZTA estimated it provide access for around 700 students, within 500m of the route, to schools in both centres.
The Rangiora-Kaiapoi route would begin on the Mafeking Footbridge, Kaiapoi, follow the stopbank, pass under the rail bridge then follow Lineside Road to the west of the railway line. When it arrived in Rangiora it would link with existing on-road cycle routes in Southbrook.
The Rangiora-Woodend route would follow Rangiora-Woodend Road between Devlin Avenue and Chinnerys Road, with a connection to existing on-road cycle routes along Kippenberger Avenue until East Belt. In Woodend it would connect with the existing route to School Road.