MP pushes for cycleway to boost Tararua tourism
If the new east-west highway planned to connect Tararua with Manawatu¯ had a cyclepath and walkway it would create many new opportunities, an MP says.
Wairarapa electorate MP Alastair Scott wants these features included in New Zealand Transport Agency’s Manawatu¯ Hawke’s Bay Highway plans to promote business, safety and tourism in the region.
‘‘They’re planning on a nice easy, good quality road for cars and trucks to get from Tararua to Palmerston North,’’ he said. ‘‘It seems to me that it’s obvious there should be a cycleway because it’s over a short distance. People commute that sort of distance.’’
He also suggested that if a walkway or cycle path could be re-established through the Manawatu¯ Gorge it would be a great tourism opportunity.
‘‘You could create a whole environment where you could walk and bike for a couple of days. They could base themselves in Woodville and spend some money in the town,’’ Scott said.
State Highway 3 through the gorge – a popular route linking Manawatu¯ with Hawke’s Bay and northern Wairarapa – has been closed since April last year because of slips. The route was abandoned when officials said the Tararua Range hillside was unstable.
Scott said the Kapiti expressway was a good example of how its walkwaycycleway addition was a much needed improvement to the original plans.
He has written to Transport Minister Phil Twyford lobbying to have a separate track included in the highway plans.
‘‘The Government talks about keeping people safe on our roads and it’s a big investment for them. Keeping cycle commuters off the road has to be a plus,’’ Scott said.
‘‘But if you can make it independent, it’s no longer just a commutable link but it’s a tourist destination.’’