Waterfront pathway in fast lane

Rocks Rd will get fast-tracked bicycle and pedestrian improvements in a move hailed as a ‘‘breakthrough’’ for Nelson’s waterfront.

NZ Transport Agency officials on Monday presented a plan to prioritise the Rocks Rd cycle/ walkway improvements by removing them from the Southern Link Investigation Detailed Business Case (SLI).

The Southern Link is a controversial alternative highway route through the Nelson suburb of Victory to the port. The intention was to develop the Rocks Rd proposals at the same time, but with the link at least 10 years away, the priorities have changed.

NZTA’s SLI project manager Reese Palmer, in an update to the Nelson City Council’s transport committee, said NZTA was looking at delivering measures for Rocks Rd in a shorter time frame than the SLI would allow for, in a ‘‘decoupling’’ involving a separate, single-stage business case focusing on short- to mediumterm improvements.

Councillor Matt Lawrey said the Rocks Rd single-stage business case was ‘‘the most exciting part’’ of the report. ‘‘It feels like a bit of a breakthrough for Nelson.’’

NZTA representative Jim Harland said the focus was on improving the safety of pedestrians and cyclists at the same time as carrying out the SLI, ‘‘rather than doing the big investigation and then not even looking if there’s any short- or medium-term wins’’.

‘‘We recognise that there are challenges for cyclists and walkers on that corridor at the moment, and we recognise we need to look to see what, if anything, we can do to make that safer in the interim while there will still be heavy vehicles and quite a few cars going down there,’’ Harland said.

‘‘[The Southern Link is] a decade-plus away, so if we can do anything in the short or medium term to improve walking and cycling, that’s why we’ve decoupled it out.’’

The Rocks Rd shared pathway single business case is expected to be finalised late next year.

Lawrey said it was ‘‘a good day for Nelson’’.

‘‘I think this is a great step forward. It feels like progress. It feels like we are a step closer to having a waterfront for everyone.’’