Maitai pathway put on fast track for widening
Widening the Maitai riverside path is good news for pedestrians, especially for parents with young families and mobility scooter users, says a Nelson city councillor.
The project to widen the popular pathway between Collingwood St and Bridge St is among those to be fast-tracked after the council received $1.23 million from the Provincial Growth Fund for infrastructure projects to help the Covid-19 recovery.
Traffic-calming measures on Beach Rd and resurfacing a road in York Valley are among the five approved council projects.
The Maitai River Path widening project – which would widen the existing 1.5m path to 2.5m – was first approved by the council in 2015. At the time the plan was to widen the path between Collingwood and Nile streets, and was costed at $600,000.
Councillor Matt Lawrey said the project’s funding green light was ‘‘a great, great thing’’.
‘‘It’s good news for pedestrians, for parents pushing buggies, people using mobility scooters . . . the current path funnels cyclists and pedestrians together, which is no good for anyone.’’
He said people who wanted to get an idea of what the widened pathway would look like could compare the existing path with the wider section between Collingwood St bridge and the River Kitchen cafe.
Councillor Tim Skinner was the only councillor to vote against the project in 2015, citing public submissions which had concerns about both the riverside environment and the potential disruption caused by an increase in cyclist numbers or speed.
‘‘My stance hasn’t changed since then,’’ Skinner said at the walkway on Wednesday.
‘‘My view is reflected by a large number of the community who share those concerns. It’s quite a nice tranquil walkway, and I have no problem with cyclists using it, but my concern is widening it makes it become a commuter cycleway.’’
Chair of the infrastructure committee councillor Brian McGurk said the council projects were chosen because they were shovelready.
He said the section of the path between Bridge St and Nile St would not be widened because it required more design work and so was not yet shovel-ready.
At the time the walkway widening project was first proposed, public submissions were largely favourable.
A council statement this week said the path between Collingwood and Bridge streets was only 1.5m wide, and surfaces on either side were uneven and sunken in places.
‘‘Council has feedback from the community that the path is too narrow, and reports of injuries occurring when people move to make way for others.
‘‘The narrow width of the current path also discourages use by pedestrians, cyclists and mobility scooters.’’