New Hamilton cycleway is not a parking spot
People are being warned not to park on a newly built cycleway in west Hamilton if they don’t want to be fined.
Construction is underway on a revamped protected cycleway on Rifle Range Rd to help link Dinsdale, Frankton to Maeroa and Forest Lake.
While under construction there are no car parks outside Swarbrick Park, a popular sports and recreation park. It’s also close to Frankton Primary school for student drop-off and pick-ups.
At the weekend a number of vehicles were caught parking on the new section of cycleway.
Hamilton City Council’s public transport and urban mobility manager, Martin Parkes said on Saturday five warnings were handed out for illegally parking on either the footpath or bike lane outside Swarbrick Park.
“More warnings did not need to be issued on the day as people began moving their vehicles.” The fine for parking on the footpath is $40. The fine for parking in the bike lane is $60.
Parkes said parking enforcement will continue in the coming weeks along Rifle Range Rd.
“Although enforcement is undertaken on a case-by-case basis, we are generally taking an education-first approach with warnings issued before fines. This recognises the project is still under construction and that the street layout is new for everyone.” He said it’s hazardous and illegal for people to park on a cycleway or footpath.
“It can put people walking and biking – including school students and disabled people - into dangerous positions by forcing them into the traffic lane.”
They expect to start marking parking spaces by the end of April with the focus on Swarbrick Park.
“In the meantime, people can park on side streets in the area or further along Rifle Range Rd. There are about 280 car parks available within a 400m radius of the park, that’s about a five-minute walk.”
The council are attempting to prevent people parking on the cycleway by using physical barriers, education and parking enforcement. “We have used road cones to stop people driving over the kerb to move in and out of the cycleway, and have recently installed temporary bollards at the entrance to the cycleway outside Swarbrick Park.”
Bike Waikato chairperson Melissa Smith said it’s frustrating to see vehicles impeding cyclists.
“The entire purpose of the cycleway is to give people riding bikes a space off the road to be able to ride their bikes.”
Smith said Rifle Range Rd is a great candidate for a protected cycleway site with the number of schools and parks on the road.