114 | COMMUNITY Tasman District Council: Richmond & Mapua Cycling development T T Kim Newth Walking, cycling safety gets boost “We want to slow vehicles down to make it safer for cyclists,” says Jamie McPherson, Tasman District Council Transportation Manager. “We want a road system that will keep people safe – that is our ultimate goal.” Tasman District Council has moved fast to act on its safe walking and cycling objectives since Waka Kotahi approved ‘Streets for People’ funding of $2.4 million for Richmond and $840,000 for Māpua in September 2022. Local communities are seeing tangible results with the beginnings of a network of safe walking and cycling spaces in urban streets. Fuelling the development of the Council’s Walking and Cycling Strategy in recent years has been accelerating urban residential growth, bringing with it more traffic and busier roads. “That has coincided with growing awareness of how emissions are affecting our climate – all these things are somewhat related and the Council wanted to bring it together into a strategy,” explains Jamie McPherson, Tasman District Council Transportation Manager. “In 2022, we got really strong feedback from the community showing that people supported the idea of improving our streets to make it easier and safer to walk and cycle. Our strategy aims for a doubling in the number of walking and cycling trips being made in Tasman’s urban areas by 2030 and tripling by 2050.” Community consultation has been front and centre in Streets for People planning for Richmond and Māpua, with working groups and the wider community driving the changes. “That’s so important, because we need to know what issues we should be taking into account in the design and whether there are special features or parts of particular streets that we need to recognise. The working groups have provided some really useful insights.” In 2023, the first phase of Richmond Streets for People got underway with a trial of separated cycle lanes on Salisbury Road between two raised crossings outside Waimea Intermediate School. Two metre-wide cycle lanes were created using plastic kerb separators, offering a low cost, semi-permanent cycle lane solution. “The initial trial was a success – we got some great feedback, including from the schoolkids - so the next phase is to roll it out to the rest of the street.” Richmond Streets for People also includes Wensley Rd, Queen St, Hill St and Champion Rd. Drawing on feedback from working groups, designs have been prepared and approved by the Council, with implementation due to be completed by March 2024. “We’ve just finished Queen Street with separated painted cycle lanes. Across the Richmond programme, it’s a mix of separated cycle solutions and slow traffic speed solutions for sections of road that are too narrow for cycle lanes. We want to slow vehicles down to make it safer for cyclists.” In Māpua, the Council held a workshop with Māpua School students in 2022, from which six students were chosen to be Active Travel Champions for the programme, actively engaging with the wider school community. An art competition produced works that could be used along the new pilot road layout on Aranui Rd. “Māpua School has been fantastic. We have always worked with local schools. They are quite key in helping us connect with the community and tap into a voice we don’t always hear through traditional submission processes – and the kids get this stuff.” Māpua Streets for People’s pilot installation on Aranui Rd is now in place, with the main elements including some raised pedestrian crossings to help slow traffic down, new shared pathways, separated cycle lanes, and planter boxes to demonstrate green space options. A survey seeking public feedback attracted more than 400 responses in just the first few weeks after it opened in November 2023. Feedback will be used to help hone the trial changes so as to ensure designs deliver on safe walking and cycling objectives. “It is really satisfying to see people using these new features. What we would really like to see is no more reports of cyclists being knocked off their bikes. “We want a road system that will keep people safe - that is our ultimate goal.” Design | Engineering | Environment wsp.com/nz Creating what matters for communities across Aotearoa New Zealand.
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