Kihikihi’s $8-million-dollar cycle way has split the community between lovers and haters.
Cyclists on the Kihikihi cycleway
While cyclists are lining up to ride the cycleway and loving the experience, Te Awamutu-Kihikihi Community Board chair Ange Holt recently told the board she had not received any positive feedback after receiving a letter complaining about the mismatch between what was planned and what was delivered.
NZ Transport Agency spent $5.64 million on the Te Ara Rimu project delivering approximately 2km of cycle path and footpath in the town with $2.4 million from Waipā District Council.
“There’s nothing we can do now about this, but as a community board I’d like us to think about what we can try and facilitate to prevent it from happening in the future,” Holt said.
“It’s something that in my nine years on the community board I see repeated over and over, where yes in essence the community has asked for X, but we are not getting the same as what we are asking for. So somewhere in there we are getting a miscommunication or a mismatch.”
Kihikihi Cycleway on a recent Friday afternoon. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
Cambridge Connections was a prime example.
“I don’t want to pour cold water on what is a beautiful cycleway but outside of the people that live at the end of Rolleston Street where the trucks have stopped coming, I’m really sorry to say that I haven’t had one positive piece of feedback about that cycleway.”
Holt said she had received complaints from residents unable to park outside of their own homes, thanks to the installation of berms, bus drivers and rural contractors who were unable to manoeuvre vehicles around roundabouts, trucks drivers unable to turn trucks around in the newly created cul-de-sacs.
“It’s really sad to see the amount of money that we’ve spent with the best intention and it’s not meeting the need of our community. It’s something I would like us to put some thought towards.”
Holt told The News residents had not realised from the plan that the cycleway included the installation of berms between the carriageway and the cycleway.
The Kihikihi Cycleway on Whitmore Street.
Residents had taken to parking on the cycleway.
“It’s pretty tight,” said Waipā Ag Services owner Dwayne Little.
He said he understood what the project was trying to achieve.
“There’s not a whole lot of room through there. You have got to be careful going past the school.”
Opinions were split on line, when The News asked how the cycleway was working out for the community.
Sim Gower described it as the “most dumb idea in Kihikihi history”. Karen Searancke said making streets dead ends did not make sense.
Chevon Hunapo-Love said taking away parking places was very inconvenient.
“I can’t reverse out of my driveway and close my gate without taking up space on the road,” she said.
“It has made it more dangerous for oncoming traffic. It would’ve been a good idea to make the cycle lane more narrow.”
She had watched police trying to find a safe place on Whitmore Street to pull someone over.
Bron Colin Thorsen said he used the cycle way nearly every day to get to town and back and passes a lot of cyclists and walkers.
“These people who say they don’t see anyone on the cycleway need to get on their bikes and try it themselves. Instead of being a couch potato give it a go. They might be surprised.
“What it needs is the mayor to have an official opening inviting everyone to follow her on one or two laps around the village on their bikes. Love it.
