File No: 01-65-065 ROTORUA DISTRICT COUNCIL Chairperson...

1 Strategy, Policy and Finance Committee

Doc No: RDC-493443 3 December 2014

File No: 01-65-065

RDC-493443

ROTORUA DISTRICT COUNCIL Mayor Chairperson and Members STRATEGY POLICY AND FINANCE COMMITTEE INNER CITY GREEN CORRIDOR Report prepared by: Portia McKenzie, Inner City Lead Advisor / Stavros Michael, Transport Solutions Director / Rob

Pitkethley, Sports and Recreation Manager Report reviewed by: Jean-Paul Gaston, Group Manager Strategy and Partnerships Report approved by: Geoff Williams, Chief Executive

1. PURPOSE

The purpose of this report is to obtain approval and funding for the inner city green corridor project in partnership with the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA). This request has been given urgency because of available funding from NZTA.

2. RECOMMENDATIONS:

1. That the report “Inner City Green Corridor” be received.

2. That the Committee notes the strategic fit of the proposal with Rotorua 2030 and the significance

of the proposal in terms of the efforts to revitalise the inner city. 3. That the Committee agrees to the construction of the inner city green corridor, funded from

existing budget allocations including Inner City Portfolio ($50,000), Sustainable Economic Growth Portfolio ($50,000) and transportation, arts and sports and recreation budgets.

3. BACKGROUND

Council has agreed to some important strategic objectives embodied in key strategies such as:

Rotorua 2030,

Draft Inner City Revitalisation Strategy,

Draft Rotorua Cycling Strategy, and;

The Rotorua Integrated Network Strategy (2012-2042). These strategies call for actions to revitalise the inner city, to bring more people onto the inner city streets and to create a diverse and safe inner city environment. Important measures in pursuit of these objectives have been identified in these strategies such as:

Strengthening the inner city spine as a public place of intense activity

Encouraging a creative community with more places for people to engage with their environment

Provide for and support more active modes of transport as a means of accessing the inner city

Create outstanding places to play

Leverage on tourism through facilities and events designed to attract tourists into the city centre.



Since the formation of Rotorua 2030, Council has been working very closely with the inner city stakeholders to plan and achieve the revitalisation of the inner city. To date a number of “quick win” actions have been undertaken including, intersection upgrades, introducing free two hour parking, the installation of artwork including murals and sculptures, a number of crime prevention initiatives and the automation of the car parking building. Reinforcing these actions, an inner city green corridor has been identified as a strategic project in the revitalisation of the inner city. This proposed project will link existing cycleways to the east and west of the city through an inner city corridor. The corridor is designed to be one that is of high quality which in itself creates a destination objective and puts another strong stamp in the ground for Rotorua’s reputation as a recreation friendly city. Is important to highlight that significant projects of this nature require strong leadership commitment as often a change in public space allocation is necessary. Long-term, agreed strategic objectives need to be given priority over traditional uses if the desired outcomes are to be attained. This request has been given urgency because of available NZTA funding but strong support has been evidenced through the inner city stakeholders group and feedback to the survey.

4. DISCUSSION What is a Green Corridor? A green corridor within a city is designed to provide a natural relief from the confines of a “concrete jungle” and to offer a wide range of social, aesthetic, environmental and economic benefits. Our inner city green corridor has been designed to accommodate all types of users so there will be multi modal opportunities for all user groups. The young, families, the elderly and city centre visitors. While the footpath will still be available for pedestrians, the types of users we expect to see taking advantage of this corridor would be:

Cyclists,

Runners/walkers either singles or in groups,

People with disabilities,

Mobility scooters (the old), and;

Scooters/skateboards/skaters (the young). The inner city green corridor will contain a variety of experiences designed to meet all the different users’ needs and therefore there is a layering of features such as:

Artwork to enjoy and reflect our cultural heritage,

Spaces to stop, get off, shop and dine,

Landscaping to offer ecological opportunities,

Ramps and banking for children on scooters,

Sensory features for the disabled, elderly and young, and;

Associated infrastructure such as water fountains, bike racks and bike fixing stations.

What are the key outcomes sought for the Inner City Green Corridor?

To provide a legible link between Kuirau Park and Government Gardens

To enhance the attractiveness of the inner city through improved visual amenity

To enhance user amenity and reflect our lakeside location and heritage through art, social engagement locations/spots and street furniture

To connect existing cycleways that stop at the outskirts of the city

To incorporate our cultural storey in streetscape and corridor elements

To stimulate and encourage multi modes of transport, reduce social costs of crashes, reduce unnecessary car usage related pollution and congestion and the associated health benefits

To create a destination recreational feature within the inner city Strategic planning fit The green corridor project can greatly contribute to achieving a vibrant city heart. It will also facilitate creative communities, towards sustainable economic growth, enhance outstanding places to play and help create a better connected and contribute to a more resilient community.



The Draft Inner City Revitalisation Strategy approved by Council in October 2014 includes a Green Corridor concept to integrate the core inner city area with peripheral attractions (Kuirau Park, Government Gardens and the Museum). The CBD Revitalisation Strategy approved in 2006 also identified this concept as key to the revitalisation of the city. Council has recently completed the core cycleways of Ngongotaha, Hemo Gorge (the National Cycleway) and Te Ngae Road. All these cycleways however end at the outskirts of the inner city and there is no direct linkage between them. Attachment 1 shows the wider cycleways throughout the district and their absence through the city. The Draft Cycling Strategy identifies the inner city as a gap in the cycleways to be bridged. One of the key goals of the Toi Te Ora Public Health is to reduce childhood obesity and have determined that the way to do this is to increase cycle and walking opportunities. Cycleways and walkways which physically separate people other road users and potential risks (moving cars, pedestrians and the doors of parked cars) will encourage more people to recreation facilities such as the green corridor. There is strong preference for routes that are relatively flat and direct. This is because most people who say they would consider cycling are not just looking at cycling to get exercise – a safe route that is convenient for any purpose is desirable. If an ideal route is chosen, cycling numbers nearly triple. The chief barriers to cycling are a lack of safe infrastructure and concerns about vehicle conflict. In national surveys nearly 50% (including residents who do not cycle) said that they would consider cycling if there were safer cycling corridors. Benefits of the Inner City Green Corridor Economic – Economic benefits of active mode corridors, including cycleways, have been identified throughout the country. The Inner City Green Corridor builds on that concept by intensifying the opportunities through the inner city. It is expected that as a result of the creation of the green corridor, increased foot traffic will eventuate which will create demand for businesses on the corridor, helping to reduce the number of vacant shops within the inner city.

Tourism - The design of the green corridor is not one of just getting people from A to B. By layering the uses and adding the features along the way, it is designed to be a destination in its own right. The cycleways of Napier, New Plymouth and Nelson have proven this concept. The Inner City Green Corridor has been designed slightly differently where the features added are intensified through the city. Transport – Benefits to transportation include increased alternative transport, safety improvements and crash reduction. Assessment of the transport benefits through the NZTA Economic Evaluation Manual (EEM) framework has determined a conservative transport benefit of this green corridor of 2:1. We believe that the actual BCR will be much higher than that once the multiplying effect of new users is taken into consideration. In any event NZTA has agreed to co-invest in this project. Timing Our Inner City Green Corridor project has been given a good reason to be accelerated because Rotorua has been selected to host the International cycling event “Crankworks” for the next three years. The first event is in March 2015. Furthermore, Rotorua is to hold TRENDZ in May 2015. This portion of our cycleways could be a key showcase feature for the both events. It would draw visitors from Crankworx into the city. Also, potentially all hotels could be encouraged to provide cycles free of charge to delegates to get to and from the Energy Events Centre and events held for TRENDZ.

Location of the Green Corridor From the east, the National Cycleway comes past the Museum and Polynesian Spa to the south around Sulphur Point. Hinemoa Street to the east provides a good connection visual from the Government Gardens and the Polynesian Spa to the heart of Tutanekai Street. By moving north along Tutanekai Street, the green corridor will maximise its opportunities and strengthen the spine of the inner city. This also brings users through the Night Market on a Thursday. Turning left into Haupapa Street and travelling west could provide the link from Tutanekai Street straight to Kuirau Park. At this point, a focal feature with height could indicate the park from afar and draw foot traffic from the city and information in the park. While the park itself offers many opportunities for recreation,



the path is designed to travel through Kuirau Park past the playground, the market and key geothermal spots to connect to the Ngongotaha cycleway. This also contributes towards the Kuirau Park master plan. In terms of cycling, by providing the inner city link, a cyclist could be in the Redwoods forest at dawn, travel through the inner city cycleway for lunch and be at the Skyline track by the afternoon. Attachment 2 shows the green corridor location.

Design Hinemoa Street (from Fenton Street to City Focus) and Haupapa Street (from Tutanekai Street to Amohia Street) are both 30 metres wide with three rows of car parking (one on either side as well as one row in the middle). All other streets in the inner city only have one row either side. Figures 1 and 2 below illustrate these.

Figure 1 – Existing Hinemoa Street Cross Section

Figure 2 – Existing Haupapa Street Cross Section



A proposed cross-section has been drawn up to provide a safe and dedicated green corridor that is clear of both road and general pedestrian traffic (see Figure 3). In this case, the car parking on the southern side of the street is removed and the green corridor installed. The centre parking kerbing is flipped to become the parking option for one side and the side parking for the other.

Figure 3 – Existing (top) and Proposed (bottom) Cross Sections of Hinemoa and Haupapa Streets

Along Tutanekai Street, the footpath is wide on the western side from City Focus to Pukuatua Street and on the eastern side from Pukuatua Street to Haupapa Street. As parking is at a premium here, the cycleway could be on the footpath but clearly marked and separated so all users know who have the right of way. Figure 4 below illustrates the cross-section on Tutanekai Street.

Figure 4 – Existing (top) and Proposed (bottom) Cross Section of Tutanekai Street



In all locations, sunshine is an important factor. The southern and eastern side of the streets are used where possible as this will get the most sunshine hours and create a pleasant environment for the user. The green corridor can be designed to include artwork and places to stop similar to that below in Figure 5.

Is there a loss of car parking? The design results in a loss of car parking in Hinemoa Street (from Fenton Street to City Focus) and Haupapa Street (Tutanekai Street to Amohia Street). To compensate the removal of these parks a rationalisation exercise has been undertaken throughout the city to return the spaces, albeit in different locations but close proximity. This process has resulted in an overall loss of 65 spaces. The sensors in the road provide a good opportunity to determine demand and supply for car parks. The table below is results from that analysis. On average 63% of total parks in Hinemoa Street are used. This means there are 10 spaces available (on average). On Haupapa Street, 48% of parks are occupied, leaving 25 spaces available. In Pukuatua and Eruera Streets there are 91 spaces available on average at any time. Furthermore, the car parking building on Pukuatua Street is only 50% occupied, leaving at least 100 spaces available at any one time. Figure 6 – Parking Usage

Location Number of

Parking Spaces % Occupied on

Average

Parking Spaces Used on Average

Surplus Parking Spaces on Average

Hinemoa South Side 28 63% 18 10

Haupapa South Side 48 48% 23 25

Pukuatua 130 71% 92 38

Eruera 156 66% 103 53



This analysis shows that there is available “fat in the system” to accommodate the loss of parks and that the same level of service will be provided (meaning those looking for a park will find one). The cost really is the loss of convenience.

There will be a cost of time for those drivers who usually park on the identified Hinemoa and Haupapa parking spaces in order to visit businesses and facilities that are closer to these spaces than other parking spaces. The average distance of a parking space either on Eruera or Pukuatua from Hinemoa and Haupapa is approximately 100m. Using an average walking speed of 12 minutes per kilometre, it would take the average person 1.2 minutes to walk this extra 100m. Rotorua 2030 seeks to put more people on our streets and of course there is a health benefit associated with this increased walking. Therefore, the costs and benefits associated with parking further away potentially cancel each other out. The centre car parking has been designed to ensure each road lane has car parking available and thereby reducing the current conflicts from two rows of parks backing into the same road lane. NRB Survey indicates that 15% of residents not very satisfied with parking in Rotorua city. Of that 15%, 4% detailed they were unhappy with ‘parking difficulties/angle parking/difficulty reversing’ with the following comments made: “Too narrow, Hinemoa St, Haupapa St, can hit each other when back out.” “Hopeless, you get backed into, particularly middle street parking.” “The parking in middle of Haupapa and Hinemoa Streets causes accidents. People back out into each other, too narrow.” “Too tight when driving down the road. Parked cars protrude onto road. Not every street but many.” “Too cramped. When driving you have to manoeuvre through the centre of it. Not wide enough, eg Hinemoa St.” “Roads too narrow, when backing could hit someone, Hinemoa St, Haupapa St.”

5. ASSESSMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE The decisions or matters of this report are not considered significant in accordance with the Council’s Policy on Significance.

6. COMMUNITY INPUT/ENGAGEMENT AND PUBLICITY Community engagement has been occurring through the development of the Inner City Revitalisation Strategy since October 2013. A number of public meetings have been held including workshops with key stakeholders. All of those who have engaged in these workshops have supported the concept of the green corridor. In September 2014 a public survey was conducted to determine the level of support. Of the 45 respondents, all but 2 support the concept. 13 respondents specifically mention that a dedicated space is preferred (entirely separate from the road and footpath). Comments include: “What would be FABULOUS would be if these paths were also roller skate and scooter friendly. it makes such a difference to a city if you can skate around it - Paris, New York, Copenhagen, Newport Beach, Chicago and now Rotorua! It would be great to make a circuit from Kuirau Park to the lakefront, and coming back through this that was also skate friendly.” “Makes for healthier citizens, reduces traffic congestion and is good for our Rotorua image. Would appeal to our many overseas visitors because cycling in cities overseas is very popular.”

Attachment 3 includes all the survey responses.



An individual letter (attachment 4) has been sent to all property owners on the corridor advising them of the proposal and that a decision will be made at the Strategy, Policy and Finance Committee meeting on 3 December 2014.

7. CONSIDERATIONS

7.1 Financial/budget considerations

The costs can be broken down into two parts, the basic infrastructure (kerbing, demolition of parts, path installation and some landscaping) and the accessories (artwork, sculptures, fountains, bike racks etc). A cost estimate has been undertaken for the basic infrastructure and considered to be approximately $397,000 ± 10%. The accessories will be approximately an additional $100,000. NZTA has agreed that the basic infrastructure will be subsidised and in this case would provide 57% of the total cost and Council is expected to meet the local share (approximately $170,000). This is the last year that this level of funding will be available and next year the percentage share will be reviewed. The local share of this part of the project can be funded from existing budgets including:

$50,000 - Inner City portfolio

$50,000 - Sustainable Economic Growth portfolio

$20,000 – Arts budget

$15,000 – Roading budget

$35,000 – Kuirau Park master plan and immediate projects budget

The accessories will be part of a longer term project and added to over time. This funding will be considered in the Long-term Plan 2015 and staged over two years. These features may also be considered by NZTA for match funding. Marketing will be essential to ensure the success of the green corridor. Destination Marketing Rotorua has indicated a commitment to market the corridor externally and to draw users in from other cities. It will be Councils role to market the corridor locally and these costs will be within existing marketing budgets.

7.2 Options

Option 1 – Agree to proceed and begin construction as soon as possible.

Option 2 – Do not agree to proceed and instead consider project within Long-term Plan (of which NZTA funding may not be available).

7.3 Policy and planning implications The project is consistent with Council policy and plans. The Inner City Green Corridor is identified as a significant project to meet the 2016 priority of a vibrant city heart and contribute towards creative communities, sustainable economic growth, outstanding places to play and a resilient community.

7.4 Risks

In order to be able to deliver a green corridor experience of long-term strategic significance for the city, it is necessary to rationalise and reprioritise on-street car parking along the route and in favour of other active transport modes. It has been identified that some on street car parking spaces will need to be removed. Car parking occupancy assessment in the area has identified that nearby on street car parking capacity can easily accommodate this loss. Users can find alternative parking spaces within a few metres from these locations at a minimum inconvenience.



There is no evidence to convincingly indicate any material economic risk to businesses along the proposed route from the rationalisation of the car parking. On the contrary, it is expected that the green corridor will become a catalyst for increased economic activity in the inner city. It is however recognised that some members of the community, including local business sector members, may hold a different perception and there is a risk of objection to the proposal. Every effort has and will continue to be made to address these concerns.

7.5 Authority

This committee has the mandate to make this decision.

8. ATTACHMENTS

Attachment 1: Cycling in Rotorua Map Attachment 2: Inner City Green Corridor Route Attachment 3: Survey results Attachment 4: Letter to property owners


Doc No: RDC-493443 ATTACHMENT 1 3 December 2014

Attachment 1: Cycling in Rotorua Map



Attachment 2: Inner City Green Corridor Route



Attachment 3: Survey results

Do you support the proposed cycleway in the inner city?

Explain why, or what you think would work better

Any additional comments about cycling in the inner city?

Yes

Yes

I support the idea of having city cycleways. I also support having dedicated cycle routes into the city that are not just on the side of main roads but purpose built.

I would also like there to be a helmet optional zone (i.e not required to wear a helmet) in the main inner city area. This may require speed restrictions for cycling in the helmet optional zone (i.e. no faster than 30km). The helmet optional zone would encourage those that are doing short stints around the inner city to ride bicycles. Whilst this might sound trivial, you will never get office workers riding bikes in the inner city if it is going to mess their hair 'do's and make up by wearing an 'ugly' helmet. They also won’t have to drag their helmet around. Riding a bike could become a chic inner city way to get around, but this will never happen if people have to wear helmets. I've seen how this works in big European cities where people are not required to wear helmets.

Yes

There are two items I would like to raise. There are many people who have bikes but my question is why aren't they being used? The primary reason is probably safety; therefore, we should encourage the use of one-way systems in our city so bikers are pushed out of the way by cars. Further, bike lanes, with plastic strips (on the outside of the bike lane to separate them from the cars would be good). This would mean cars stay in their lanes and cyclists stay in theirs – as neither always do this. A second reason is that we are losing a bike culture for simple transportation reasons. Many people now view bikes only as a recreational vehicle, rather than their primary source of transport. Developing a biking culture should not just be done for "fun" purposes as we often see promoted. The simplest way to encourage this is to give each household a bike. We could work in with the wholesalers to purchase these, the retailers will still benefit through increased accessory sales and maintenance. The bikes given to the community should be branded with our city's logos or sponsorship but they should be free. If you ask people to pay then this will fail. For those who already have bikes, we could offer some additional incentive/benefit but at the end of the day we need more people riding bikes for the right reasons.

As the Chair of Sustainable Rotorua (it was called Keep Rotorua Beautiful), one of our goals is to encourage and assist in this vision of people riding a bike for the right reasons - it should be done for sustainability, health and pollution reasons. Could I please suggest that our two committees discuss and work on this together as Rotorua could set itself apart from most other cities with a real bike culture - and for the right reasons.






Yes

If at all possible cycle ways should be a designated strip - similar to the dedicated lanes that are available in places like Hastings, Napier and Christchurch. They should not be cycle lanes/vehicle parking strips because inevitably a cyclist is forced to veer out into traffic lanes. This practice is usually unavoidable and is particularly hazardous on our busier streets, especially around peak hour periods which is when commuter cyclist would be on the road. Similarly, shared cycle ways/footpaths, as per the Fenton Street example should be avoided also. Myself and a number of fellow cyclists have had or have observed a number of close calls when vehicles have pulled out of or turned into driveways. Undoubtedly tourists exiting or turning into motels along Fenton Street aren't looking for cyclist coming along the footpath. So too, cyclist tend to be getting along at a bit of a clip and many might not be aware of the danger that they are putting themselves into. The crossings into the Pak n Save and Countdown supermarkets are particularly bad more so when vehicles are turning left from Fenton Street into the supermarkets. As a driver one really has to make a very careful sweep of your mirrors before making this turn. I don't believe that many drivers give the hazard very much thought. As a cyclist I prefer to take my chances out on the road. At least I have a better chance of seeing danger coming at me or being seen. Careful consideration needs to be given towards getting cyclist safely through roundabouts. These are a huge hazard for cyclists. I have had 3 serious accidents at roundabouts in the past 3 years. In every instance the vehicle driver gave no thought towards the cyclist that they were over-taking. Rather they were looking to their right and ignorant of the fact that they were squeezing me up against the kerb. I now plan my riding to routes to avoid roundabouts even if this means having to go some considerable distance out of my way.






Yes Where can I find info on this so that I can give some feedback?

Angle parking makes it extremely dangerous as drivers don't see you riding. I will usually ride in the middle of the road as I would generally be riding same pace as traffic. Fenton St is a joke - 1. because of the surface. It’s worse than most country roads. 2. I don't know of any riders that will risk riding on the cycle path along there. There are more obstacles/dangers on it than there are on the road. The general condition of city streets is disgusting for those on bicycles. Suggest some of our councillors get on 'road' bikes, not cruisers or mountain bikes and realise how bad they are. Cyclepaths that disappear ... Te Ngae Rd by Ngapuna shops for example, either need to move into the traffic, or risk being hit by a car backing out of carpark ... I know this because that’s where I last got hit by a car.

Yes Safer cycling - reduce number of cars around city

Yes I support it because anything to improve cycling access in Rotorua is a good thing.

We still need to consider the routes in and out of the city; the whole area needs to be safe for cycling not just a couple of special cycleways. If we want people to be able to cycle to work and make it safer we need to pay attention to all areas and roads used, particularly large round-a-bouts and traffic light intersections. The round-a-bout at Pukuatua St and Ranolf St, as an example, is dangerous to navigate on a bicycle. A friend who works at the hospital gave up cycling to work after two near misses on the Pukuatua St and Ranolf St corner, he didn't feel safe and has gone back to driving to work.

Yes

Hundreds of research studies and real-life examples prove conclusively that improving safe cycle access to inner-cities reduces congestion, increases social health and increases retailers' revenue. Only this week the city of London has committed to creating lanes similar (but better) to those proposed for Rotorua.

Rotorua is lagging behind terribly in this regard - other cities in NZ such as Auckland, Hamilton, Napier, Nelson, Dunedin and Whanganui are streets ahead of Rotorua in terms of inner city cycling promotion. Frankly, Rotorua has only become known as a great cycling destination because of the work of the mountain biking club - NOT the council.

Yes

Proposed cycle way will connect cycle paths that currently only get you to the edge of the CBD. Make it safe for families and tourists to bike in to and around the CBD.

Yes

Because people who want to cycle into the city will be safer. If people feel that biking in the city is safe, then more will do it and reduce motor vehicle traffic.

Yes At the moment it is not safe to cycle along the inner city roads and to have a designated cycleway would encourage more to use bicycles.






Yes More bikes = safer roads safer roads = more bikes more bikes = less cars

cars should give way to pedestrian and cyclists

Yes

Build it and they will come. "Commuter cycling" is inadequately catered for in this town. I am a regular commuter and where infrastructure has been installed (eg Te Ngae road and Fenton Street) I believe there has been a significant increase is cycling numbers - and there is still a huge untapped opportunity. Intersections are in my opinion the highest risk element of cycling in Rotorua. A cycleway that allows quick and safe negotiation of busy intersections is great. After this trial - if it works well I'd like to see the whole central city with a similar format.

More is good. Culture the key along with facilities and infrastructure - eg bike racks and cycleways. we have the mtb culture and many mtber's 'commute' to the forest. need to get more doing it and preferring to cycle commute that use their car.

Yes

More people on bikes make it safer for everyone on bikes, as they become part of the expected landscape. Drivers so often look straight through bikes, as they are programmed to look only for large vehicles.

Make it happen!

Yes

Rotorua should be given all the encouragement to be NZs cycling city. It's flat, so many tourists, and anything to help the safety of cyclists is worth it. This sustainable way of commuting needs to be encouraged.

Yes Yes - great idea, encourage cycling, reduce traffic, noise and obesity.

What would be FABULOUS would be if these paths were also roller skate and scooter friendly. It makes such a difference to a city if you can skate around it - Paris, New York, Copenhagen, Newport Beach, Chicago and now Rotorua! It would be great to make a circuit from Kuirau park to the lake front, and coming back through this that was also skate friendly.

Yes

It will provide access for riders coming into the centre from the east and the west. It will also provide through city access that is safer for those heading to the various tourist spots, bike riding facilities on the outskirts of town.

More cycle parking required. A bike lock up for secure bike parking for those commuting to work would be great, not all work places have secure bike parking facilities for their workers.

No

I think the cycle ways should go around the lake front. Over by Queens Gardens but not in the city. Maybe Fenton. Just not in the CBD it's not safe.

Keep it out on Fenton and away from the CBD.

Yes

There needs to be some option through town, riding with parked cars on one side of you trying to back out (often without noticing bikes) and cars trying to squeeze down roads with parked cars on the side often doesn't leave room for cyclists. I get very nervous riding through town, and even more so when I have my kids riding with me. We are known as a cycling city because of all the mountain bike tracks but this doesn't filter into the cbd.






Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

I think this is a great idea. My husband often cycles to work, my daughters ride to the climbing gym, and I often cycle to do errands or to meet up with my family. When we get to the inner part of the city, we feel much less safe riding due to traffic and parked cars. I think bike lanes could help with the safety of bicyclists. It could also serve as a reminder to motorists to watch out for people on bikes.

How about bike racks on city buses so that cyclists could take advantage of public transportation and then hop on their bike to their final destination.

Yes To have safe and designated cycle ways in and around our city is long overdue and can only enhance Rotorua.

Yes It would encourage people to leave their car at home & would be much safer with designated routes.

Designated bike parking (perhaps at inner city focus).

Yes I would prefer a route via the lake front

Yes

There is no point in taking cyclists off the road instead of making roads with cycle lanes. This means that anyone on a road bike would not use them. Cyclists have to stay on the roads to educate all users. Other cities, bigger than ours have far more lanes on the roads. Rotorua is flat so there is no reason why there should be so few cyclists commuting on a regular basis. This proposal is simple but probably will show to be very effective.

Do cycles trigger traffic lights? Have waited for a very long time at some intersections when there are no cars. I prefer the new bike racks, timber. The circular ones can scratch your bike, metal on metal.

Yes The more cycle ways that link up the better for everyone

No

Because the safety of pedestrians are constantly being compromised by cyclists and the RDC is aiding and abetting this. Footpath are for pedestrians that is why they are called footpaths

You have to stop putting cycling interests over that of pedestrian safety. Many people on foot cannot afford a fall- such as the elderly- or does the Council want elderly people to stay home or leave town?

Yes I believe any effort to make cycling more acceptable, safer and more accessible will have a positive impact on our society






Yes

Rotorua is ideally set up as a city to commute with pretty much all trips into town being a gentle downhill to flat gradient. However I don't think the infrastructure is set up to facilitate this.

I commend the efforts to date to make cycle ways. I appreciate there is a cost impact with installing cycle ways particularly where bikes are separated from traffic (e.g. along Te Ngae Rd), however the segmented concrete puts cyclists off using them if they have anything less than mountain bike tyres as such they tend to then use the road rather than the cycleway which a. irks drivers and b. puts the cyclists back in the traffic. If there is any solution that could provide a surface similar to hot mix, it would be a major appeal for all cyclists and not be as prone to shifting as the current concrete sections are which lift and move.

Yes Any way to make cyclist safer is a good idea. If Rotorua wants to be the NZ cycling capital we need this inner city cycleway.

Yes

There needs to be a high profile education campaign if the cycleway comes to pass otherwise cyclists will be injured by unaware motorists and then it won't be used. Tutanekai street is hard to find parking on so when you spot a space (even on the other side of the road) you have to pounce quickly. Accidents will happen unless it is driven into people's heads to look out for cyclists.

No

Just had a better idea; we already have an underpass near the Whakarewarewa rugby club - how about improving the cycleway on the lake side of Te Ngae road and linking this with Eruera and then Hinemaru Streets

Make Tutanekai car free please, put a lane along Amohau Street in BOTH DIRECTIONS. Also, what is the point of have wide verges/cycle lanes on Te Ngae, Old Taupo and Fairy Springs when frequently there are vehicles parked in those lanes. That is a real hazard!

No

Cycle route on Pukuatua Street is shared with pedestrians. The cyclists show little or no, consideration to pedestrians or mobility scooters. I would prefer to see the enforcement of the law regarding cycle helmets and also the introduction of an annual road user charge to cyclists, just like other road users are obliged to do. This would go toward the cost of employing designated cycle lanes and the ACC costs to those injured when cycling.

Not to be shared with pedestrians.

Yes Although access to the city is fairly good, access through the city isn't. In fact it's quite dangerous.

Yes






Yes

I regularly cycle from Lynmore to Fairy Springs to work & back. There are a number of streets where the cycle lane is either not there or very minimal unless I cross the road and take a less direct route. In particular from old TeNgae road through to Paknsave and also on through to Ranolf street. There seems to be plenty of room to add a lane, particularly on TeNgae road. Perhaps a system, such as in a lot of European cities, where designated cycle lanes on footpaths are provided could be adopted, probably not easy but worth a thought. It would also be great to see schools encourage more children to bike to school instead of getting parents to ferry them to & fro. Judging by the number of young parents using the mountain bike tracks this shouldn't be too hard.

This will always be difficult as passing parked cars; either angle parked or parallel parked is fraught with danger. The only way round this is to ride on footpaths as above.

Yes

Obviously if you could ride under the intersections right to the heart of the city it would be best, however I understand the cost implications of this. Long term though this should be the goal. It will be great to be able to ride from South, East and North right to the city centre linking the existing cycle trails. I am not sure if there is a trail coming from the West, there possibly is along the Utuhina River trail to the Old Taupo Road bridge? If so trails from North and West could possibly be made to link somewhere in Kuirau Park before entering Haupapa Street. The other option is to add a cycle lane to Lake Rd past the Lakehouse Tavern linking the Lakefront Govt Gardens trail up to the Ngongotaha trail.

You will need to supply secure cycle racks for the inner city as unfortunately some locals will relish the opportunity of obtaining a free bike. Make sure the racks are in areas away from bushes, or secluded areas and in sight of city security cameras. All the best for this initiative....it’s a great idea; don't be put off by knockers!!! Ray

Yes

Makes for healthier citizens, reduces traffic congestion and is good for our Rotorua image. Would appeal to our many overseas visitors because cycling in cities overseas is very popular.

Should have been taken into consideration years ago.

Yes

Fantastic those options are being considered. I ride to work every day. Would love to see more riders out there, would make the roads safer having more cyclists out there.

Yes Apologies if this is a duplicate, not sure if previous version submitted I support: inner city cycleway structure and linking current cycleways

I do not like cycling in the inner city with my children because: inconsiderate drivers children cannot predict drivers actions well as they are not drivers children don't know the road rules yet (ie who gives way at intersections)

Yes

Cyclists need a designated cycle way in the central city to make it easier and safer to travel through. It would also make motorists more aware of the space for cyclists.






Yes

It would be easier to express an opinion if the proposal had more details about how a cycle lane was to be catered for. I'm in favour of separating cars and cycles as much as possible.

Off road routes would be of benefit,

Yes

I am an avid cyclist and find it quite difficult at times cycling my way through the inner city. I believe a cycleway in the inner city is an excellent idea, also would be great to have more places to lock up your bike. Could you also extend the cycleway to come from Ohinemutu/Lake end of Tutanekai street.

Yes

It would be really good if the area from the bottom of Sunset Rd, around to Pukuatua, could be made safer for cyclists. It's very narrow over the Utuhina Stream bridge and onto Pukuatua



Attachment 4: Letter to property owners 27 November 2014 File Ref: 01-65-065 Doc No: RDC-510351 Dear Sir/Madam, RE: INNER CITY GREEN CORRIDOR CONCEPT I am writing to update you on proposals for a ‘green corridor’ through part of the inner city. This concept follows a number of public meetings, stakeholder workshops, feedback sessions, an online public survey and coverage in Heart of the City NEWS. A common thread that has come from engagement with a range of stakeholders has been support for linking existing cycleways that currently do not traverse the inner city. As a result, Rotorua District Council, in conjunction with the Inner City Focus Group and Rotorua Cycle Action is proceeding with development of a broad-based inner city green corridor concept, which we want to share with you. What is a Green Corridor? A green corridor is designed to provide visual and practical relief from the ‘concrete jungle,’ and to offer a wide range of social, aesthetic, environmental and economic benefits. Who would use it? Rotorua’s inner city green corridor has been designed to accommodate a range of users so there will be multi-modal opportunities for all - the young, families, the elderly, mobility impaired, and general visitors to the city centre. We anticipate that user groups making use of the corridor will include:

Cyclists;

Walkers;

Parents with infants in pushchairs;

Joggers, either singles or in groups;

People with limited mobility, including wheelchair users;

The elderly including mobility scooter users; and

Scooter, skateboard and roller skate users.

What features could it include? We see the inner city green corridor offering a variety of experiences designed to meet the different users’ varying needs and therefore presenting a range of features, such as:

Artwork for people to enjoy and to reflect on our cultural heritage;

Open spaces to stop, rest, relax, shop and dine;

Landscaping to bring more of nature into the inner city environment

Ramps and banking for children using scooters and skateboards;

Sensory features for the disabled, elderly and young;

Associated infrastructure such as water fountains, bike racks and bike fixing stations. We expect the green corridor to offer transport, tourism, recreation and health benefits to people who come into our inner city. And of course the more people who come into the city, the greater the potential economic benefit for our business community. I am pleased to inform you that the current design proposal brings the innovative green corridor experience past your door and we hope that will meet with your support. How will a decision be made? On 3 December a report will be considered by the council’s Strategy, Policy and Finance Committee with a recommendation that the council give approval for the green corridor concept to proceed. If that recommendation is



supported by a resolution of the council, we will inform you of the process for implementation once those details have been worked through. If you have any questions about this in the meantime, please feel free to email me at [email protected] or by phone on 07 351 8366. Yours faithfully

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mailto:[email protected]

File No: 01-65-065 ROTORUA DISTRICT COUNCIL Chairperson...

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