Tauranga cyclists could soon have the option of a safe loop track between the Harbour Bridge and the Matapihi rail bridge if a proposal to build a cycleway around the airport is supported by the city council.
Chris Ingram of Tauranga Cyclists and Walkers said the airport track would keep cyclists from having to use busy roads like Hewletts Rd. He put his ideas to this week's inaugural meeting of council's transport committee.
"I was heartened by the council response. It is a very necessary commuter link that could well attract funding from the New Zealand Transport Agency," Mr Ingram said afterwards.
His plan tapped into some existing unsealed roads around the perimeter of the northern side of airport. The gates and fences needed to satisfy the airport authority that people could not access the airport at night and to prevent cyclists straying onto grassed areas near the runways would cost about $100,000.
Mr Ingram said about 800m of fencing would be needed on the two stretches of cycleway that ran next to the airport's grassed areas.
Once the track left the airport near Maunganui Rd it would swing into the new gravel track that ran between the new railway alignment and the Omanu Golf Course, emerging at Matapihi Rd where cyclist coming from the Harbour Bridge could head to the railway bridge or take the underpass across to the Bayfair Shopping Centre.
The other option is to go straight ahead through Owens Place towards Baypark.
He ultimately sees the airport track as providing an alternative route on what would eventually be a 60km cycleway from Omokoroa to Paengaroa via the track that runs along the side of Wairakei Stream at Papamoa.
Cyclists wanting to hop off the track and visit Mount Maunganui and Mauao would chose the airport track instead of the Matapihi track.