Cycleways grow in Haumoana, Pakowhai Road to encourage healthy lifestyle

Olive Mulcahy (left) and Anna Mercier, from Wellington, cycle on the existing Rotary Pathway along Clifton Rd in Te Awanga during the Hawke's Bay Summer Cycling Carnival. Photo/Duncan Brown.

Getting to school or work by foot and pedal power is set to get easier with the Hastings District Council announcing the extension of its cycleways.

Work on two new projects, one along Pakowhai Rd, and another in Haumoana, is due to start next week.

The Haumoana School community welcomed the announcement, with residents saying it would make things a lot safer and easier for their children to get to and from school.

Suzy Henderson said it was "fantastic" for her family, as she would be able to cycle to and from school with her 8-year-old son knowing it was all safe.

"It will be something enjoyable for us to do in the mornings together and will give him confidence."

Henderson said it would allow him to be a "real Kiwi kid" while staying fit.

"I am all for it. II is awesome and, because it will be so accessible, hopefully more parents will join in and get their kids to cycle to and from school."

The route would include a 2 metre-wide, off-road cycle and walking track, which would run along East Rd, on the southern side from its intersection with Beach Rd, turning south into Parkhill Rd, and finishing at Haumoana School.

Hastings deputy mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said the Haumoana cycleway would help in setting youngsters up with healthy exercise habits for life, which was a big part of Haumoana School's travel plan.

The Pakowhai Rd project was stage one of a three-part project, which would eventually link Hastings' urban area to the Brookfields Bridge.

The Napier City Council is working on the other side, from the bridge to Napier city.

The first stage would see 2m, on-road cycle lanes built along both sides of the road, from the Evenden Rd roundabout to about 300 metres east of the Morley Rd intersection.

Stage one should be completed by early July, depending on the weather. Stage two will extend the cycle lanes further along Pakowhai Rd, up to the intersection of Ruahapia and Pakowhai roads, and is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

Stage three will be completed as part of the Whakatu Arterial roadworks.

Hazlehurst said the district's progress on putting in cycling infrastructure had been incredible.

"The Pakowhai link is a significant addition to our iWay network, allowing our cycle commuters to safely travel between Hastings and Napier."

"With the growing number of cyclists commuting we are committed to providing safe cycling through our district," Hazlehurst said.

Making Hastings a cycle-friendly city, which encouraged residents and visitors to jump on their bikes to get to work or school or to see the sites, had long been in the council's plans.

In 2010 Government funding of $4 million added to local funding of $2.4 million gave the project a real kick-start.

By mid-2012 near 90km of new pathways had been constructed, including four key "arterial" routes linking Flaxmere, Hastings, Havelock North and Clive.

In 2015 Napier joined the iWay strategy, and further Government funding was successfully applied for.