Mount Maunganui boardwalk extension proposed as Tauranga council drops street trial

A plan for 'Innovating Streets' in Mount Maunganui has been dropped. Photo / File

A temporary shared path and altered traffic on Mount Maunganui's Marine Parade is out, while an analysis to extend the Marine Parade boardwalk is in.

At Tauranga City Council meeting yesterday, commissioners said the 'Innovating Streets at The Mount' project did not have enough community support to go ahead.

The council decided not to undertake a trial involving a temporary shared path and altered traffic arrangements for the section of Marine Parade between Pacific Avenue and the Tay St intersection.

Instead, an alternative resolution was put forward to include a cost and feasibility study for the extension of the Marine Parade boardwalk in the draft Long-term Plan 2021-31.

During the community consultation and co-design for the project, strong community support was received for extending the boardwalk on the coast side of Marine Parade from the Pacific Ave intersection to the Oceanbeach Rd roundabout.

The boardwalk was not part of the initial plans the council sought feedback on and would be out of scope for the Innovating Streets project itself, which is limited to temporary works within the road reserve, in line with Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency's funding requirements.

Commission chairwoman Anne Tolley said the idea of extending the boardwalk had been around for some time and it would address many of the opportunities identified through the Innovating Streets project.

"Although the trial's community co-design approach received good support, we felt opinion was too divided to make a convincing case," she said.

"We felt it would be better to prioritise the potential extension of the existing Marine Parade boardwalk."

Project leader Guy Protheroe said the council's transportation team would investigate how to address and fund current safety concerns regarding the Tay St intersection outside of the original project.

NZTA urban mobility manager Kathryn King said they were impressed with the way the council approached the trial with a strong co-design approach, which would provide "key learnings" in the delivery of future projects for them and other councils.