Petition for cyclists on Pilot Bay not granted

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A petition asking for the Pilot Bay boardwalk to be made accessible to both cyclists and pedestrians has not been granted by council today.

Jo Wills presented the petition to elected members of the Tauranga City Council this afternoon, making the point that shared cycleways and walkways are used throughout the world.

Ms Wills said The Mall was not a safe road for cyclists to use, despite efforts to make it so by lowering the speed limit.

Shared spaces would create positive behaviours within the community, she said.
More than 200 people signed the petition.

Council tranportation manager Martin Parkes said the boardwalk would need to be at least 3m wide to accommodate cyclists.

Councillor Steve Morris said he disagreed with the proposal as Pilot Bay in summer was a heavily populated area.

Cr Matt Cowley supported the petition.

"It worked well on Beach Rd and it can work well here. Let's not micromanage this."

However the petition was not granted.