Support for proposed Totara St, Tauranga, safety upgrade

Bike Tauranga cycling advocate Andrew Thorpe says he is surprised at the support a proposed safety upgrade to Totara St has had. Photo / George Novak

A proposed redesign of a fatal stretch of road at Mount Maunganui has been labelled a "game-changer" by city cyclists.

Cycling advocacy group Bike Tauranga surveyed 400 people about what they would like to see done to make Totara St safer. The survey results come before a Tauranga City Council meeting next week where a decision on whether to carry out a $7 million safety upgrade will be made.

Totara St is a popular commuter route for people travelling between Mount Maunganui and Tauranga. It also serves as an arterial route for heavy vehicles accessing the Port of Tauranga.

On May 28, cyclist Graeme Shallcrass, 62, died in a crash with a truck at the intersection of Totara and Maui Sts. Two years earlier, Kevin Akroyd, 74, died in a crash between his scooter and a truck near Waimarie St.

Cycling advocates have called for the council to fix Totara St for six years. Funding for a plan was signed off in 2018 but the work has been repeatedly delayed. The new proposed safety upgrade includes a 3m shared path for most of the street, with several crossings, in an effort to remove cyclists from the road.

Bike Tauranga member Andrew Thorpe said they surveyed people's response to the plans because "we thought the people who currently ride Totara St, their opinion was very, very important".

"But also, the people who do not ride Totara St, would they use it?"

The survey asked people if they currently rode their bike on Totara St, to which 75 per cent said "yes". These respondents were then asked whether they would use the proposed new separated cycle path. More than 72 per cent of respondents said they would.

Of the 24 per cent of respondents who said they did not ride on Totara St, 63 per cent said they would if the proposed path was installed. Another 15 per cent said they did not ride on the road at all.

Thorpe said he and others were surprised at the swell of support.

"We were concerned a lot of cyclists just might not use it. If that happened and it becomes an expensive white elephant, it would be a disaster for all of us."

The proposed path offers greater safety but also signalised crossings near Kawaka St, at Hull Rd, Triton Ave and Hewletts Rd as part of the path on the eastern side of Totara St.

Traffic modelling suggests potential delays to vehicles of 1.7 minutes during peak times.

Thorpe said while it was easy to gauge the feeling among Bike Tauranga members, it was important to include the views of other cyclists also - particularly those who may be less confident riders.

The results were "enormously significant", he said.

Crashes on Totara St have raised concerns about the safety of the popular commuter route. Photo / File

"It's not an easy decision to stump up with $7m to $8m. This is the best evidence that I have to fund it and that it will be money well spent."

The only way the city could best manage the ongoing traffic and congestion issues was to create more viable multi-modal solutions such as the proposed path, Thorpe said.

Bike Tauranga chairman Kevin Kerr said it was not just cyclists who benefited but motorists with less traffic on the road and truck drivers trying to access the Port of Tauranga while avoiding cyclists on the road.

"We need to make it safer for trucks and motorists, too. I've spoken to some and it's a nightmare for them. It's a win-win in a lot of respects," Kerr said.

"This is going to be a game-changer."

A Port of Tauranga spokeswoman said the port had supported safety improvements "for a very long time, as Totara St is a key arterial route for the port, other businesses and Mount Maunganui residents".

"It would be great to see any cycleway changes be part of a comprehensive, integrated, long-term solution for all users (vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists).

"We've been a long-time advocate, and continue to lobby, for state highway designation for Totara St. This would expedite Government funding for safety updates, increased capacity and intersection improvements."

Depending on the business case, the council is expected to seek funding from New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi for 51 per cent of total costs. If the council endorses this, construction is expected to begin in April 2021, and take about six months.

A council survey held in July found most people agreed Totara St needed to be made safer for cyclists.