DAVE DONALDSON , voted for the Green Corridor
Yes, increasingly so. People tell me it provides a safe way for families with small children still gaining confidence to ride safely into town, especially to events like the markets, an aspect important also for visitors in accommodation outside the CBD. However, the intention is that the GC becomes much more than a corridor, that it's an attractive destination in itself. It will be significantly further enhanced by the completion of Manawa with its shared zone for all transport modes.
PETER BENTLEY, voted against the Green Corridor
This is another example of council "knowing best" and wasting money on something that was not thought out. They chose a route through the city which does not and will not ever work. In the meantime many carparks have been destroyed and it has disrupted many intersections. It has portrayed council as a laughing stock in New Zealand. The footpaths are no longer safe for pedestrians who have walking difficulties - they are frightened of being run into by skateboarders, cyclists, rollerblades etc.
MARK GOULD, voted against the Green Corridor
I do not think the Green Corridor has been a success to date. Getting the cyclists from Hinemoa St to Tutanekai and vice versa on the cycleway is under negotiation. At special events people are using the cycleway. When all the cycleways across the city are complete then I believe more cyclists will use the route. In the long term when people use cycleways they will get fitter and acknowledge the benefits.
KAREN HUNT, voted for the Green Corridor
The Green Corridor has had its share of controversy as people come to terms with reduced car dominance, aiming for more sustainable transport. Our city is becoming a more people-focused environment. This includes safe paths for our vulnerable, where slow traffic, more people and fewer cars are the aim. Businesses along the route have opened, previously dead streets are beginning to transform. Has the Green Corridor reached its potential? Not yet. Can work be done to encourage use? Absolutely!
ROB KENT, voted against the Green Corridor
No, and if a few others had listened to the consultants as well as those of us on council who objected to the route as being in the wrong place at the time it was railroaded through, we would now have a well-utilised cycleway along the waterfront instead of an embarrassing waste of ratepayer money.
RAJ KUMAR, was not a councillor at the time of the vote
From most public and business perception it hasn't been received well and hindered them more than increased their business. The public's biggest concern is the lack of its use.
Whether or not it's successful is also subjected to a count which none of us have seen. This space is for the future and maybe a change of route, as suggested by the initial report, may be solution. In the meantime let's hope it receives its fair run.
TREVOR MAXWELL, voted for the Green Corridor
I am supportive of it, but I appreciate that it hasn't been the best time through the wettest winter on record and the works going on at Manawa. Things take time to develop and I am sure we will see it as an asset in the future.
MEREPEKA RAUKAWA-TAIT, voted for the Green Corridor
No not yet. Like all new things it will take time to embed. I have only biked it three times and that was when the weather played ball last year. The long, drawn-out City Focus redevelopment hasn't helped. Getting quite impatient with that. It appears to have taken ages but I think when completed families will want to head there using the Green Corridor. Just lately I have noticed a lot more bikes in the city. Bring on summer.
CHARLES STURT, was absent at the time of the vote
No it's not been a roaring success but more and more people are using it as a safe corridor. It has taken time for people to realise what the corridor is for and where it's heading to. I note several cyclists were killed last week, none in Rotorua as cycleways across the city give a very safe option.
TANIA TAPSELL, was absent at the time of the vote
Yes, but not as much as I hoped it would be. The cost to ratepayers was cringeworthy so I don't blame people for criticising the cycleway. However, if we look at this from a long-term perspective I'd much rather encourage people to cycle instead of increasing the amount of cars on our roads. Resilience for the future starts with us now, so while I disagree with the cost I'm glad that our families and visitors now have a safe way to cycle through town.