The "green corridor" plan will see a shared space for cyclists and pedestrians on a route through the CBD linking the Government Gardens, above, and Kuirau Park.
The "green corridor" plan will see a shared space for cyclists and pedestrians on a route through the CBD linking the Government Gardens, above, and Kuirau Park.
Views are split on the planned "green corridor" cutting across the central city and not only among councillors, who this week voted 6-5 to go ahead with the project.
The plans will see a shared space for cyclists and pedestrians on a route through the CBD linking the Government Gardensand Kuirau Park.
Council staff say the corridor will bring more people into the city, benefiting retailers and making the inner city easier to access and more attractive to visit.
So far so good.
But to make way for the project, 65 car parks will be removed. In some respects this is where the "green" aspect of the green corridor kicks in.
The council says the spaces will be returned through a "rationalisation exercise" in close proximity to the corridor - you won't have to walk too much further to get where you're going.
But if you were a retailer losing car parks outside your door would you be happy?
I'd be happier about the removal of car parks if the Hinemoa-Tutanekai intersection was easier to navigate by car. That is, having missed out on a park in Hinemoa St east of the Focus or Tutanekai St north of the Focus you could easily access the car parking on Hinemoa St west. At least the plans include a redesign of our tight parking precincts along Hinemoa and Haupapa Sts where angle-parked vehicles risk reversing into each other.
The corridor is not a bad idea. Even those councillors who voted against it say they support the project in principle - they're not happy with what they saw as a lack of public consultation and a rushed decision.
The council says a quick decision was needed to secure NZTA funding, though you'd like to think the transport agency would give us a chance to mull it over a bit more.
But cycling has a major role to play in Rotorua's future. With the growth of our Bike Festival and with major cycling events like Crankworx making their way here, more people are seeing this city as a destination.
The more people who see Rotorua as a destination the better for all of us.
*See tomorrow's Rotorua Daily Post for more views on the green corridor.
