The city council is encouraging people who work in the city to Bike the Bridge on Friday morning. Photo / Hamilton City Council
With the new-look Claudelands Bridge complete and open for riding, Hamilton City Council is encouraging people who work in the city to Bike the Bridge on Friday morning.
As an incentive, they'll be offering free high-vis vests to those who take up the challenge.
Staff from the city's Transportation Unit will be positioned outside the TSB Bank on the corner of Victoria St and Claudelands Rd from 7.30am to 10.00am offering high-vis vests to people on bikes who cross the bridge.
The city's Transportation Unit manager, Jason Harrison, says: "We're really proud of what we've achieved along Claudelands Rd and strongly encourage people to join us on Friday to Bike the Bridge and celebrate the completion of this milestone project.
"This project is about improving the connection between the central city and the suburbs for people on bikes," he says.
"It's all part of our goal to make it easier and safer for people to leave their cars at home and get around the city using active forms of transport, like bikes."
"As a growing city, the demands on our transport network are also increasing. This means we need to think differently and make more provisions for people to get around using alternative forms of transport, like bikes, so our city remains a great place to live in years to come."
The Claudelands Bridge project which cost just under $1 million, was delivered as part of the Council's Access Hamilton Strategy after it was identified as a key route in the Hamilton Biking Plan.
The new-look bridge features a range of new cycle-friendly infrastructure that encourages people on bikes and motorists to share the road in a safe way.
The city council is undertaking work on streets in various parts of the city to address safety issues and do routine maintenance.
All this work is weather-dependent and may be deferred in the event of rain.
• Rejuvenation work Arthur Porter Dr
Rejuvenation work on Arthur Porter Dr started on Monday will take around four weeks.The affected section of road runs from Clem Newby Rd and continues through to Te Kowhai Rd East, up to Tasman Rd. While the road is excavated in preparation for reconstruction, a road closure is in place to Sunday November 10, from 6am to 6pm, with a detour via Chalmers Rd and Tasman Rd. Footpaths will remain open for pedestrians and cyclists.
• Replacing street lights on Hood St
The decorative overhead lights on Hood St, between Alexandra St and Victoria St, are due for replacement. This section of Hood St will be closed while the work takes place across two days on Wednesday November 6 and Thursday November 78, from 7am to 4pm, with a vehicle detour in place. Motorists are also asked not to park their cars in this area during these times, so the work can be completed as efficiently as possible.
• Tree pruning on Whatawhata Rd
The Council's arborists will be working on Whatawhata Rd on Wednesday November 6 and Thursday November 7. The crew will be pruning street trees between Montana Pl to a location opposite the Countdown supermarket. The crew will be working between 9am and 3pm, and there may be brief road closures via stop/go control during certain parts of the project.
• Bridge to Bridge event road closures
The annual Bridge to Bridge boat race event is taking place on November 8. Hood St, between Alexandra St and Victoria St, will be closed on this day, from 2pm to 8pm, with a vehicle detour in place.
• Changes to pedestrian crossing at Pukete School
Work has begun on the existing signalised pedestrian crossing outside Pukete School to transform it into a raised pedestrian platform that will improve safety and reduce speed. The work is expected to take around three weeks.
• Safety a focus on Bader Street
Work has started in Bader Street, outside the shops, for the installation of raised safety platforms and a raised pedestrian crossing, to help reduce speed and provide a safer environment for pedestrians. The work is expected to take around four weeks.
• Work continues in Dixon Rd
The Dixon Rd closure and detour remains in place due to relocation of the bulk water main. The work is scheduled to run until Friday November 15, but with the potential of being completed sooner.