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Traffic on Whanganui's shared pathways surged over the alert level 4 lockdown period with people only allowed out of their homes for exercise and essential business.
Whanganui East pathway had the largest increase in use, up 93 per cent for cyclists and 37 per cent for pedestrians.
The Whanganui Rivershared path had 66 per cent more bicycle traffic and 32 per cent more pedestrian use than pre-lockdown.
Senior Roading Engineer at Whanganui District Council Brent Holmes said people who normally went hunting, tramping or participated in other activities weren't able to, leading to the increase use of pathways.
Pathways around Whanganui experienced large increases in foot and bicycle traffic during the lockdown. Photo / Supplied
"Peoples normal run of business wasn't able to happen," he said. "They were in lockdown therefore in a position where the cycleways adjacent to their property were the main source of activity for a lot of people."
One pathway that saw a dip in usage was the Te Tuaiwi Shared Pathway, with pedestrian usage down 21 per cent and cyclist usage down seven per cent.
Holmes said a large proportion of the Te Tuaiwi Shared Pathway users are school students.
"It's a commuter route more than anything else. It is also a social/recreational pathway but during the lockdown it was difficult for a lot of people to access town."
Holmes wasn't surprised to see an increase in traffic, particularly on the Whanganui East pathway.
"That's, of course, where a lot of a lot of residential areas are. Its not unusual to find that any pathway in a block residential area is busy and anything that's normally a commuting route through the town has fallen."
Senior Roading Engineer at Whanganui District Council Brent Holmes. Photo / File
Whilst encouraged by the increased usage, Holmes wanted to see if the pattern would continue.
"Its really about the trend," he said.
"We know there is a sudden blip of activity. Of course, we are looking to see a steady increase overtime where more and more people are using these facilities as we build them and link them together."
Holmes was hoping people who have enjoyed using their bicycles during the lockdown might adopt it as a way of transport.
"We are always encouraging different modes of transport. We would like people to get out of their cars and embrace some climate change initiatives and use their feet and bicycle a lot more. Its good for congestion, its good for your health its good for the planet.
