Walk talk

Streets for People projects underway

At the end of 2022, the first Streets for People projects got underway as the programme moves from the preimplementation phase and onto streets in 13 councils across New Zealand.

On 15 December, Timaru District Council launched the Port Loop Road Shared Path Trial. The project will explore safe and convenient ways for pedestrians, cyclists and other active modes to move between Caroline Bay, the Port, coastal trails and the Timaru city centre via the Strathallan footbridge.

Then on 16 December, the Tairāwhiti Adventure Trust held the Awa to Moana Grey Street Food Festival in Gisborne to begin community engagement around the re-envisioning of Grey Street. The Trust and Gisborne District Council are working to make a new skate park and pump track easier and safer for rangatahi to access by bike, scooter or skateboard.

Returning to conservation land following Cyclone Gabrielle

We are continuing to support people and communities following the recent extreme weather events. Our focus remains on helping people, as part of the Government’s emergency response, particularly in the heavily impacted areas of Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti, who are not only dealing with the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle but the additional bad weather they’ve experienced.

Our local teams have been out inspecting and assessing DOC sites, tracks, huts, campsites, and other DOC facilities. While we’ve been able to safely reopen some places, there’s still lots more work to do.

We want to thank everyone for their support, encouragement, and patience with us as we progress with this work. Making sure people can get back out there on public conservation land is important but our top priority remains the safety of our staff and visitors.

Christchurch Coastal Pathway section now open

As one section of Christchurch Coastal Pathway is completed, work is beginning on another, with Main Road temporarily narrowing to one lane.

Fulton Hogan is currently hard at work on the final section of Pathway passing through Moncks Bay. Once finished, it will cover 6.5 kilometres and provide access to the coastline between Ferrymead and Scarborough Beach in Sumner. It connects communities along its route, and protects and enhances the wildlife along the way.

“Work is going really well, and barring the occasional spell of bad weather or appearance of white-flippered penguins on the work site during nesting season, Fulton Hogan is making good time on this final stretch,” says Christchurch City Council Head of Transport Lynette Ellis.

“The latest section of the shared path should be fully surfaced by the end of the week, and we expect to be able to open it to bikes, scooters, pedestrians and everything in between by Friday 10 March.”

“However, there’s still more to do. From Monday 20 March, we have to narrow a stretch of Main Road west of Shag Rock, for approximately four months. This is because the space we have to work with in this area is so narrow,” Ms Ellis says. The Pathway is a joint project between Christchurch City Council and the Christchurch Coastal Pathway Group. People who want to talk to someone about the project in person are welcome to attend Fulton Hogan’s drop-in sessions, held every Tuesday morning from 10am–11am at the Christchurch Yacht Club.

The first 3.5 kilometres of the pathway between the Ferrymead Bridge and Beachville Road in Redcliffs, and a section between Shag Rock and the Sumner Surf Lifesaving Club are complete.

Construction on the final section of the pathway is expected to be complete in early 2024.

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