Rangiora cycleway deferred to avoid blowout

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Northern Outlook

From local democracy reporter David Hill:

A proposed Rangiora cycleway project has been deferred to avoid a forecast $1.7 million budget blowout.

The Waimakariri District Council has decided not to proceed with the proposed on-road cycleway along Ashley, Ivory and Percival streets, and Southbrook Rd, after staff found during the design stage it could not meet the cost of Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency’s design criteria.

In report presented at Tuesday’s (July 4) council meeting, senior engineering adviser Don Young said the extra safety provisions would require a painted median on a separated cycleway, which had not been allowed for in the original design.

The project was one of four cycleways approved under the government’s Transport Choices funding package.

Young said meeting Waka Kotahi’s design criteria could lead to a budget blowout of up to $1.7 million across the four cycleways.

It was estimated the Rangiora cycleway’s budget would blowout from $745,000 to $1.585m to provide for the extra safety provisions.

"Waka Kotahi has indicated they would rather see us complete three cycleways, than have the entire project fall over," Young said.

"To go ahead would lead to a significant shortfall in funding and the loss of up to 224 car parks.

"We feel it would not be a good step at this stage."

The total budget for all four cycleways had been expected to cost more than $6m, with $4.86m coming from the Transport Choices package and $1m from the Government’s ‘‘Better Off’’ funding.

The council would cover the costs of drainage improvements, additional landscaping and cultural signage.

Waka Kotahi staff had indicated the budget allocated for the Rangiora project could be used to offset the cost over-runs from the other three proposed cycleways, Young said.

Staff were asked to provide a report on options for a revised Rangiora cycleway as part of next year’s 2024-34 long-term plan deliberations.

Young said council staff were due to meet with KiwiRail to discuss issues related to the second proposed Rangiora cycleway at Southbrook.

Pak’nSave management have expressed safety concerns with the proposed route of the Southbrook cycleway, along Railway Rd, due to the number of traffic movements of delivery trucks to the supermarket.

Young said staff planned to meet with Pak’nSave again after the KiwiRail meeting.

The other projects were the Kaiapoi-Woodend and Woodend-Pegasus cycleways.

The four cycleways were chosen following the council’s cycle way network report completed last year.

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