City to forest ‘share with care’ cycling pathway under construction along Fenton Street

Works are currently underway on a new ‘share with care’ pathway for cyclists and pedestrians along a major stretch of Fenton Street.

The Rotorua District Council (RDC) project will offer cyclists a safe off-road link from the inner city (from Amohou/Fenton streets intersection) all the way to the Te Puia carpark, from where access is available to the Whakarewarewa mountain bike carpark, with improved crossings at vehicle entrances and intersections along the way.

The project is part of the council’s strategy to progressively develop safe cycling facilities across the district and follows the establishment of cycling lanes in other parts of the city.

RDC works manager, Peter Dine, said RDC’s cycling strategy involves increasing the length of dedicated cycle lanes in Rotorua over time.

“The new wider ‘share with care’ pathway will also provide a link to the national cycleway, Te Ara Ahi, and also help get vulnerable cyclists off the road.

“Unfortunately a number of cyclists have been hit by cars along Fenton Street. With the increasing popularity of mountain biking for both locals and visitors to our city, it’s great to be able to provide a facility that safely takes them from the city to the forest.

“We expect the new pathway to have high use, and enhance people’s road cycling experience in Rotorua.”

The ‘share with care’ path is part of the wider Fenton Street upgrade project, which identified three new roundabouts for improving safety along the stretch of road.

“Since the two roundabouts at Devon Street and Marguerita Street intersections have been put in place, the crash rate on Fenton Street has already significantly reduced,” said Mr Dine. “So over time we’ll continue to monitor the crash rate with a view to re-evaluating whether or not the third roundabout at Robertson Street will be necessary.”

The new Fenton Street ‘share with care’ pathway is expected to be completed by January 2014 and will cost approximately $200,000.

ENDS

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