Wednesday 11 October 2017

Cycleway connects University to the city

Christchurch City Councillor Phil Clearwater and NZ Transport Agency Director Regional Relationships Jim Harland ride along the new cycleway.

University students, school pupils and Riccarton residents have a safer and more affordable travel choice to get to the central city with the completion of the Uni­­–Cycle cycleway. The new cycle route was opened by Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel and NZ Transport Agency Director Regional Relationships Jim Harland today.

It is exciting to have an improved connection between the University of Canterbury and the central city for the community around Riccarton to enjoy says Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel.

“The route is already exceeding the predicted number of cycle trips per day and it’s so pleasing to hear residents talk of a wave of school kids using the cycleway to get to and from school.”

The route is 5.6 kilometres long and also includes improved lighting, footpaths, upgraded intersections and landscaping. An average of 419 cycle trips have been counted on University Drive on weekdays with an average of 1058 trips a day through North Hagley Park.

NZ Transport Agency Director of Regional Relationships Jim Harland says, “The Uni-Cycle route was the first of both the Government’s Urban Cycleway Programme and Christchurch’s Major Cycle Routes to get underway in 2015 so it’s great to see it complete. It will be a key route for the west of the city.”

“It’s also one of the first cycle routes in the country to have specialist railway crossing gates for cyclists.”

The cycleway starts at the Christchurch College of Education on Solway Avenue and travels through Ilam Fields, University Drive, Riccarton Bush, and along Matai Street. It links to the central city via Hagley Park.

“I would like to pay tribute to the people that have helped to make this cycleway work,” says Lianne Dalziel. “It goes through both Riccarton Bush and University land and it also goes directly past a number of schools.

“All of these organisations have gone out of their way to embrace the benefits of the cycleway and to put up with the disruption while construction took place.”

The first stage of the Rapanui – Shag Rock Cycleway through Linwood will be completed in the next month and work has also just begun on the Quarryman’s Trail route connecting Halswell to the central city.

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