Cycling advocate asks Tauranga City Council to revive Pilot Bay one-way trial

A group shot from Saturday's rally to revive the Pilot Bay one way trial. Photo / Supplied

A cycling advocate has made a last-ditch attempt to have the council reconsider its decision to drop a one-way traffic trial in Pilot Bay.

As proposed, the trial would have seen The Mall reserved for northbound traffic with a two-way bike and scooter "cruiseway" installed on the beach side of the road. The parallel parking would remain - minus one park - for the six-month trial, which had an estimated cost of $176,000.

Last week Tauranga City Council's transport committee voted to scrap the trial, citing among its reasons safety concerns with a single bike lane being bi-directional.

Bike Mount organised a rally to protest the decision and about 200 people of all ages turned out for a leisurely mass ride around downtown Mount Maunganui on Saturday afternoon.

Epic rally today!

Posted by Bike Mount on Saturday, 16 June 2018

Yesterday, group spokeswoman Heidi Hughes spoke at a full council meeting, showing councillors a video of the rally and asking them to reconsider.

"We wanted to demonstrate what it might look like if we shared the road in a better way."

She said that while the group had pushed for a two-way bike lane - and still believed it would work - they would support it being one-way if it would get the trial back on the table.

"Trials are all about testing solutions."

She said there was no knowing how a one-way system would impact congestion until it was tried, and not going ahead with the trial would mean time and money had been wasted.

"Last time staff tried to get this across the line was six or seven years ago. We all know how long these transport projects take."

Some councillors were willing to see a revised version of the plan come back to the council for another vote but it was not immediately clear when or how that would happen.

Mayor Greg Brownless said the council would look into the options, but noted that some people had been happy to see the trial cancelled.

Flash Rowlands, of the Tauranga Cruise Tour Operators Association, said most tour companies that used the Salisbury carpark had supported the one-way trial.

He said last summer's temporary one-laning of part of Salisbury Ave and The Mall near the carpark when cruise ships passengers were arriving or departing had worked well and he had not noticed any additional congestion.