Tauranga City Council backs Totara St safe, separated cycle route

The council has backed a plan to build a safe, separated cycle route on Totara St. Photo / File

A proposed safe separated cycle route along the length of Totara St from Hewletts Rd north has received backing from Tauranga City Council.

In a meeting this morning, the council unanimously agreed to move forward with designing building the route, with work starting as soon as October.

The proposalal was subject to consultation, work with Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency on the design and funding decisions from both the agency and the council.

Staff have estimated the cost of the build at just under $7m, of which the agency was expected to pay 51 per cent.

In the meantime, the council voted to allow cyclists to temporarily use the footpath on Totara St, as the existing cycle lane is too small.

The decision comes a month after cyclist Graeme Shallcrass died in a crash with a truck at the intersection of Maui St and Totara St.

The proposed route would comprise a shared off-road path and separated on-road cycleway.

these would join up and form a cycling route at least 3m wide​​ and separated from road traffic from Hewletts Rd to Rata St, with a connection on Nikau Ave through to Coronation Park.

The route would include two new crossings on Totara St and be designed in two phases.

The first crossing would be at the Hewletts Rd end, connecting to the start of a 3m-wide off-road shared path on the eastern side of Totara St from Hewletts down to just north of the Dominion Salt refinery.

The shared path would be extended north, running behind an existing row of trees to Kawaka St.

At the Kawaka St intersection, a signalised crossing would take cyclists over the road to a two-way separated cycleway on the port (west) side, and on to Rata St.

A link to Nikau Cres and Coronation Park from Rata St was also proposed.

The meeting heard the NZTA had supported this route as the preferred option for Totara St.

Planning for a safer solution for Totara St started six years ago but hit multiple delays.

The solution agreed today was considered a medium-term option, with a long-term option for Totara St, and its place in the wider transport network, to be made at later date.