Editorial: Hastings' iWay a path to the future

There have certainly been detractors.

The fact is, not everybody is happy with cycle lanes taking up some of what used to be roads for the exclusive use of motor vehicles in Hastings.

But what complaints there have been have not been enough to stop the iWay cycle network slowly but surely growing around the district.

If you drive between Havelock North and Hastings, you'll see signs promoting the next extension of the iWay network.

Commuters and others will be able to safely travel between the village and Hastings on two wheels once the Havelock Rd track is complete this year.

Havelock Rd is a busy stretch of tarmac connecting two important population areas, so we expect the iWay path will be extremely well used.

After the Havelock Rd track, Hastings District Council should still have some money up its sleeve from the $4.1 million it won from the Government's Model Communities project in 2010 to promote walking and cycling.

Deputy mayor Cynthia Bowers says this is likely to go toward a link from Hastings to Whakatu, and possibly on to Clive.

I don't really use the iWay as I'm more of a limestone path cyclist out by the coast. But like most people, I have certainly noted its growing presence in Hastings.

And while I appreciate that sharing the road may not appeal to every motorist, my view is that the iWay has to be the way to go.

We should be loving the fact that Hastings, a major regional centre in New Zealand, is doing everything it can to get more people out of their cars and either cycling or walking. It is very cool.

What is not so cool is New Zealanders' ongoing love of one person, one car daily travel. And, yes, I am a guilty party.

The iWay is something that allows us to do more than just think about doing something other than driving. It's a pathway to the future.