Some Roslyn residents are worried street trees would need to go if a separated cycleway or shared pathway was added to Vogel St. Photo / Judith Lacy
Some Roslyn residents are worried street trees would need to go if a separated cycleway or shared pathway was added to Vogel St. Photo / Judith Lacy
Safety improvements are coming to Palmerston North’s Vogel St, two years after a petition highlighted residents’ concerns.
Palmerston North City Council’s Economic Growth Committee has recommended to the full council that three raised pedestrian crossings be installed in Vogel St, Roslyn, and a right-turn bay for traffic heading into Featherston St.
The crossings at Rata St, Featherston/Haydon streets, and Rangiora Ave would be installed in the July 2024 to June 2025 financial year.
The full council will discuss the recommendation tomorrow but it is likely to be approved with 12 councillors voting for it at the committee meeting last Wednesday.
Transport and development acting group manager Bryce Hosking said installing raised crossings was “a win-win”. They are easy to implement and could be funded from the “low-cost, low-risk” programme.
He said the council might need to purchase “a little bit of property” or reclaim some of the berms to create a right-turn bay as the road was narrow.
Councillor Lorna Johnson asked Hosking why officers recommended cycle improvements not be proceeded with at this stage.
“Is it because there wasn’t a clear favourite from the feedback? Is it because we have just taken enough punishment about cycle lanes recently?” she said.
Hosking said feedback on a shared pathway or separated cycleway was mixed with some residents concerned about trade-offs such as the removal of street trees and on-street parking.
The council received 146 submissions via online and paper forms. About 45 people attended a drop-in session at Roslyn Library last November.
Vogel St was a “few streets” down the order in terms of cycleway priority with Featherston St, Summerhill Drive and Botanical Rd more important, Hosking said.
The poor state of the Vogel St road surface is frequently mentioned on social media. The council plans to resurface the street but not until after the safety improvements are installed.
In the next year, Vogel St pedestrians will have three more raised crossings to choose from. It currently only has this one on the corner of Kipling St. Photo / Judith Lacy
Comments in support of retaining the street trees included that they provide Vogel St with its character, reduce noise and keep the street cool in summer.
One person said the trees are the only appealing part of the street.
Others suggested the trees be removed as they are not well maintained.
Church on Vogel said a separated cycleway would hinder people from parking on the street. The church hosts community programmes during the week as well as Sunday services.
Some motorists said they use the on-street car parks to wait in before turning into their driveway.
Roslyn School principal Sam Bradnock expressed concern about the lack of a limited speed zone in Shelley St, especially given how fast vehicles can travel up the hill from the Keith St industrial area.
August 2023 – elected members query the delay in potential Vogel St improvements.
November-December 2023 – the council seeks feedback on safety improvements.
April 2024 – report on feedback presented to elected members.
Judith Lacy has been the editor of the Manawatū Guardian since December 2020. She graduated from journalism school in 2001 and this is her second role editing a community paper.
