A master network plan for commuter walking and cycling in Wanaka is being developed with the aim of it being added to the Queenstown Lakes District Council’s long-term plan next year. It is being developed by a group which includes representatives from Bike Wanaka, The Upper Clutha Tracks Trust, The Wanaka Community Board and the town’s schools.
Bike Wanaka spokesman Simon Telfer said the rapidly expanding town needed a master plan for its biking and walking network, which already had many good parts but were not joined up and cohesive.
"Everything seems to get done in isolation so when a development goes up, no-one really knows how they are plugging into the greater picture."
Wanaka’s geography and active community made it an ideal location for a comprehensive plan, Mr Telfer said.
It was hoped new off-road trails would be included in the network but its primary function was to build and join together more commuter trails, he said.
At a full council meeting in Wanaka last Thursday, Mr Telfer told councillors biking in New Zealand was "heating up" and Wanaka had a chance to be the envy of the rest of the country. It was particularly important the town had a safe cycling and walking network once the new 400-pupil primary school was completed by 2020, he said.
Pupils walking or cycling to the new school site, at the Three Parks subdivision, from areas such as Peninsula Bay or Albert Town right now needed to cross either State Highway 84 or 6 which was not always safe, he said.
The state highways were not just a safety concern for children.
The stretch of road from the intersection near the Wanaka Lavender Farm past the Andersons Rd roundabout and through to the roundabout near the Caltex petrol station was an area the group hoped to make safer.
"We are hoping there is going to be a game changer as to how cyclists and walkers cross that part of the state highway, because it can be quite hairy at times."
A draft plan had already been produced and was now being digitised.
"We don’t want to look back in 20 years’ time and say ‘oh, why didn’t we do that when we had the chance?’," Mr Telfer said.
