Residents welcome pathway project but raise theft and child safety fears

A contract for the $15.7 million Taruheru River pathway in Gisborne is expected to be awarded by the end of August as the search for funding continues.

In March, Gisborne District Council approved staged construction of the key transport corridor, including off-road paths and on-road cycleways.

Cycle advocates and residents have welcomed the project, which could offer a safer route for school students.

A business case written by the council estimated it could deliver a $13.50 return in health and transport benefits for every $1 invested.

The project will be delivered alongside Tapuwae Tairāwhiti Trails Trust (Tairāwhiti Trails), using $2.5m committed in the council’s current three-year plan.

The remaining $13.2m is being sought through external funding.

The council is expected to confirm a contractor by the end of August. Community consultation on designs could open six weeks later.

Tairāwhiti Trails trustee Lyall Evans said trustees had been speaking with community leaders in health, education and disability services and potential funding sources.

“If we can do it right and get all the funding and put it in place, I’m really confident that we can move things and make impactful change.”

Trustee and councillor Jeremy Muir said the project had been in the council’s long-term plan since 2009.

“The council has to be partnering more with the community and this is just a great example of collaboration.”

The council found initial social media feedback was positive, but some suggested money should be spent on roads, wastewater and sewage pipes instead.

Others questioned whether consultation would influence the final design.

Muir said the second phase, from Stanley Rd to the existing Taruheru pathway and CBD, would be heavily influenced by community feedback.

“There are two main options. Costs are similar, but it’ll be very much the feedback that comes in from the people living on there that would be key to the decision.”

The Taraheru pathway would be delivered in stages. Graphic / Gisborne District Council

Community reaction

Local Democracy Reporting spoke to residents on Atkinson St, who live close to the river.

Most were unaware of pathway details, while some had not heard of the proposal.

Resident Patsy Roberts said the pathway would provide an area for her whānau to exercise, but was concerned people would use the space to use drugs and alcohol, or as an escape route for theft.

“People steal cars and take them along there [the river] to the park to burn them, so they would need to put something in to stop people from driving their cars there.”

Neighbour Lisa supported an off-road pathway but had concerns that limited visibility to the path could be dangerous for children near the water.

“I do see people biking along this street already anyway, so I suppose a pathway off the road might be better, but we would need to be careful with water and kids,” she said.

Evans said safety concerns would be considered, with lighting, cameras and improved visibility in secluded areas to discourage bad behaviour.

Former Gisborne Cycling Club president Hans van Kregten said the cycling community was excited, but some feared the project could be delayed again.

Van Kregten hoped much of the route would be riverside and off busy roads to encourage more foot and cycle traffic.

The pathway would connect schools, the hospital and CBD to the growing western suburbs, addressing a gap in the city’s cycle network.

“It is not just a benefit to cyclists, but it is an overall improvement of the transport infrastructure for the city.”

Walking school bus advocate Karen Forno said schools had been waiting years for a safer route for students.

“We have kids struggling to cross the road at intersections like Gladstone Rd and Ormond Rd.

“We have kids that struggle to get across pedestrian crossings because cars don’t stop for them, like at the Lytton Rd-Stout St roundabout, [it] is just completely congested.”

For students at Campion College, Gisborne Boys’ High, Gisborne Girls’ High and St Mary’s primary school the pathway could provide an alternative to busy roads, she said.

“They are all keen as mustard.”

She also supported an underpass at Rutene Rd, similar to one at Lytton Rd.

“The more we can have fewer cars on the roads at those really busy, congested times, the safer it is for everybody.”

Forno said teachers had found students learned better after walking to school and hoped the pathway would also encourage whānau to use it at weekends.

A construction start date will be set after community consultation on design.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.