Cycling in Auckland is really on a roll when Oscar-winner talent brings us new cycleway proposals.
All those lucky people at our AGM on Thursday night were buzzing after seeing the preso from Kim Sinclair (of Avatar fame) on his Tamaki Tourist Trail project, under the Greenways umbrella.
Here’s how he describes it (and here is a full presentation which also includes maps):
“It’s a 16 km long walking and cycling trail ……..We know few people walk or cycle to work, and very few kids cycle to school in South Auckland. The Tamaki Tourist Trail connects Otara to Otahuhu, Otahuhu to Mt Wellington, Mt Wellington to Panmure, and Panmure to Point England. Featuring a completely flat scenic route, it’s a combination of existing quiet neighbourhood streets, using some existing off road paths, and new off road walking and cycling trails along the foreshore.
The trail follows the left bank of the Tamaki Estuary, all the way from from the Ngati Otara Park, to the Point England Reserve. A bridge is required beside the Southern Motorway over the Otahuhu Creek, and a couple of smaller bridges and some board walks are needed to get past the Bowden Road industrial area.
The Tamaki Tourist Trail has opportunities to connect with a future route from the Auckland Airport, and Manukau Harbour to the south. It will link into the existing Pakuranga Rotary Pathway to the east, and the future AMETI improvements to the west. At the the northern end it connects to the existing shell path to the Tahuna Torea Nature Reserve at Glendowie, as well as the existing concrete pathways to Glen Innes and the train station.
A planned link from Glen Innes up the hill to St Johns Road ridge would connect to the proposed Purewa Valley walkway, and hence to the downtown area across Hobson Bay. What an amazing, safe and scenic way to come from the airport to the central city! Obviously it will connect with the proposed Auckland Cycle Network wherever possible to enhance the network.
The new work should meet all relevant standards (such as Sustrans: The Connect2 Greenways Guide) for a shared use pathway – be at least 3 m wide, suitably paved, lit and signposted. Interested parties include NZTA for the route beside the motorway, Auckland Council for access through the parks and reserves, the Local Boards – Otara, Otahuhu and Tamaki. Very little private land is affected, the main exception being that access is required past the Otara Power Station along the foreshore of Otara Lake.”
If this excites you, comment here and/or offer help to Kim to make this concept a reality as soon as possible. We all want it!!
