Contractors install a “clip-on” lane for Whale Trail’s route over the Wairau River bridge, south of Tuamarina, in May.
A community soon to host a cycling and walking trail past their homes are mulling over a new safety audit.
The Whale Trail is a 210-kilometre walking and cycling track between Picton and Kaikōura, that will need to pass through the township of Tuamarina, along State Highway 1, about 10km north of Blenheim.
However, some residents are worried that having the trail cross their driveways, between their homes and the highway, could put them at risk of colliding with people using the trail.
Supplied
Residents living beside State Highway 1 in Tuamarina use the pull-off bay to slow down before turning into driveways.
After hearing their concerns at a community meeting last year, the Whale Trail team commissioned a safety audit to look at how to make the Tuamarina stretch of the trail safe for both users and neighbours.
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The auditor’s report said there was enough room for the trail to safely run between the highway and the residential properties, keeping the sealed road shoulder that residents used to slow in before turning into driveways.
A post-and-rope fence would separate the trail from the road shoulder and would only reduce its width slightly, the audit said.
The likelihood of motorists clashing with cyclists was assessed as low because there would be only a few cyclists going past each day, and there were only a few driveways affected. The trail diverted off the highway at the Tuamarina-Waikakaho Memorial Hall.
SCOTT HAMMOND/STUFF
Tuamarina residents discuss their concern about the Whale Trail passing their homes, in May 2021. Pioneer Place’s southern end is visible behind.
The trail would then go up the stop bank to continue south.
To the north, the trail would need to navigate the intersection of the highway with Bush Rd. The trail was planned to move west to cross Bush Rd, away from its intersection with the highway.
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The current Whale Trail route crosses Bush Rd and continues south beside the highway as far as the memorial hall.
The auditor noted there was discussion about the northern end of Pioneer Place being closed off, and the southern end meeting the highway at a “more perpendicular” angle.
The auditor also noted Waka Kotahi NZTA was reviewing the speed limit along the highway. The timeline of any changes was unknown but if the speed was dropped through Tuamarina, that would also benefit trail safety.
Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira pou tiaki mō Te Tauihu Johnny Joseph said the iwi planned to seek consent for the northern end of Pioneer Place to be closed as part of redevelopment plans for the area in memory of the Wairau Affray.
“We’re wanting to develop the site to better represent the history of Ngāti Toa,” Joseph said.
He was pleased by the findings of the safety audit and thought it could be used to support the consent application, he said.
Whale Trail construction manager Vicki Nalder said the safety audit was required by Waka Kotahi NZTA because the proposed route was in the highway’s road reserve.
“The route as shown on the plans is where the trail will be located, with minor changes to take into account the recommendations of the independent safety auditor,” Nalder said.
”The Whale Trail has been, and will continue to, work very closely with Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira and the community on the trail location through Tuamarino (Tuamarina).”
Wilson Fisher/HML Engineering
A time lapse of a cycle and walkway being clipped onto the Wairau River bridge, to help form the Whale Trail from Picton to Kaikōura.
There was no firm date for that phase of construction to start but the team was aiming for the coming summer, Nalder said.
Several parts of the trail had been built this year including sections between Riverlands and Seddon, and the clip-on bridge over the Wairau River.
Tuamarina and Waikakaho Residents and Ratepayers Association chair Greg Woolley said he had received the report and was considering its contents.
Resident Stewart Hockey, who lived south of the hall, said he was surprised the auditor thought there was room for the trail around the power poles.
“We’ve been here 20 years and over that time that highway has gone from dull to extraordinarily busy. The number of trucks have increased enormously and it’s not designed for that.
“I do like the idea of a cycle trail … but I am upset about where they want it to go.”
Hockey was not looking forward to the trail passing very close behind his house on the stopbank.
“It robs us of our privacy … and it leaves people open to steal from our fruit trees – it’s happened before.”
He thought the other side of the highway would be better but he understood putting in a crossing would be difficult and expensive, and diverting down Bush Rd would require a whole new bridge or two.
Hockey hoped the Whale Trail team would look into a privacy hedge between his property and the stopbank, and consider fencing both sides.
Several sections of the trail have been under construction this year between Riverlands and Seddon. Installation of the clip-on bridge onto the Wairau Bridge south of Tuamarina was completed in
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