Kihikihi pathway FAQ

This project aims to form a much safer, more usable network. It creates safer pathways and streets for residents and tamariki so they can travel through the town safely whether that is walking, cycling or scootering.

No, absolutely not. These safer pathways are for all to use including pedestrians, scooter users and cyclists. Importantly, big users of these routes will be children going to school.

Yes, a lot. The route has been very strongly influenced by community input including via the Reference Group which is full of community representatives. The public had the opportunity in February/March this year to have their say on the new pathway, with majority in favour of the new pathway.

We also had another round of consultation in June/July for the six proposed cul-de-sacs and had 149 people submit feedback.

The overall budget for the Kihikihi project is $8 million - $2.4 million from Council and $5.64 million from Waka Kotahi.

The works will start October 2023 and are expected to be completed November 2024.

These routes have been identified as commonly used routes by the Kihikihi community, especially children commuting to and from school. The community and Kihikihi Primary School have raised speed and safety concerns and this project will address those.

Whitmore and Rolleston Street is some of our busiest urban streets and poses a risk to cyclists and walkers who try to cross it or bike along it. This project will largely address this by providing safe crossings and a cycle path which is separated from traffic.

Read more on question 9

In the LongTerm Plan 2021 – 2031, of $10,920,120 was budgeted for the construction of safe pathway projects (urban mobility projects)

A Governance Group made up of Councillors, Community board members and Council staff was established and met regularly to establish a shortlist of priority route options. A Reference Group was also established and given the opportunity to comment on the options. These groups are champions for their towns. They have ensured a very strong community voice has been heard while planning is underway.

The Governance Group considered all the feedback from both the Reference Group and Community Boards, and at its meeting of 17 August 2022 made a decision to recommend these routes as the priority option for development. The routes were then formally approved by Council’s Service Delivery Committee.

No. Council has a preferred option but there are still parts of the route that are not finalised and that we need community feedback on.

Creating a safer pathway

Council believes the pedestrian mall and cul-de-sac options are a critical part of our pathway construction as they mean we can reduce the number of intersections on Rolleston and Whitmore Streets. This means those using the pathway can use it without having to look out for, and stop for, vehicles crossing the path.

Ultimately pedestrian malls and cul-de-sacs enable us to prioritise the safety and wellbeing of pedestrians and cyclists. For our tamariki this is especially important – it means they’ll be able to safely get to and from school each day.

Creating safer, quieter neighbourhoods

The creation of pedestrian malls and cul-de-sacs will have the added benefit of creating quieter streets and neighbourhoods. The pedestrian malls and cul-de-sacs will help to achieve the following:

• lower vehicles speeds
• fewer accidents
• lower traffic volumes (through-traffic)
• exclusion of undesirable traffic (heavy vehicles).

For many, homes on cul-de-sac streets are highly sought after and have a higher level of desirability.

Opportunity to create community spaces

The creation of pedestrian malls and cul-de-sacs result in more community / free space that can be used in all sorts of ways. Council could grass these areas, could plant fruit trees, create play spaces – things that significantly improve the liveability of the whole neighbourhood. No plans have been made around this but it’s something we’d love your ideas on!

The creation of cul-de-sacs will have the added benefit of creating quieter streets and neighbourhoods. The cul-de-sacs will mean the six streets will have less traffic going through them, creating areas that are much quieter – and again safer for residents.

Yes, 100 per cent! Click here to read the 2022-2052 strategy that has already been approved by Council.

Transport Choices aims to demonstrate what’s possible for communities across Aotearoa New Zealand, by quickly providing people with more transport options, and making it easier and more affordable to travel in ways that are good for all of us and our environment. Transport Choices is an investment package for local councils to begin immediate work for reduction of emissions, as part of the emissions reduction plan released in May 2022. Its purpose is to build momentum, capability, and public support ahead of more detailed vehicle kms travelled (VKT) reduction planning and investment programmes that will happen over the next few years.

The Government has funded $350 million for the Transport Choices package from the Climate Emergency Response Fund, part of Budget 2022. Waipā District Council has secured close to $10 million from that fund.

Investment will be targeted in four key areas:

• progressing strategic cycle networks
• creating walkable neighbourhoods
• safe, green, and healthy school travel
• making public transport more reliable and easier to use.

The Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan wants to reduce land transport emissions by 41 per cent by 2035. We need to reduce our dependency on cars in favour of increased walking, cycling and public transport.

To make this significant reduction, we need to make it safer, quicker, and more attractive for people to walk, bike, scoot, and take public transport in our towns and cities. Better transport options will reduce emissions, reduce deaths and injuries on our roads, and improve public health and access to opportunities.

Through the Transport Choices programme, Waka Kotahi will work in partnership with councils to create a change in the way that people move around our towns, cities, and regions. This approach enables us to fast-track projects that support a rapid shift to more sustainable and active modes across several investment areas.

Funding is targeted to initiatives that support vehicle kilometres travelled (VKT) reduction and mode shift, helping achieve meaningful contributions to achieving regional VKT reduction targets.

The locations of these are:

• Bryce Street (at current exit onto Rolleston Street)
• Grey Street (at current exit onto Rolleston Street)
• Rolleston Street South (at current exit onto Whitmore Street)
• Moule Street (at current exit onto Whitmore Street)
• Hall Street North (at current exit onto Whitmore Street)
• Whittaker Street North (at current exit onto Whitmore Street)

Results showed majority of submitters favour the new pathway, over half of the people who participated said the new pathway would encourage themselves or their children to walk or cycle more in Kihikihi and almost 90 percent of people supported installing safer low speeds zones around schools, in particular Kihikihi School.

Changes resulting from the engagement include:

• additional bus stop on Whitmore Street, to provide better coverage for the Te Awamutu/Hamilton bus service users, and to accommodate children that catch the school buses in that location.
• increasing the size of the bus stop outside Kihikihi School
• providing more roadside parking
• inclusion of raised safety platforms to improve pedestrian crossing points
• adding more traffic calming measures to slow traffic along Whitmore Street.

Additional driving time

Creating these pedestrian malls and cul-de-sacs will mean that those residents who live on either of the six affected streets will need to have a longer driving time to get onto Whitmore or Rolleston Street.

We’re expecting that the pedestrian malls and cul-de-sacs will result in an average additional time of 2.5 minutes.

Higher volume of traffic on Herbert and Oliver Street

Our projections show that the pedestrian malls and cul-de-sacs will result in more traffic on Herbert and Oliver Street. However, the two new roundabouts at the intersection of Rolleston / Herbert Street and Whitmore / Oliver Street will help manage traffic safety and also acting as traffic calming measures (i.e. help slow traffic down).