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© 2024 The Gisborne Herald

GDC plan for ‘active travel’ network plan

2 min read

Gisborne is one step closer to becoming a more sustainable transport city as the district council works to boost options for cyclists and walkers.

On Wednesday, elected members heard about upcoming plans which would help the community ditch private vehicles in favour of healthier, more sustainable transport.

The council is drafting a mode shift plan and active travel strategy which will go out for consultation in January ahead of adoption towards the middle of next year.

That work will be instrumental in forming the Regional Land Transport Plan 2024 - 2034, which informs funding bids to Waka Kotahi.

According to the council, a cohesive network in Tairāwhiti would include safe routes to key destinations including the CBD, schools, employers and marae.

“Gisborne is a perfect city for a direct active travel network. Compact, largely flat and narrow layout means a relatively small number of active travel routes could provide direct access to most of the city for a large proportion of the population,” the report said.

Councillors spoke positively about the report on the whole, but one was critical of it being labelled a Tairāwhiti development when its focus was Tūranganui-a-Kiwa.

“I’m wondering where’s the rest of te Tairāwhiti?” Rawinia Parata asked.

Council senior policy adviser Chris Gilmore said the mapping focused on Gisborne because Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency funding was more likely to be granted based on a larger number of people making the shift to other transport options.

Cr Parata saidthat people who used their vehicles the most were those who lived up the coast because they had the furthest to drive.

“We create more emissions than anybody else because of the sheer isolation of coast communities. I don’t see that reflected and I just wanted to note that.”

Ani Pahuru-Huriwai agreed with Cr Parata, while Larry Foster pointed to a meeting councillors attended that morning — where everyone took their own car — as an example of the problem.

“How do we change that culture? I sense that the strength of this is going to be future generations, so we’ve got to be the ones who say ‘hey we’re doing it wrong’.

“One person one car — it’s part of the New Zealand culture, not just here.”

Mr Gilmore said children were capable of changing their parents’ behaviours.

“We definitely start with the next generation.”

Routes and features would not be finalised until designs, technical investigation and a business case were developed.


1 comment

commenter avatar
Peter Jones
0
2 December 2023
Here's the thing. In the past towns and cities relied on their own leaders and business people to manage development.
This is no longer what we are seeing.
This isn't the Gisborne business roundtable telling us that we all need to get on our bikes.
This the work of "experts".
We are witnessing the same thing all over the country.
These "experts" are all on big salaries and drive and fly to their engagements yet they tell us that we must all ditch our cars and cycle or walk.
"The report" (who wrote that, who says that ... "experts") claims that Gisborne is a perfect city for ditching private vehicles in favour of "healthier, more sustainable" transport.
Strangely enough "the report" says the same thing about everywhere else in the country.
How about we get the Mayor and councillors and all the "experts" to surrender their private cars for six months and let them report back to us then.
They could for example, tell us how many meetings they missed or were late for, so that other employers could get a grasp of what kind of work attendance they could plan for going forward.
Mr Gilmore must think that our children are stupid.
They are vulnerable and ignorant and easily manipulated, but they are not stupid Mr Gilmore.
I think that you sir, should be sacked immediately.
We didn't vote for you and we don't want your "expert" opinion.
Who made you the expert?
I know the answer to that too and it wasn't the Mayor or the councillors.
It wasn't anybody that we voted for to look after our interests.
When you come up with your designs, technical investigation and your business case how about we have a referendum where we the people decide whether your plans are "sustainable'?
By the way, in the meantime and this goes for all of NZ, who is paying for all these plans that we don't want and that will cripple our economy?
If you want us all to live in open air prisons why don't you just say so?
We all know the answer to that one.

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