Bike Waikato April 2023 Newsletter
In this newsletter from Bike Waikato:
- Hamilton Annual Plan: Submissions Open
- Te Awa River Ride Opening Celebrations
- Bike Waikato on Free FM
Hamilton Annual Plan: Call for Submissions
The Annual Plan sets the annual budget and spending for Council in the upcoming year and is currently out for submissions from the public.
We’ll be making a submission to voice our support for cycling projects, and we strongly encourage you to make your own individual submission too. If Council receives a large volume of responses that support cycling improvements in Kirikiriroa Hamilton, it will make a huge difference in getting these projects over the line.
In our previous newsletter, we mentioned the Climate Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) and Low Cost Low Risk (LCLR) projects, which were narrowly approved by the council. They involve safe, separated cycleways along key routes, raised pedestrian crossings around the city, and many other safety improvements for cycling, walking, and public transport. The crossings, AKA ‘raised safety tables’, proved to be a point of contention and sparked heated debate. These platforms improve safety for all road users by slowing traffic in high-risk areas, allowing people on foot or bikes to navigate these tricky points quickly and safely. At slower speeds, drivers also have more time to react, and collisions are much less severe. It is important that these platforms are completed as planned.
Making your own submission is easy:
- Click this link and answer questions 1-3 (if you have any opinions about them)
- Under Question 4(any other comments), copy in any/all of the points below:
- I strongly support investment in safety improvements for cycling and walking
- I call for all projects in the CERF and LCLR programmes to be completed promptly without delay
- I support the use of raised safety tables to improve safety in high-risk locations
- Add in your own comments or explanation for why we need safe routes for biking (recommended)
Click here for more information about the budget adjustments for the Annual Plan.
Te Awa River Ride Opening Celebrations
Bike Waikato was recently invited to the Te Awa Ride celebration on March 26 with our Bike Valet service.
It was so incredible to see people of all ages and abilities gather at the Hamilton Gardens to celebrate cycling in Hamilton and beyond. There was also such a variety of bikes on display – including e-bikes, trikes, cargo bikes, sports bikes, and even recumbent bikes!
After 13 years, the Te Awa River Ride was completed after 65 kilometres of construction and nearly $40M. The Ride connects Ngaaruawaahia all the way to Lake Karapiro through Hamilton City following the mighty Waikato Awa. It is used every day by people on bikes and pedestrians for recreation and transport and proves the value of accessible, safe, and connected off-road paths.
We are always grateful for the opportunity to share our love of cycling and make it easy for people to arrive on bike.
If you have any suggestions for where else Bike Waikato could provide the Bike Valet service, let us know at [email protected].
Bike Waikato on Free FM
Have you caught our chairperson Melissa Smith on the radio?
Melissa has been visiting the Free FM studio every fortnight to chat about cycling and infrastructure in Kirikiriroa Hamilton. Melissa and Gary from Free FM have discussed funding for CERF and Low Cost Low Risk projects, the opening of the Te Awa River Ride, winter cycling, and much more.
You can catch the show live every second Wednesday at 8.10am on 89.0FM or online. The next show is scheduled for April 26.
You can listen to the latest episode here and find a full playlist here.
