Eastern Corridor Alliance --Tauranga October 2022

The Hon Michael Wood

Minister of Transport

RE: Commuter Cycleway from Bayfair, Tauranga to Papamoa to Te Puke.

Dear Sir,

We have been told the attached proposal for the Commuter Cycleway from Bayfair to Papamoa and onward to Te Puke has been sent to your desk by Waka Kotahi for appraisal. To date we have not heard anything from your office and this is the reason for sending the proposal directly to your office.

Multimodal is the new way of thinking for transportation and it makes sense for everyone to have this choice.  One of the goals is to move people from cars to cycling and public transport.  This is not easy.  There is a low cost opportunity to create a safe (independent of roads) commuter cycleway alongside the Tauranga Eastern Link which would link the new housing areas of Papamoa to Tauranga and the industrial area of Hewletts Rd.  The land is currently only grass and flat.   This is ideal terrain for E bike commuting. 

Cycling between Papamoa and Bayfair on the incomplete and mismatch of TCC cycleways is very dangerous and very slow. This discourages commuter cycling.

To the south this commuter cycleway could be extended to Te Puke.  Many Papamoa residents work in Te Puke and E biking on a safe route would also work here.

Looking at history, this is not a completely new idea, but the timing is now perfect.  E bikes have changed the dynamics for cycling and the roads are rapidly becoming clogged in peak periods.

We have formed a group called the Eastern Corridor Alliance to promote this idea. The group composition of members includes ratepayers groups PRRA, cycling groups CAT, Sustainability BOP, Wednesday Challenge and Te Ara Kahikatea Pathway Society (Te Puke). 

The Alliance is working to promote alternative travel options for the public which give equitable travel times to that when using a car in peak periods.

I have enclosed a copy of the Commuter Cycleway Proposal.  It is doable, not wishful thinking.  I look forward to your reply and questions.

Kind Regards,

Philip Brown

On behalf of Eastern Corridor Alliance