Ideas Forum: How to improve cycling in Palmerston North.

Ideas Forum: How to improve cycling in Palmerston North.

Forums: 

This discussion forum is a chance to gather ideas and to comment on them.  We will then follow them up at a future meeting and figure out how we can make them happen.

Suggestions from bikers breakfast participants (18 Feb 2009):

1)  To put an underpass at the Pioneer Hwy by the bridge, as you hit the 50 Km/h zone, to avoid crossing busy traffic and to gain access to the Mangaone walkway.

2)  Improve the Mangaone walkway trail beyond being just grass. What sort of surface would be preferred?

3)  Fix the broken glass problem!

Post your suggestions...

Groups audience: 

- add more 'green bike zone' at traffic light similar to those in College Street and Grey Street ....
- increase parallele parking in the city (like it as been done in rangitike avenue) other type of parking are very dangerous for cyclists (often car are baking up without looking)

- make alcohol containers out of waxed cardboard as opposed to aluminum or glass
- change the fitzherbert Te Awe Awe intersection bike lane setup so that riders coming from Massey and going into Te Awe Awe do not have to cross TWO lanes of motor vehicles to get on to the green bike lane
- Have a special map put out by the council that shows the best routes to travel through Palmerston North by bicycle. The streets could be colour coded to show there safety level ie red for dangerous through to green for safe. Dangerous intersections could also be labeled!
- Have special bike shelters set up if it pours down with rain.

Its hard to see were Palmerston North can improve there cycling facilities when comparing it to many other places around New Zealand where cycling doesn't seem to exist. But there are still many areas of improvement yet.

- Council needs to continue adding cycle lanes around the city on city streets. This would even include widening existing cycle lanes as some a very well used.

- Place a smooth seal along cycleways so there is less resistance with the road surface.

- Encourage more commuters to bike to work, especially those who only live a short distance away.

- Create a slower speed environment within the central city area to make the streets safer for those who are cycling.