WHĀNAU with tamariki in prams like Gabrielle Boswell-Childs with Michelle, or other mobility device users will be able to get around Taumarunui's central business district with greater ease and safety following a project to upgrade footpath crossings
PART of the Government’s Climate Emergency Response Fund (CERF) is paying for an upgrade of 140 crossing points in the Taumarunui CBD.
The $124,000 in funding from the Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency ‘Transport Choices’ programme is enabling the CBD wheelchair friendly and pram crossing project.
The Transport Choices programme aimed to open up streets so everyone can get where they need to go in ways that are good for their health and the planet, Ruapehu District Council infrastructure manager Vini Dutra said.
“This targeted neighbourhood scale investment will help improve the safety and attractiveness of footpath use for people using mobility devices or walking around the business district and reduce people’s reliance on cars,” he said.
Through the investment in new or upgraded transport infrastructure the council wants to help Ruapehu communities transition toward a low-emissions and climate-resilient future.
“In partnership with Waka Kotahi we hope to make further investments in such things as cycle networks, creating safer, greener, walkable neighbourhoods, healthier school travel and making public transport more reliable and easier to use,” Vini said.
“It’s about making small, quick and visible changes to our streets and the way people use them and helping people embrace cycling or walking as a means of travel,” he said.
Vini said the council was working with Waka Kotahi to fully refine and scope the project before construction begins.
“Subject to approvals and contractor availability we plan to start works early next year with the project completed by 30 June 2024,” he said.
Waka Kotahi urban mobility manager Kathryn King said they received an outstanding response from councils around the country for Transport Choices programme funding.
“I am pleased to see Ruapehu District Council was successful in receiving funding for a project that will provide safe, accessible footpaths for whanau, children and the disabled community around the Taumarunui CBD.”
It meant looking at how Waka Kotahi could offer safer, healthier, and more accessible alternatives for everyone across New Zealand to move around their towns and cities more easily, Kathryn said.
