Walking-Cycling-Strategy-Final.Pdf
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2 Manawatū District Council - Walking and Cycling Strategy 2020 Foreword Kowhai Park has been the District’s premier park since early last century and holds a special place in the hearts of many residents and visitors to Feilding. People have played sport at the park, enjoyed its play areas, strolled through the forest with its kahikatea and other forest trees, marvelled at the birds in the aviary, fed the ducks, enjoyed the plant collections in the gardens, relaxed on the banks of the Makino Stream and taken part in events. The park has a number of heritage features that remind us of Manawatū’s history of horse racing, the park’s association with the Feilding Cricket Club and the cricket pavilion built to commemorate the 1940 centennial of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. The podocarp forest remnant reminds us of the forest that used to cover the Manawatū and its flora and fauna. The Manawatū District Council is responsible for ongoing protection, control, management and development of the park and its administration under the Reserves Act 1977. As set out in the Reserves Act, key responsibilities are to provide for the protection, preservation, maintenance and appropriate development of the park and for the enjoyment and use of the park by the public. This reserve management plan updates the vision and objectives for the management, development of the park. The management plan includes a development plan which will guide the Council in prioritising, planning for and funding projects that will achieve the vision for the park and continue to engage park users. This draft management plan was developed according to management review procedures set out in the Reserves Act. A public notice in December 2017 asked for ideas and comments and these have been incorporated into this draft management plan. In particular, suggestions for the development of play opportunities in the park have been incorporated. The Council now invites the public to comment on any aspect of the draft management plan. We encourage people to make suggestions for the management and development of the park and give reasons for any suggested changes. The Council welcomes people who would like to speak at a public hearing to support their written comments. A submission form is attached to this draft management plan and is also available at Council offices, libraries and on the Council website. If you wish to speak to your submission, please make this clear on the form. Manawatū District Council - Walking and Cycling Strategy 2020 3 4 Manawatū District Council - Walking and Cycling Strategy 2020 Manawatū District Council - Walking and Cycling Strategy 2020 5 1. Introduction 1.1 Purpose of Strategy This Strategy provides a framework to increase participation in walking and cycling within the Manawatū District. Walking and cycling provides social, environmental, economic and health benefits that are well understood, and there is continuing growth in investment and support for developing walking and cycling at a local, regional and national level. The previous Walking and Cycling Strategy (the “Manawatū Active Transport Strategy”) was developed in 2007. This Strategy was the first of its kind for the District, providing direction for the development of walking and cycling infrastructure and its promotion. The 2019 Walking and Cycling Strategy (“the Strategy”) establishes a new set of visions and goals for walking and cycling within the Manawatū District over the next 10 years. The Strategy will assist Council in co-ordinating and prioritising the many requests for footpaths and cycleways received by the community, and enable a coordinated approach to delivering wider initiatives that will encourage people to travel by foot or by bike more often. The strategy will also contribute towards Council’s vision and strategic objectives for developing a “Connected, vibrant and thriving Manawatū District”. 1.2 Developing the Strategy The Strategy has been developed by the District Council through engagement with the local community and key stakeholders. Encouraging walking and cycling at a local and regional level is a key strategic priority for all partners, and this Strategy provides opportunities to improve co-ordination and delivery of walking and cycling initiatives between key regional stakeholders. Working in partnership will allow Council to maximise the benefit from its current and future investment in walking and cycling, by taking advantage of new opportunities as they arise. The Strategy has also considered feedback from the community during the development of the Council’s Long-Term Plan (2018-2028), which included multiple requests for improved walking and cycling facilities across the District. The Strategy has also considered and responded to community views on issues and opportunities for walking and cycling within the District; in particular, barriers to walking and cycling identified through public consultation in April 2019. partners including the NZ Transport Agency, Horizons Regional Council and Sport Manawatū. 1.3 What Will the Strategy Achieve? The Strategy recognises the need to improve accessibility, connectivity and safety for those walking and cycling within the District. This will ensure Council responds to current and future transport demands, and encourages walking and cycling as a safe, enjoyable and healthy activity that becomes part of daily life whether for transport or recreation. Through the development of the Strategy, the outcomes sought are: • Encourage and support our communities to walk and cycle more for work, wellbeing and recreation; • Develop and grow a range of unique and diverse walking and cycling facilities and services to meet the changing needs of residents and visitors; 6 Manawatū District Council - Walking and Cycling Strategy 2020 • Improve safety and accessibility for cyclists and pedestrians of all ages and abilities within the community; • Increase awareness and improve connectivity of the District’s recreational walking and cycling infrastructure; and • Work collaboratively with key partners in delivering this Strategy, including other authorities, community organisations and the private sector. 2. Vision and Goals The vision of the Walking and Cycling Strategy is: “walking and cycling in the Manawatū District is attractive, safe and fun for our community and its visitors”. Four key delivery goals and strategic outcomes have been identified to achieve the vision, these being: 7 Figure 2-1: Goals and Strategic Outcomes The enabling actions to support the delivery of the Strategy’s goals and strategic outcomes are shown within Table 2- 1. Vision, Goals and Enabling Actions Strategic Our communities are Our communities are Our District offers a range of Our walking and cycling connected by quality walking encouraged and supported to unique and diverse Outcome network is safe and and cycling walk and cycle more walking and cycling infrastructure that links accessible by people of all for work, wellbeing and experiences for residents ages and abilities people to key destinations recreation and visitors Enabling • Develop strategic urban • Improve perception that • Appoint a Walking and • Recognise the role that walking and cycling routes walking and cycling is Cycling Co- Ordinator to walking and cycling can Actions that provide connections unsafe, unattractive and facilitate, administer and play in contributing between neighbourhoods, inconvenient drive the implementation towards economic schools, community of the Strategy development within the • Identify and address safety facilities and District issues relating to walking • Encourage people to employment centres and cycling choose walking and cycling • Support the development • Ensure convenient and for everyday activities of regional connections • Ensure new and existing that enhance nationally attractive linkages are roads and footpaths (where • Actively promote walking recognised walking and provided to and through and cycling as a desirable practical) are compatible cycling routes new subdivisions and with the needs of and mainstream mode of growth areas pedestrians and cyclists of transport • Diversify the range of • Provide good linkages all ages and abilities walking and cycling • Support community experiences available to between rural • Provide consistency in projects and events that our communities and communities within the branding, directional increase walking and District visitors signage and wayfinding to cycling in daily activities • Support access and ensure networks • Raise the profile of the are legible and easily • Improve access to integration to the public District as a destination for understood information relating to transport network walking and cycling within walking and cycling • Adopt best practice the District guidelines and standards for the design, construction • Investigate ways to and maintenance of all monitor trends and use of walking and cycling the network facilities • Publish, promote, • Develop safety, educational implement, monitor and and training programmes maintain this strategy for walking and cycling in partnership with NZ Transport Agency, Horizons Regional Council and Sport Manawatū 8 Manawatū District Council - Walking and Cycling Strategy 2020 3. Context of the Strategy 3.1 Strategic Context The vision for the Strategy aligns strongly with Council’s overarching vision for the Manawatū District as outlined within the Long-Term Plan (2018-2028), which is: Connected, Vibrant and Thriving Manawatū District –