taurangaopus

Tauranga Opus

Bicycle beats office car

At Opus’ Tauranga office, staff have their own office bicycle – purchased when the office moved about 3 km from the town centre.“It’s really useful for messages and for getting to meetings; there’s no

need to worry about finding parkingor getting a parking ticket,” says Traffic Safety Design Engineer,

Philippa Robinson.

It is a particularly appropriate form of transport given that we are currently helping the Western Bay of Plenty District Council develop a Cycling and Pedestrian Strategy.

A sample survey of Western Bay of Plenty residents found 41percent of people had ridden a bike in the past 12 months, while 86 percent had walked somewhere as a means of transport or for recreation in the last month. It identified traffic, unsafe surfaces, hazards, obstacles and a lack of paths/cycle ways/tracks as the main barriers to cycling and walking.

“As part of the strategy, a proposed link between Waihi Beach and Maketu

has been identified,” says Philippa. “Key pedestrian and cycle links in local communities are also being

considered, along with education, awareness programmes to encourage walkers and cyclists.

It will also encourage businesses, schools and other workplaces to develop travel plans to encourage pedestrians and cyclists, public transport and car pooling. Simple things such as providing bike parks, showers and lockers can encourage people to try walking, jogging or cycling to work at least once a week.

Another key part of the strategy is identifying and providing facilities within communities to make walking

and cycling more attractive, such as more pedestrian crossing points on busy roads and cycle parks in

shopping centres or near recreation areas.

The strategy will also identify key areas around the harbour and city, where the Western Bay of Plenty strategy can unite with Tauranga City Council’s Cycling and Walking Strategy, which

Opus has been commissioned to update and prioritise.

Tauranga