On the Road to Better Footpaths
Published on October 30, 2023
Choosing walking or cycling as your main form of transportation has massive benefits to your health, the environment and community. Not only is active transport good for your physical and mental health, it also reduces traffic congestion and carbon emissions, worries about parking, and is good for your wallet.
We also know that having quality footpaths is important to our community. Recent customer satisfaction surveys revealed that only 35% of people were satisfied with footpath maintenance in the district, so Horowhenua District Council has put more focus on improving our network of paths.
We are moving forward in our vision for an active district and are committed to making it easier for people to choose active transport.
There are 230 kilometres of footpaths in Horowhenua and the network is added to each year. Our network is mostly made up of concrete footpaths, and some of our footpaths are asphalt.
Every two years, Council contractors inspect the entire footpath network to check for deterioration. Areas for renewal are selected following the condition inspection.
Short sections of footpaths are replaced when they have been damaged by tree roots or heavy vehicles. To improve safety, the team also make minor improvements to footpaths at intersections such as upgrading pram crossings.
We encourage people to be mindful of others, particularly those with disabilities, those with prams and pushchairs, and others whose mobility is limited or who need extra space on footpaths, when you put your rubbish bins and recycling crates out for collection. Bins should be placed out for collection as close to the kerb as possible, but clear of driveways, car parking areas, and in such a way that they don’t unduly interfere with pedestrian passage along footpaths.
When assessing where new footpaths should go Council Officers consider the population of the street, if a footpath will be used and take people off the road, whether it will connect to an existing footpath or connect a new subdivision to an existing settlement, and/or whether it will allow an existing footpath to be extended to the end of a street.
To develop our network of paths, we’ve focused initially on getting our tamariki safely to school and have improved shared paths in Levin along Queen Street, Fairfield and Arapaepae Roads, and this year there have been safety improvements made outside Manakau School and St Joseph’s School, Levin. We've also improved Palmer Road in Foxton Beach, and added a new footpath in Rata Street, Tokomaru. In Shannon, Graham Street, Whittaker Street, Stout Street, and Julyan Street have been renewed, as well as Ramona Avenue, Waitārere Beach and Levin’s Wilton Street and Edinburgh Streets.
Early next year, construction will begin on a number of safety improvements to Queen Street East and Cambridge Street, Levin. You’ll notice new raised safety platforms, mid-block crossings, bollards and refuge islands to make it easier and safer for people to cross – whether they are walking, pushing a pram or on a mobility scooter.
Some of these safety improvements slow traffic and give you a safer space to stop in the centre of the road between the lanes. Some intersections will be narrowed to give drivers more time to see pedestrians before they turn and stop cars drifting around corners.
This work, largely funded by the Waka Kotahi Transport Choices programme, is just one piece of the Horowhenua path improvement puzzle. These sections of paths will connect to Levin’s future cycling and active transport network, which will continue to grow and develop as more scheduled work is undertaken.
Council is responsible for repairs to Council footpaths. All non-urgent repairs are programmed and completed on a priority basis. If you notice a path which has declined since its last inspection and it needs some attention, please let us know. Urgent faults which are a health and safety issue are repaired as required.
(06) 366 0999
enquiries@horowhenua.govt.nz