New Zealand Cycle Trail

The New Zealand Cycle Trail Project ( Nga Haerenga in Māori ) is a co-funded by the New Zealand Government initiative, a network of cycle paths over the entire country to build and maintain, which are called " Great Rides". By the end of September 2010, the funding for a total of 18 of these applications were approved in the two application rounds, while has already begun in some of the projects with the construction.

• 3.1 Quick Start projects
• 3.2 Second Round Project

History

Originally, " the New Zealand Cycleway " titled, and later "the National Cycleway Project ", it was initially planned as a bike path that should run the entire length of New Zealand " from Kaitaia to Bluff ." This was proposed at the national Job Summit in early 2009 the New Zealand government of Prime Minister John Key as the 21 " surprise" measure.

John Key, who is New Zealand's Minister of Tourism at the same time, announced that as of mid-March 2009, the authorities are working " actively and aggressively " on a plan would be to implement the bike path, the original idea of ​​a direct route was abandoned in favor of a network of existing bike paths and new sections, the Key as the " Great Rides" designated in accordance with the New Zealand Great Walks, an ancient farm system. The individual routes are to be connected in the longer term to a New Zealand - wide network.

To speed up the process said to John Key that the first approved sections would be published by June 2009. So already the first seven projects were announced in July 2009, the overall will receive $ 9 million in grants. November 2009 began the construction of the Waikato River Trails, the first of the quick-start projects, which received $ 3 million in order to complete a 100 km bike path along the Waikato River with a section of 41 km.

In the second phase of the project was announced in February 2010 that, of the 54 applications (apart from the Quick Start trails ) were 13 selected for funding - provided the feasibility studies were positive. If all of these trails and the Quick Start trails would be realized, it would provide more than 2,000 km of cycle paths. In September 2010, five additional tracks were approved, bringing the total 18 cycle routes are part of the NZCT.

On July 2, 2010, Prime Minister John Key opened the first segment, which was completed with Cycle Trail grants, namely the leg of the " Old Coach Road " of the Ruapehu to Whanganui - Nga Ara Tuhono trails.

Characteristics

Project framework

The original idea for the bike path was a continuous route with paved surface, and it has been debated that the Department of Conservation should monitor the construction process. Cycling advocates noted that it was a good sign for the future of the project that the Feasibility Study of Tourism Ministry would be performed instead by the Transport Ministry.

From mid-March 2009, there were the first comments from government circles that the original vision of a continuous cycle path was hinted, probably not realized by the whole country, at least not in this form. Instead, it was now envisaged to create a network of bike paths, in combination of existing sections and upgrading of other forms of tracks and roads. The tracks would probably have different standards in different areas, especially since some estimates had valued the cost of the original proposal of a continuous concrete bicycle path on at least $ 300 million instead of the $ 50 million discussed

In May 2009 it was confirmed that instead of a single route through all of New Zealand, the project would be at least initially focus on a number of promising individual routes. Significant portions of these routes could use existing railway corridor protection areas or possibly planned route of the roads, or even existing bicycle infrastructure. You would be able to also run through nature reserves, where it would be appropriate, and include existing tourist destinations, and thus create more interesting routes.

Mid-2010, Prime Minister John Key announced that he expected that 2000 km cycle tracks would be completed by the end of 2011.

Targeted benefits

The intention of the trails would be, apart from the creation of jobs in times of economic crisis ( both in the construction industry as well as below in the tourism industry ), the national and international cyclists a route has to offer. Cycle Action Auckland mentioned in an editorial that the Otago Central Rail Trail would have brought far-reaching benefits for an otherwise struggling for their existence rural region by had created estimated to be 1,000 full - and part-time jobs in the region, and that the positive effects of a national cycle network on tourism would likely be the same. Cycling Advocates ' Network supports the proposal as an encouragement for cycling in New Zealand, and also the traveling fans see the profit of such a route. The New Zealand Tourism Ministry noted that the project could also provide a much-needed impetus for feasibility and funding the ailing bike path strategies and plans of many cities.

Statistics from the Ministry of Tourism show that so far (until 2009) only about 2% of all tourists in New Zealand companies as part of their activities cycling. However, the figures also showed that cyclists remain more than twice as long as the average tourists during their stay and about 1.6 times as much output as other tourists. The New Zealand Tourism Ministry also noted that effectively there is no advertising for cycling in New Zealand at international tourists to date, although it eg a significant tourism division is in Europe.

Estimates for the quick-start projects quoted work for about 40 people in the first phase for each. Prime Minister John Key said that he expects that a total of about 500 jobs during the construction of bike paths arise, and in the wake of up to 4,000 by the tourist benefits of trails.

Financing

May 2009, the government announced that $ 50 million has been earmarked in the budget for the next three years for the bike path from the budget of the Ministry of Tourism. It was hoped thereby that local authorities and other bodies would contribute a further sum, being co - financed projects before money would be preferred from the state budget. From the total of $ 2.5 million for management and advisory responsibilities in the Ministry of Tourism, while $ 47.5 million will be used to create the National Cycleway Project Fund will receive from the successful applicant grants for the construction of bike paths.

Routes

Quick -start projects

The first projects to receive from the " Quick Start " portion of the Cycle Trail Fund grants are:

• Waikato River Trails - two new sections with 41 km in the southern Waikato River area, completing a 100 km bike path
• Hauraki Rail Trail - in the Thames Valley from Paeroa to Waihi and Paeroa to Thames
• Far North - possible routes are examined for a 90 km cycle track
• Central North Iceland Rail Trail - 60 km bike path are proposed
• Mountains to the Sea - two new bike trails with a total of 245 km in the Tongariro National Park and Whanganui
• St James Trail - 50 km mountain bike trail built by the Department of Conservation
• Around the Mountain Cycle Trail ( Southland ) / Queenstown Lakes - possible 175 km cycle track

Second Round Project

Selected for the second round (assuming the feasibility studies are successful ) Trail following suggestions were:

• Old Motu Coach Road (Gisborne, Hawke's Bay)
• Thermal by Bike ( Rotorua, Waikato )
• Lake Track ( Lake Taupo, Waikato )
• Mountains to Sea Cycleway ( Ruapehu, Manawatu - Wanganui )
• Heretaunga Ararua: Land of a Hundred Pathways (Napier, Hawke's Bay)
• Dun Mountain and Tasman Cycle Loop ( Nelson, Tasman )
• Old Ghost Road (West Coast)
• Westland Wilderness Trail ( Greymouth, West Coast)
• Alps to Ocean Cycle Trail ( Canterbury - Otago )
• Queenstown Trail (formerly Wakatipu Trail ) ( Otago )
• Roxburgh Gorge Trail ( Otago )
• Clutha Gold Trail ( Otago )

In July 2010 it was announced that eight of the original 13 approved for the second round cycling routes had been given the green light, four more studies still needed and was a (Tauranga Moana ) rejected due Landnutzungs-/Zugangsproblemen that the feasibility of the application in the near future prevented. $ 18.8 million was allocated to the tracks and approved the local authorities take another $ 16 million of the project costs. Five more tracks from the list were approved in September 2010.

Among the projects that had applied after the change of the frame to grants from the new fund, are routes in the urban Auckland and on Waiheke and Great Barrier Iceland Iceland. Although none of them was successful, Nikki Kaye, National MP for Auckland, and other sponsors of applications such as Cycle Action Auckland are nevertheless confident that worthwhile projects such as the Waiheke Cycle Trail can be realized by other means.

Public reactions

While many cyclists groups and the tourism promoters such as Tourism New Zealand have welcomed the project with enthusiasm, there has also been skepticism, especially in relation to the potential cost of the project and the scope of the economic benefits. Some voices have claimed that the bike trail idea smelt after the job creation measures of depression for the working class. Other critics have countered that the money that is invested for the bike path that benefits definitely the New Zealand economy, with the country a lasting benefit to the infrastructure.

Editorial writers have stressed that the Prime Minister clearly stands behind the project, which he raised from baptism, despite criticism of the changing cost estimates and the change from the original concept of a single track to a network of cycle paths. The project also has the enthusiasm of some groups of business people awakened with eg a meeting of 130 representatives from business and government in Waikato, which favor because of the benefits for tourism, health care and economy, it could bring the Hamilton and Waikato region. Even the New Zealand Contractor 's Federation supports it, since it expects that it could be very beneficial for many small and medium enterprises in economically hard times.

The bike path project is also seen as a potential life ring for small places like Kumara on the West Coast. The small town, formerly a center for gold mining, today only a few hundred residents left and is facing the closure of its only remaining store. The Mayor of Westland, Maureen Pugh, hopes that the Westland Wilderness Trail, which has been selected as one of 13 Trails Phase II, could be a " lifeline " by drawing tourism to the region.