Principal hopes NZTA will take on suggestions
Horsham Downs principal Phil Missen hopes the New Zealand Transport Agency will take on his and the school board’s suggestions regarding the Hamilton section of the Waikato Expressway.
“Our focus has shifted from roading more to walking and cycling access to the school,” he told the Waikato Times recently.
There were three main points around the planned expressway, which will be less than 100 metres away from the school’s boundary.
‘The first is Osborne Rd, which will be “sliced in half”, meaning school kids living on the other side will have to travel a loop to school instead of carrying on up the road.
A cyclist and pedestrian overbridge was previously suggested and Missen hoped it was still on the cards.
But he also wanted to see a walking and cycling track extended to take travellers from Reynolds Rd to Resolution Drive extension.
He was keen on an extended cycle and pedestrian path beside the Resolution Drive Extension, but worried about suggested crossing points.
Information from a recent open day indicated one – controlled by lights – could be at the Resolution Drive interchange.
“We’re talking about cyclists and pedestrians crossing an on-ramp/off ramp to an expressway.”
Another was understood to be in Martin Lane, the dead-end street the school is on.
“At three o’clock Martin Lane is extremely congested and you would have a crossing point very close to two very busy intersections,” he said.
NZTA’s Jo Wilton said the expressway was the only part of the route that was officially set so far.
“The connection of Resolution Drive… to Horsham Downs Rd isn’t actually designated yet. So we’re still looking at the options of how to connect that local network all through there,” the project manager for the Hamilton section of the expressway said.
That meant the position of cycling and walking connections weren’t set in stone and NZTA was still working through feedback from a recent community open day at Horsham Downs.
NZTA has a meeting scheduled with the school for Monday 29 June.
Click here for the full story in the Waikato Times.
