Plans for Nor’West Arc cycleway finalised

Agreement has been reached on the route for the third and final section of the Te Ara O-Rakipaoa: Nor’West Arc cycleway.

The Nor’West Arc is one of 13 major cycleways being built across the city and is designed to go from Princess Margaret Hospital, in Cashmere, to Papanui where will it connect with the Northern Line and Wheels to Wings cycleways.

The first two sections of the Nor’West Arc – from Princess Margaret Hospital to the University of Canterbury – have been completed. The Council plans to start construction on the last remaining section in the financial year beginning July 2023.

The last section will be 4km long and will go from the University of Canterbury to Harewood Road, linking with the Northern Line Cycleway.

On the recommendation of the Hearings Panel that considered the 436 public submissions on the cycleway design, the Council has agreed that:

• On Ilam Road, from the university to Jellie Park, there will be one-way cycleways on each side of the road.
• From Jellie Park there will be shared path up to Aorangi Road.
• From there, the Nor’West Arc will take the form of a two-way cycleway along Aorangi Road, Condell Avenue and Matsons Avenue to Harewood Road.

“As part of this final section of the Nor’West Arc we will be making some other roading changes to improve safety for everyone,’’ says Council Head of Transport and Waste Management Lynette Ellis.

“For example, we are planning to add signalised crossings on Ilam Road, between Jellie Park and Burnside and Cobham schools, and at the intersection of Aorangi/Wairakei roads to provide safe crossing points for both cyclists and pedestrians.

“When we build the cycleways, we always consider all road users and look for ways that we can make the transport network safer,’’ Ms Ellis says.

The final section of the Nor’West Arc has received $10.5 million in funding as part of the Government ‘shovel ready’ projects. The Council is contributing $1 million to the project.