Tuesday 19th March 2002

Cycle Aware Palmerston North is astonished that the City Council has slashed funding for cycle initiatives.

Spokesperson Donald Kerr said "I am shocked that Palmerston North City Council has totally cut the Bike Plan funding. There is over $15 million budgeted for roading, but the Bike Plan gets zero. Even planting trees on the streets gets fifty thousand!"

Palmerston North City Council's Bike Plan includes initiatives for new cycle lanes, better road markings at intersections and examining the cycle routes into every school in the city. Cycling and safety are part of the same issue. The Bike Plan is all about making cycling safer.

"Cycle Aware Palmerston North fully supports implementing the Bike Plan. But we told the Council just over a year ago that their Plan was woefully behind schedule. Zero funding this year means zero progress, putting the plan even further behind schedule! Our City Councillors have made it very clear what they think of cycling and safety. Zero."

"The City Council's budget cutting makes a mockery of the "Moving Easily" strategy. How can you have a Manawatu Transport Strategy without cycling?"

CAPN doesn't wish to be picky about the roading budget, but here are some numbers for comparison.

In capital expenditure (excluding Transit assisted projects):

Vehicle Crossings: $259,500 Footpaths - renewals $210,000

Footpaths - repairs $229,500 Trees $53,800

and over $3 million in other capital projects including Transit assisted projects.

Councillors have provisionally funded all these projects, but $187,500 can't be found to make cycling safer, through capital projects.

The city doesn't even know how many cyclists there are in the city, or where the problems are. The Bike Plan operating budget of $67,000 would have addressed these issues. But that has been wiped too.

Cycle Aware Palmerston North call on the City Council to urgently re-instate funding for the Bike Plan as a key part of its efforts to make Palmerston North a safe, healthy place to live.

Cycle Aware Palmerston North

Contact: Donald Kerr

day 952-7001 x 7636

afterhours 355-2725