Spring Creek Cycleway a finalist for national award

The Spring Creek Cycleway is in the running for national recognition, up against big cycle projects from Auckland and Hamilton.

The Marlborough cycleway has been selected as a finalist in the 2017 Bike to the Future Awards, a contender for the award for large scale infrastructure projects; the ‘Big Bike Bling’ section.

The event is organised by the NZ Transport Agency and Cycling Action Network to celebrate cycling projects and the people who promote them.

Championed by BikeWalk Marlborough, the Spring Creek cycleway connecting Grovetown and Spring Creek is a joint effort by the Marlborough District Council and NZTA/Marlborough Roads. It serves cycling commuters and tourists so it’s both a recreational route and a transport corridor which allows cyclists safe passage along the SH1 route.

It’s also a key component of Marlborough’s Walking and Cycling Strategy.
Community sport advisor for Sport Tasman Braden Prideaux, who submitted the entry, says the success of the cycleway can be seen in the numbers with more than 16,000 cyclists and 3000 pedestrians using it since it opened.

"Since the completion of the cycleway at the beginning of this year, the number of cyclists travelling along the route has more than doubled," he said.

The Marlborough cycleway is being judged against three other big projects; Auckland City Council’s Quay Street Cycleway and the Grey Lynn Pump Track and Hamilton’s Western Rail Trail.

"To be chosen as a finalist is a great reflection on the efforts made by Marlborough Roads and Bike Walk Marlborough to significantly improve safety for both pedestrians and cyclists," said Mr Prideaux.

The winners will be announced at the Asia-Pacific Cycle Congress awards dinner in Christchurch on 19 October.
ENDS.

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