Potential cycle route along the Estuary edge
I have always thought it would be great to have a cycling route along the estuary edge between Bridge Street and Humphries drive but thought the area was closed to the public because of the sewage ponds. I recently discovered that there is an informal walkway recognised by CCC over this route (although this is currrently closed due to construction of the ocean outfall sewer). I took the opportunity to walk the route (except for the closed part) a few days ago and discovered that the area is surprisingly well maintained and quite rideable, with a metal track over about 95% of the route, and crossings over all the drains and other water courses. At present there are a couple of (low) fence crossings/ locked gates that you would have to lift a bike over, and a couple of sgns saying "keep out - wildlife reserve" (not sure how this squares with the walkway!).
Some photos of the route are attached below
With the ocean outfall works nearing completion, there is a fantastic opportunity to regularise bike use over this route, and address one of the "missing links" in the cycling network, namely joining up the Avon and Heathcote cycle paths. An upgraded cycle path could also provide an alternative route to (but not replace) the ugly and cycle unfriendly section of SH 73 through the ponds and Bromley. I'm keen to pursue this issue and am currently trying to track down what management provisions apply to the area, and who the various "players" are amongst Council staff.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| Gravel path along edge of sewage ponds.jpg | 82.55 KB |
| Sheltered path between sewage ponds and estuary edge.jpg | 85.28 KB |
| Locked gate.jpg | 112.28 KB |
| Short section of path required here.jpg | 82.79 KB |
| Path nearing Humphries drive.jpg | 80.11 KB |
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- Keith
Cycle Network
When the cycle network plan was developed in the mid 1990s, this pathway was identified on the network map. Whilst the path is still shown in the current strategy (2004), it is not supported by some Council staff as Chrissie points out, and I expect that this network element may well get deleted when the strategy gets updated next.
Axel Wilke
Spokes membership secretary
Estuary Edge Pathway
Two quick comments
1. A shared pathway already exists on the east side of the Avon/Estuary running from near Bereford St in New Brighton along the Avon River to Bridge St, then across South Brighton Domain following the Estuary (including a long boardwalk section) and finishing near Ebbtide St. This seems to work really well with shared use by both walkers (including dogs) and cyclists. I can't see it being too difficult to do the same on the other side. I would note that this pathway is really only suitable for mountain type bikes.
2. What influence is the fact that the rubble from the old gasworks was dumped along the edge of the estuary along some of this pathway? Some of the bi-products of gas making are pretty obnoxious.
Keith Turner
Estuary Edge pathway
In response
1. shared pathways aren't a problem - people seem to self mange these very well. On the edge between the ponds and the estuary the concern is the effect of people and dogs on the birds. Most of the existing the path is pretty well screened by plantings so perhaps not a big issue.
2. Yes there is a lot of rubble along that section of the estuary edge. Test holes were dug a couople of years ago and any contaminants are reasonably stabel UNLESS the area is disturbed. So if there was going to be any digging to reform or form paths how do deal with the contamination would have to be addressed first. But there are pretty well formed paths for most of the distance so not a big issue. The edges along there do need stabilising though as the bank erodes and the rubble ends up on the mud flats - not attractive.
Hi Chrissie The point I was
Hi Chrissie
The point I was trying to make was that the existing path on the east side of the estuary is also near an ecologically sensitive areas e.g the Godwit colony and seems to cause minimal disturbance, although I stand to be corrected by the experts. It seems to be a good model for a possible path on the west side. Cheers.
Keith Turner
Estuary edge
Thanks for that Chrissie. Appreciate that dogs may need to be banned (there are also livestock in the area). However, I think that most waders in the estuary are well habituated to people, and in terms of possible disturbance to roosting I was surprised how well much of the estuary edge is well screened from the route by plantings. This creates something of a sheltered avenue over much of the route. You can see this in one of the photos I have attached. Because of this parallel path below the embankments, much of the route could also avoid using the sewage pond edge if this is a safety concern (but this could easily be fixed by a fence).
My concern is that there are simply so many players in this area (particularly within council staff) that the whole issue has become bogged down. That's why I see the completion of the ocean outfall as a potential circuit breaker to achieving something for the area (particularly as it removes the outfall from this part of the estuary, which
was one of Councils original concerns about access to the area).
Estuary edge walkway/cycleway
Thanks Robin Access around the edge of the Estuary from Bridge Street to Humphreys Drive has been on the radar for a long time. It would provide a much safer route that trying to cycle along Dyers Road with its high vehicle speed and very narrow road shoulders. (although I have also been trying to raise the priority of this section of road for cycling with CC and Transit) 1. The existing access is very informal and use is not encouraged by the Council. 2. Andrew Crossland, ornithologist, has concern about increased walking/cycling (some with accompanying dogs) along this edge as that part of the estuary is used by birds at high tide so the birds are quite close to the edge. 3. City Water and Waste have a concern about the risk to their infrastructure (pipes and pumps etc) , and the proximity of people to the ponds which have quite steep edges - so safety issues 4. There is a CCC Greenedge project still ticking along that looks at proposals for this same area - including restoration projects , access etc, and has some budget. 4. Colin Meurk put a proposal to the CCC about a round-the-city walkway - that skirts the city and has been used as the route for his 'Meurky Walks' that have covered small sections of the circuit over the last few years. 5. The Avon Heathcote Estaury Ihutai Trust (of which I am a trustee) is working with CCC on improving access all round the Estuary and this section is a high priority, but there are a number of issues to work through. So can I ask/suggest that Spokes works alongside the Ihutai Trust on this, and helps increase the urgency to resolve some of the issues. Chrissie