It’s been a long wait since the October 2020 announcement that we’d be getting new cycling paths on the Tasman Bridge but this week designs have been released for public comment.
The government’s promise of 3.5 metre wide paths on both sides have been honoured in the designs, which show pink paths with high metal outer barriers.
There is some wind protection up to about waist height on the outer barriers and internally a higher 1.4 metre rail separating people from the traffic lanes.
The new paths will be hung off the side of the bridge next to the current narrow maintenance walkways and will have new lighting installed for safer early morning and night-time trips.
It won’t just be cyclists who benefit from the new paths, with the path on the southern side of the bridge being disability compliant. This means there will be flattened spots to give people on mobility devices the chance to rest, similar to the surface on the Bridge of Remembrance in Hobart.
The northern path will be a smoother surface and will be the side of the bridge that would link up to a potential pathway along the Tasman Highway that has been planned but not funded.
So, while there are currently no plans for separating people walking and riding, it may eventuate that people riding choose the smoother northern path surface, leaving the southern side to people walking.
On the city side of the river, there will be a new access ramp built for the pathway on the southern side that will link it directly into the Intercity Cycleway. On the eastern side, the current access path will be widened to 3.5 metre width and will have better lighting.
And for regular cyclists the hated maintenance gantries will be removed as service workers will be able to access the pipes and wires via the new paths.
Have your say
The Department of State Growth has set up a webpage for you to comment on the path design before 19 July.
The artist’s impression uses pink in a nod to the popular Nelson Street Cycleway in Auckland so if you like it let them know and if you don’t, come up with a better colour.
We’ve heard from members that wind is a big problem so you need to think about whether the wider path and the proposed outer barrier wind protection will be enough to make your ride safer.
You can see all the comments on the design on the social poinpoint map. The prospect of safer, more comfortable paths has already provoked great ideas to improve the connections on either side.
The next step in the project is to work through the public commentary to see if any changes need to be made to the design.
The project will then be advertised for a company to tender to do the final detailed designs and construction in the next few months with a successful tender announced later this year, a detailed design finished in early 2023 and construction to begin in mid 2023.
While we won’t know what the construction timeframe will look like until the successful tenderer is chosen, it’s hoped that one path will be completed before work begins on the other so that we can start riding before the final completion date of late 2025.
The $130 million bridge strengthening project, which includes the new paths, is being funded jointly by the Australian and Tasmanian governments.
What do you think of the Tasman Bridge paths?
Have your say before 19 July online at https://stategrowthtas.mysocialpinpoint.com/tasmanbridge
Have your say