This bi-directional separated cycleway (known as the ‘Morey St Cycleway’) along Morey Street, Rotorua, was implemented in 2016. It is in the immediate vicinity of Mokoia Intermediate School and Owhata Primary School (two Rotorua schools participating in the “Bikes in Schools” programme) as well as being near Rotorua Lakes High School, an early childhood centre, a retirement village and a special needs unit.
The cycleway was not included in Rotorua’s original cycle network planning, but the closure of a nearby pathway through a reserve that previously provided an important walking and cycling link obliged Council to provide an alternative, safe connection for school students. As such, the project budget was limited and Council had to find an innovative, low-cost way of achieving the objectives within a short time frame, with the added pressure of this having become its first cycleway project and therefore carrying a high risk to the cycleway programme’s reputation.
It was decided to reallocate road space to reduce the traffic lanes and provide a 3 m wide bi-directional separated cycleway. Plastic bollards and wheel-stops were used as separators. Green coloured surfacing and cycleway markings are used intermittently at some driveway crossings. Note that, although on-street parking had been removed from Morey Street several years prior to the cycleway installation, up to that point, some residents had continued to park on the road, sometimes overhanging the footpath.
The Morey Street cycleway was installed in conjunction with upgrades to the adjacent Brent Road (already planned), which involved provision of a shared path and better provision for school drop-offs. To the south, there are existing cycle lanes on Warwick Street.
Project owner: Rotorua Lakes Council
