Te Ara Rimu - Kihikihi pathway

It is designed to encourage children to get active and enjoy playful moments as they travel to school, home, or around town.

Play-on-the-way supports children’s development in many areas, including cognitive, social, and emotional growth. It gives them opportunities to build confidence, develop new skills, and explore their interests through active play.

No. While fences are not being installed, the play spaces are safely set back six metres from Whitmore Street, with two berms and a pathway providing a clear buffer. The trees also act as natural barriers between the equipment to the end of the cul-de-sacs.

Yes, the play spaces are safely set back six metres from Whitmore Street, with two berms and a pathway providing a clear buffer. The trees also act as natural barriers between the equipment to the end of the cul-de-sacs.

Work should be completed by mid-May and it is the last stage of the Kihikihi pathway project.

These features were included in the plan for the new pathway, but installation was scheduled for the end of the project to ensure sufficient funding remained in the budget. The budget that was funded by a $5.64 million grant from New Zealand Transport Agency as part of its initiative to increase transport options around the country. An additional $2.4 million came from Waipā District Council’s 2021-2031 Long-Term Plan budget for urban mobility projects.

Creating a safer pathway

Council believes the pedestrian mall and cul-de-sac options are a critical part of our pathway construction as they mean we can reduce the number of intersections on Rolleston and Whitmore Streets. This means those using the pathway can use it without having to look out for, and stop for, vehicles crossing the path.

Ultimately pedestrian malls and cul-de-sacs enable us to prioritise the safety and wellbeing of pedestrians and cyclists. For our tamariki this is especially important – it means they’ll be able to safely get to and from school each day.

Creating safer, quieter neighbourhoods

The creation of pedestrian malls and cul-de-sacs will have the added benefit of creating quieter streets and neighbourhoods. The pedestrian malls and cul-de-sacs will help to achieve the following:

For many, homes on cul-de-sac streets are highly sought after and have a higher level of desirability.

Opportunity to create community spaces

The creation of pedestrian malls and cul-de-sacs result in more community / free space that can be used in all sorts of ways. Council could grass these areas, could plant fruit trees, create play spaces – things that significantly improve the liveability of the whole neighbourhood. No plans have been made around this but it’s something we’d love your ideas on!

Additional driving time

Creating these pedestrian malls and cul-de-sacs will mean that those residents who live on either of the six affected streets will need to have a longer driving time to get onto Whitmore or Rolleston Street.

We’re expecting that the pedestrian malls and cul-de-sacs will result in an average additional time of 2.5 minutes.

Higher volume of traffic on Herbert and Oliver Street

Our projections show that the pedestrian malls and cul-de-sacs will result in more traffic on Herbert and Oliver Street. However, the two new roundabouts at the intersection of Rolleston / Herbert Street and Whitmore / Oliver Street will help manage traffic safety and also acting as traffic calming measures (i.e. help slow traffic down).