Awesome!! Great for the country I reckon!

phunk wrote:WASTE OF MONEY!!

dont worry, it wont even start. It will get bogged in red tape with the twig/tweet brigade fighting every blade of grass proposed to be cut, community infighting over wanting/not wanting it near them, budget projections showing it will actually cost 500mil. . . . .

Don't forget that the other bit of news to come out of the job summit was nine days of work in two weeks. so that extra day is to be spent "doin a government course". could easily be transfered to digging that track or any single track that can be shown to "benefit" the community. sharpen the spade.

thorg wrote:

phunk wrote:WASTE OF MONEY!!

dont worry, it wont even start. It will get bogged in red tape with the twig/tweet brigade fighting every blade of grass proposed to be cut, community infighting over wanting/not wanting it near them, budget projections showing it will actually cost 500mil. . . . .

I just found John Keys "Nation of whingers"

How far will 50 million go when its going to cost 43million to get across the Auckland Harbour bridge if they follow state highway 1.As good as it would be to have a cycleway ,this is NZ so it wont happen well not in my life time ,If they cant get there act together to build another harbour crossing ,which was needed 10 years ago or a real road into Wellington What chance do we have of getting a cycleway built?

Crashed wrote:How far will 50 million go when its going to cost 43million to get across the Auckland Harbour bridge if they follow state highway 1.As good as it would be to have a cycleway ,this is NZ so it wont happen well not in my life time ,If they cant get there act together to build another harbour crossing ,which was needed 10 years ago or a real road into Wellington What chance do we have of getting a cycleway built?

Alas, I have to agree with you. Whilst it would be an awesome thing to have, especially if it is of a quality for cycle tours, I agree it would cost far more than the predictions.

shit-----I just looked outside and the day is dawning, I can see a few puffy clouds in the sky, and it is calm as in Wellington. I knew I should have gone ahead and planned to ride today, but dammit I've got work to do....and that means overtime

While it appears that it is just going to become a pipe dream, I like the idea.

As stated before, the small towns could really benefit from this type of vision. The efficiency of the mighty motor vehicle generally means that people just drive straight through the small communities contributing nothing . People can only cycle so far in a day and would quite likely plan a trip stage by stage utilising "small town" resources along the way

It is a fantastic idea and given the geographic scale of NZ is quite feasible , an "on road" experience would be the most practical option ( fit your slicks MTBers ) . It would be cool to see some of the rail trails utilised for certain stages as they see some beautiful country we miss in a motor vehicle.

The world is becoming more "Eco aware" and cycling certainly falls under this umbrella so long term it could become a really good draw card for tourism and enthusiasts alike.

Hmmmmm, SS the length of NZ

I like it

pb wrote:set up bike compatible public transport

And you said that building a road from one end of the country to the other for $50m was far fetched

nice idea, believe it when I see it completed

The $50 mill figure is getting a lot of flack.

The standard rate for gravelled single track is $25/m. So $50mill is good for about 2000km of track. Take away the cost of design, signs, infrastructure, etc and you'll still be left with enough for a LOT of track. Bear in mind that this can tie in with other projects - and be realistic that it would involve simply repainting some sections of road to link the off-road stuff - and you're still looking at the most significant cycling project that NZ has ever considered.

It amazes me that any cyclist should see this as a glass half empty situation.

Simonk wrote:The $50 mill figure is getting a lot of flack.
It amazes me that any cyclist should see this as a glass half empty situation.

Personally I am a realist, and being in a position that allows me to see these things in action, know that even if JK announced "this has my Governements full support, we will commence tomorrow!" - I see getting the final route agreed at least 5 years off. It's just a fact of life when living in a community, people disagree, a lot. So whilst I think it is a great idea, and would volunteer my time on the shovel to help it along, I still think it will not come to pass. As a guage, how long has 'the long pathway' been going?

Simonk wrote:The $50 mill figure is getting a lot of flack.

The standard rate for gravelled single track is $25/m. So $50mill is good for about 2000km of track. Take away the cost of design, signs, infrastructure, etc and you'll still be left with enough for a LOT of track. Bear in mind that this can tie in with other projects - and be realistic that it would involve simply repainting some sections of road to link the off-road stuff - and you're still looking at the most significant cycling project that NZ has ever considered.

It amazes me that any cyclist should see this as a glass half empty situation.

Exactly, its got me facked. I thought I was in good company here on Vorb but it appears a fair percentage are "the glass half empty" brigade

How about some more enthusiasm folks. Don't get hung up on the details but embrace the concept

PS: Don't give me the " just being practical " b'shiat - it doesn't wash with me.

[hijack]

Hmm - riding the length of NZ - this idea appeals to me. Definitely on my things to do list

[/hijack]

Simonk wrote:The $50 mill figure is getting a lot of flack.

The standard rate for gravelled single track is $25/m. So $50mill is good for about 2000km of track. Take away the cost of design, signs, infrastructure, etc and you'll still be left with enough for a LOT of track. Bear in mind that this can tie in with other projects - and be realistic that it would involve simply repainting some sections of road to link the off-road stuff - and you're still looking at the most significant cycling project that NZ has ever considered.

It amazes me that any cyclist should see this as a glass half empty situation.

Presumably it's $25/m for track on land that you've got the right to build on?

Govt doesn't own a track of land spanning the entire length of the country*, and most farmers would be unwilling to welcome thousands of tourists onto their farms every year (with good reason).

*unless you want the trail to follow SH1 and/or rail lines...