Walk Safe in Piha

Welcome to Walk Safe in Piha. The Piha 'Walk Safe' Group is made up of Sara Carbery, Gillian Cotton, Gabrielle Lancaster, Myriam Schreuder and Hannah Slade - all permanent residents of Piha.  We represent the parents, children, joggers, cyclists, the 'not so young', people with sight or hearing problems and in fact anyone who wishes to move around Piha in anything but a vehicle.  

• Piha Walk Safe News
• Piha Walk Safe Commitment and Motivation
• Piha Walk Safe Photographs
• Piha Walk Safe Time Line / History:
• Thoughts from Piha Community
• Email Piha Walk Safe

Piha Walk Safe News

27th September 2010:  Final Plans are out . . . here are the final plans for the $K750 we were able to get from WCC.  Have a look here Final Plans for Walk Safe Piha [5442kb].pdf

3rd September 2010:  Priorities are Out . .  Below are the priorities for the $750,000.  We have one more meeting with WCC so there may be one or two tweeks.  The money doesn't go far but we are hopeful there may be another $K500 . . .

Site 12 Glenesk Road    Between Seaview Road and No.45 Glenesk Road  Part1   $8,000 
Site 12 Glenesk Road    Between Seaview Road and No.45 Glenesk Road   Part2   $27,000
Site 3  Marine Parade North Between No.123 Marine Parade North and No.163 Marine Parade North  Part1   $5,000 
Site 5  Seaview Road  Between No.10 Seaview Road and Garden Road  Part1   $20,000
Site 5  Seaview Road  Between No.10 Seaview Road and Garden Road  Part2   $10,000
Site 1  North Piha Road Between No.176 Marine Parade North and No.2 North Piha Road  Part1   $25,000
Site 2  Marine Parade North  Between the bridge and 176 Marine Parade North Part1  $20,000       
Site 2  Marine Parade North  Between the bridge and 176 Marine Parade North Part2  $40,000       
Site 2  Marine Parade North  Between the bridge and 176 Marine Parade North Part3  $54,000       
Site 6  Seaview Road    Between No.80 Seaview Road and No.92 Seaview Road Part1   $85,000       
Site 6  Seaview Road    Between No.80 Seaview Road and No.92 Seaview Rd Part2   $52,000       
Site 6  Seaview Road    Between No.80 Seaview Road and No.92 Seaview Road   Part3   $8,500     
Site 4  Seaview Road    Between No.57 Marine Parade North and No.10 Seaview Road  Part1   $5,000      
Site 4  Seaview Road    Between No.57 Marine Parade North and No.10 Seaview Road  Part2   $33,000       
Site 4  Seaview Road    Between No.57 Marine Parade North and No.10 Seaview Road  Part3   $4,000      
Site 7  Seaview Road    Between No.92 Seaview Road and No.138 Seaview Road Part1   $343,000       
Site 15 Seaview Road    In front of Post Office Part1   $10,000 $

Total $749,500    To see the site location PDF just scroll down to 18th August below

22nd August 2010:  One (big) Step Closer   Residents and visitors are one (big) step closer to being able to walk safely around Piha, thanks to the $750,000 allocated by Council 'for new footpaths and pedestrian improvements in Piha'.

The Council's funding announcement in late June sparked a fast-paced process that has seen Council staff investigating sites, drawing up plans and liaising with Walk Safe Piha and the R&R about where and how the money should be spent. The Piha community has been extremely supportive through the whole process with comments like, "Well done to everyone involved in this first step to making Piha a place that's great to live, rather than just visit by car.  You may well be saving lives too", making us feel glad we persevered with pushing for funding.

Where will the money be spent?

Over a period of six days in early August, more than 130 people took the time to look at concept plans (left) and provide feedback; this feedback was discussed at a final meeting held at Council on Tuesday 17^th August.

And the winner is: from Barnett Hall to Pendrell Road.

With some lateral and creative thinking, the $750,000 has stretched further than we'd initially hoped. Residents from Pendrell Road down should be able to walk safely down the hill from their homes once the works are completed.  A roadside path will deliver pedestrians safely to the Milk Track and there will be a grassed pedestrian area from the library around Lion Rock corner.  Also, walking to preschool will be safer and easier, and getting from the end of Glen Esk Road around the corner to the fire station should no longer be a death-defying mission.

We knew from the beginning that the money wouldn't cover everywhere and there was much debate about 'priority areas'.  This time around, the top of the hill has missed out, sadly, unless some magic white rabbit gets pulled from the hat.  Our request that all of the hill be put at the top of the priority list for future planning has been noted by Council and we are continuing to push for a lowering of the speed limit from the Karekare turnoff.

A heartfelt thanks must go to Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse and Councillor Paul Mitchell for pushing this issue on our behalf.  Also a big thanks to Council staff who have worked long hours to ensure the project gets signed off before Waitakere City Council ceases to be on 31 October.

Work on the footpaths is expected to take place early in 2011.

You may have noticed the addendum Walk Safe put up in the library alongside Council's plans.  It was a map of what's known as the 'South Piha Plantation Reserve', a 15-20m wide strip of land that runs from 67 Piha Road to the Tasman View Track which leads down to the Gap.  We put it up there to gauge how the community felt about opening the track.  Results from feedback show there is overwhelming support for the project. The track has been surveyed and we have willing and capable volunteers standing by to cut a track. This won't be smooth and easy walking, but could make a really good loop walk. In the future, it would be wonderful to link the track to Rayner Road somehow.   If you would like to help with labour or refreshments  Email us from HERE

Piha Walk Safe : Sara, Gillian, Gabrielle, Myriam and Hannah

18th August 2010:  Piha Walk Safe would like to thank everyone that came to the Piha Library last week to look at the plans and to give their feedback. 

We were thrilled with the numbers of people that came to Piha on a winter weekend as well as those that mailed or faxed their feedback forms.

We met with WCC last night, after collating all your feedback, and will be giving you positive feedback from this meeting hopefully by weeks end.

Thank you all again:  Sara, Gillian, Gabrielle, Myriam and Hannah

10th August 2010 Walk Safe Plans for Feedback: This week please visit the Piha Community Library to see all the maps and plans for Walk Safe options prepared by WCC.

It's important to remember that $750,000 won't stretch as far as any of us would like and that all areas can't be improved at this stage, but it's a great start in making Piha a safer place to walk.

If you are unable to come to Piha then here are the documents for you.  In order to follow them it may pay to print  the 'feedback' document out and then follow the Steps Below.

1. PRINT: Walk Safe Community Feedback form Feedback FORM [47kb].doc.  This document has Site 1 - 14 on it for you to follow, with the diagrams below, and give feedback on.  Easy?
2. The following plan shows details for Site 1 - 7 on the feedback form  Piha1 - pdf
3. The following plan shows details for Sites 8 -13 on the feedback form Piha2 - pdf
4. The following three diagrams refer to Site 14 on the feedback form
   • Eview #28152 - pdf
   • Eview #28384 - pdf
   • Eview #28394 - pdf
5. Read all of this in conjunction with this  Option Table HERE

Time is of the essense.  The survey feedback form has to be in the hand of Walk Safe by this Monday August 16th so if you are unable to come to Piha:

• Email to Walk Safe  something like this: 

Site 1 

Preferred material used - Honeycomb

Comments : No white reflector paint on timber traffic divides

Priority: Sites 4 - 7 - 9 - 14 - 5

• Fax it to 8128 717

*It must be in Piha by Monday so please treat as urgent

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29th July 2010 Piha Walkways $750,000 update: Mark Saturday 7^th August in your diary.  There will be a 'scope and concept design' display for you to look at in the Piha library 10am-2pm. The key will be to keep an open, positive mind and to remember that only a fraction of what needs to be done will be achieved at this stage. The focus needs to be on 'priority areas' and 'lasting solutions'. Remember that this as part of a long-term plan to get people walking around Piha safely. Watch this space for further information. Walk Safe in Piha

We have also updated our Timeline / History HERE

15th July 2010 In response to Walk Safe's submission to Council's LTCCP Committee in May last year which you supported, Waitakere City Council has allocated $750,000 'for new footpaths and pedestrian improvements in Piha'. This money was unexpected at this late stage (it wasn't originally allocated in the LTCCP) and a special thanks should go to Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse and Councillor Paul Mitchell for pushing this issue for us.

While $750,000 may sound like a lot, we need to be realistic about how far it will go. A 'guesstimate' is somewhere  around 900m-1.5km of roadside walkway. But it's an important first step to making Piha safer for pedestrians. The challenge will be making sure the money is spent wisely.

Council transport assets staff have investigated preliminary options and the first workshop to define the scope of the project was held on Tuesday this week, 13 July. Present were key members of Council, including Tony Miguel (Acting Director-city services), Councillor Penny Hulse, Councillor Paul Mitchell, transport staff and strategists, two representatives from Walk Safe (Gabrielle Lancaster and Sara Carbery), two R&R committee members (Paula Legel and Monique Oliver) and Community Board Chair Kubi Witten-Hannah.

TIMELINE: Because Waitakere City Council ceases to exist on 31 October when the new Auckland Council comes into being, things need to move quickly. The scope of the project and concept designs need to be confirmed by 20 August in order to meet the deadline of the Waitakere Community Board meeting on 7 September and the final Council meeting on 15 September. Otherwise we lose the money.

The next workshop for investigation of scope and concept design is to be held on Tuesday 3 August and for a week following that (approx Wed 4-Tuesday 10 August ? put it in your diary) there will be a small window of opportunity for the Piha community to give feedback. Walk Safe and the R&R are making recommendations to Council regarding areas of concern, safety issues etc, and it's really important that everyone is proactive in giving feedback during this week - there will be a display on the library and also online for comment. The key will be to keep an open, positive mind and to remember that only a fraction of what needs to be done will be achieved at this stage. We need to think 'priority areas' and regard this as part of a long-term plan to get people walking around Piha safely.

Thanks for your continued support: Sara Carbery for Walk Safe in Piha

25 June 2010: WCC allocated $750,000 'for new footpaths and pedestrian improvements in Piha'. This money was unexpected at this late stage (it wasn't originally allocated in the LTCCP) and a special thanks should go to Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse and Councillor Paul Mitchell for pushing this issue for us. While $750,000 may sound like a lot, we need to be realistic about how far it will go. A 'guesstimate' is it will buy us somewhere around 900m-1.5km of roadside walkway. But it's an important first step to making Piha safer for pedestrians. The challenge will be making sure the money is spent wisely.

Piha Walk Safe Commitment and Motivation

We are committed to making Piha a safe place for people to get around on foot, an issue that has been discussed for decades, both informally and in more formal forums such as the R&R and at Council level.

Pedestrian safety is the main motivator for us, but we see freer movement of pedestrians around Piha as also enhancing the health and wellbeing of residents; fostering a greater sense of community and having positive environmental spin-offs at a time when we're all trying to minimise our carbon footprints.

It is ironic that thousands of visitors come to Piha to walk on the beach or on one of the many tracks surrounding the area, yet residents are in many ways 'car-bound'. We can't walk safely to visit friends, to the beach, or link into tracks, walk the dog, push a pram, or go for a jog without risking life and limb.

As well as the support of many individuals and families, we have the support of the Piha Vounteer Fire Brigade, the Piha Kids Charitable Trust, Coastcare, the Beach Valley Road Project and the Piha Residents & Ratepayers Association.

We want to be able to:

Piha Walk Safe Photographs

The 'Piha Walk Safe' group has put in considerable work and research for their campaign.  Below are photographs taken used for their submission and campaign.

Piha Walk Safe Time Line / History:

Thoughts from Piha Community

Here are the emails of support we received from members of the community in May 2009. (Note: names provided but deleted in most instances to protect privacy.)

• It is great to see that a group like yourselves care about us Piha residents being able to walk around safely.  I live onSeaview Road (near Pendress Road turnoff)  and find that most weekends it is far too busy to walk down the hill to the beach. It is quite a concern as I'd like to be more health and environmentally conscience but I am scared to walk the hill becasue of the traffic and the lack of a pedestrian walkway. I find myself crossing over and over to ensure that I am in a safe view of on-coming cars. Piha has become more and more popular over the 40 years or so that I have been hanging out here. On a fine summery day, there is a constant stream of cars coming down the hill.  Good luck with the submission and I look forward to walking around summer or winter, up and down the hill safely!

• Just wanted to add my support for safe walkways in Piha. This has been a long time coming and with the huge number of people now living in Piha permanently, 927 at the last statistics count, and the increasing number of visitors from both NZ and abroad, it is timely to make safety a number one priority. We do not want concrete paths, but permeable, attractive, natural looking walkways.  I support the community being consulted before any permanent walkway structures are  started.

• Hi there - I would like to register our family's support for the Walk Safe in Piha submission to council.  For families with young children, dogs and anyone else wanting to enjoy the beauty of Piha it is essential that we have somewhere to walk which does not run the risks of walking beside the busy roads.  We have lived here for many years and this plan would be great for Piha. Thanks for everyone's hard work in pushing to make this happen.

• I would like to strongly support your initiative to create safe walkways beside our Piha roads, and also to open up public accessways that are currently not developed or maintained.  I feel that both aspects of foot access are important, the first for safety and the second for access, recreation and adding to the opportunities we and our visitors have to enjoy this beautiful place.   As you know, our community has had concerns about these issues for many years, and to date, all efforts to address the problems have failed.  Thankyou for taking this initiative on our behalf.  I wish you well.

• Thank you so much for bringing up the issue of safety on Piha's streets. I think it is crazy that in such a small community we cannot walk safely. When I was very pregnant I was walking down from Pendrell Rd, where we live, to the beach on the main road and almost got hit by a car then 5 minutes later got beer bottles thrown at me that narrowly missed my head.  That is the last time I walked down, and i used to do it daily. I had to cross the street at every corner to make sure I was visible and somewhat safe to oncoming traffic. There is no way I would walk down there with my young son in the stroller.  I would love to be able to walk more within Piha.  I find it highly embarrassing when friends from overseas visit and are shocked that there are not safe paths in Piha. Doesn't really stand up very well to our eco/socially progressive international image! There needs to be a safe path to be able to walk down that main road and to improve/create paths linking the roads that run off it.  We do have some great paths linking the beach to Garden Rd for example, or Rayner Road to South Piha and it would be great to raise awareness about their existence as I find many people don't consider using them.  We should be moving toward a more socially cohesive community with more safe walking possible and for cutting carbon emissions, be able to leave the cars at home.  Wonderful to hear of your good work to bring this to the councils attention. You have my full support.

• I am in total support of anything to do with walking safely around Piha.  I would also like cycling to be taken into account when it comes to safety. I am the coordinator of the Beach Valley Road Project and we have 'Pedestrian Safety' as our third target; Vehicle safety being our fourth.  I do not like 'formal' footpaths but rather appropriate natural materials used with bollards.  The important thing with bollards though, I think, is that there are plenty of 'entrances' and 'exits' for people to use.   I think it's very important to reinstate walkways that join the roads around Piha to enable all people to avoid the roads where possible.

• I would like to add my support of this submission as our family regularly attempt to walk around Piha rather than drive. However, we have found it quite daunting, especially on busy weekends and when the surf is pumping..   Living just below Rayner Rd, we seem to take our lives (and that of our 18mnth old daughter) into our hands whilst attempting to walk down the Main Rd to get to the Milk Track, or up to visit grandprents at the Surf Shop. Last week we had barely walked past the 2nd to last corner of Piha Rd when some teenage speed demon actually came off the road and drove exactly where we had been walking on the grass verge! This just seconds after we had passed. A bit of a reality check. I wonder whether we will have to wait until a tragedy occurs before improvements are put into place?

• To whom it may concern, For the last 18 months I've been running the gauntlet of Piha's main road pushing my son in his buggy down to the beach. I live on Rayner Road and cannot use the extremely steep (and poorly maintained) bush track with the buggy. I have no other option but to walk down busy Piha Road with it's blind corners, narrow width and little (often no) verge. Some sort of clearly defined walkway is badly needed along our main roads as it is only a matter of time before someone gets bowled over. It would be a wonderful project to spend our rates on, particularly considering the lack of council operated sewerage and water utilities available out here; I sometimes wonder what we receive in return for our city council rates. They would not have to be suburban-type concrete footpaths, just well maintained and defined paths.

• We fully support safe walking areas/pedestrian access in Piha. We used to live on Piha Road (just up from Pendrell Road) and used to go walking regularly.  I would NEVER walk down the hill during the weekends/public holidays as it was way too dangerous, so I would take my car and add to the congested parking at the beach or the domain.  As time went on it was getting busy during the week and I was reluctant to walk down the hill at all. I now live closer to the beach (Marine Parade North) - but still there is no safe pedestrian walkways.....no designated walking only areas  Although there is the grass verge - in the weekends this is taken up with parking so you have to resort to walking on the road and dodging the cars as you walk down the road and back out from the parking areas.    I think walkways could be designed in such a way that would not ruin the natural environment of Piha.  The suggestion of using boardwalks, conncecting walkways that are already there and other design techniques could actually enhance the environment.  It seems crazy to me that the ECOCITY doesn't provide safe walkways to encourage people to walk and  not to use their cars.  It is only a matter of time before someone is injured and it seems ludicrous to wait for this to happen for things to change  Full support to you all for taking on this project

• I am in huge support of this submission and greatly appreciate that this group have people have taken it upon themselves to broach this matter as one of great importance. It truely is just a matter of time before someone is seriously injured or even killed trying to walk along one of our roads.  For anyone living on the majority of the Piha rd. I know they feel trapped inside their own property unless they use a car. Often even the wish to visit neighbours can be a challenge especially if you add the transportation of a small child into the mix. Piha seems to have a rapidly growing community of young families and we are feeling a push towards a more sustainable lifestyle out in our special community, but we still have to use our cars to move around simply because we don't have adequate or often non existent walkways joining us all together. There is no public transport out here, or taxis, so what message does this pass on to our children that we must all own a car and drive even to our neighbours 2 doors down. As a family we made a conscious decision to move to Te Ahuahu rd. as it was one of the few places we felt our children would be able to walk and visit friends in relative safety, this is something we value. I know it may be impossible to connect the whole of Piha up safely but careful future planning must be possible to create a safer connection not only for the community but also for our visitors and indeed numerous walkers and cyclists who all struggle with the disconnection between Karekare and Piha.   Please help us to connect all our isolated sub-communities to make one good strong functioning one that is a pleasure to visit without taking your life into you own hands.

• I am a long time "Piha" person and am about to start building on Rayner Road.  My parents owned two properties on Nth Marine Parade and lived there permanently for many years until the mid 90's.  During that time they, with others, were instrumental in re-establishing the existing walkways now maintained by the City.  There are a total of eight to my knowledge, and I have a letter from the "City of Waitemata", dated March 1989 that says in part, "Council has had a recent request from concerned ratepayers in Piha regarding the lack of footpaths in Piha." It seems to me that some research with the people who were then involved may bring to light information that could put your efforts in a position of "strength through knowledge," as it is unlikely that the present Council will recall the past endeavours.  The current effort will be more effective if you do not waste time covering old ground.

• We have lived in Piha since 2004 and feel incredibly lucky to do so. We moved here for the fantastic surrounds and the amazing outdoor lifestyle it could offer us and the children we planned to have.   However, after moving here, we quickly realised there was a significant part of that lifestyle that was not only lacking, but in fact incredibly dangerous: the ability to bypass our car, walk out of our front door and enjoy all Piha has to offer ? on foot.  Piha is a highly dangerous place to walk around due to the lack of safe pathways ? particularly the road on which we live, Piha Road.   We have a direct view of a large section of this road and drive its length several times a day. The type of driving conducted on the road can be, at best, alarming; at worst; fatal. We have witnessed many accidents and near misses in our time here.  When we first moved here, I attempted to walk the road twice - both times I was so alarmed by the proximity and speed of cars as I walked, and the fact that there was often no safe place to step off the road as a car passed - that I have never walked the road again.   There is no room for a person to safely walk, let alone a mother with a pram (as well as no smooth surface to push a pram on). As you have to listen for a car to approach and then quickly jump off the road for it to pass you safely, there is no possibility of wearing an iPod, which I find an enjoyable part of exercise.  This was particularly disappointing during both my pregnancies, as I would have liked a safe hill area in which to walk to maintain my fitness, and to push my babies in their prams during my post-natal regime. Instead, I must load the children and pram in the car and drive to somewhere safe to walk, which is off-putting to say the least.  For family trips to the beach, we must always use the car, hence putting an extra vehicle on the (dangerous) road, and using another valuable car-parking space down at the beach during summer.  As my children are growing older, my desire for safe pathways is growing even stronger. As the mother of two very energetic boys, there has been many a day I would have loved to walk them out the door and down the road for some safe exercise.  I would love for them to have a safe passage to the beach for when they are old enough to walk on their own. If the road stays as it is, I will never, ever allow them to walk it, because of my fear they could be hit by a car.  I feel strongly that this situation is an accident waiting to happen. A final reason I would like safe pathways is that my husband and I would often like to go to the Surf Club or the RSA and enjoy a meal and a few drinks of an evening - maybe a few more than is safe to drive after consuming! But as there is no safe place to walk to and from these venues, we often choose to stay at home, therefore depriving local clubs of patronage and profits they would probably be pleased to have.  We live in a stunning part of the world and it should be every New Zealander's God-given right to walk safely around their neighbourhood.   It would give us incredible joy to be able to walk out of our house, with our children, safely down to the beach or park, but we are unable to do so. This is something that is of the utmost importance to me and I would dearly love safe pathways for all in our community to enjoy. 

• Piha has a beautiful beach and surrounding environment. It is a draw-card for local families and visitors. Yet because the road to the beach is narrow, winding and often busy, it is a dangerous place for pedestrians. No matter how vigilant we are there is always the danger that our children will find themselves walking along the road to the beach or to visit friends. Sadly, our through roads like Piha Rd and Seaview Rd are an unsafe option for all walkers. There are sections where you really do take your life in to your hands when you walk it. Yet some times and for some people walking is the only option.  For the sake of the community we must provide safe walking access to the beach and to places like the library and store.  And we must do this BEFORE the inevitable happens.  Television news often broadcasts stories of grieving parents asking for changes to be made after the death of a child.  For everyone¹s sake, let¹s make a positive change without having a tragedy weighing on our hearts.

• I am fully in support of safe walkways in Piha. I have one child and another on the way and often find it quite hair raising navigating my way around Piha! I have friends up on Rayner and Pendrell Roads and sometimes like to walk up there from Beach Valley Road where i live. There are no footpaths to enable me to do this in a safe manner so take my life in my own hands and take the risk that traffic will give me and my pushchair enough room. People bang on about our children being the future - i think there should be as much help as possible in protecting our children so they will be around in the future. I have already been knocked off my bike (with my daughter in the child seat on the back) - i think this demonstrates why we really need safe walkways for ourselves and more importantly our children. Thanks for your time

• I would like to see safe walking areas in Piha, especially along  Seaview Road and Piha Road.  It is very dangerous for both pedestrians and cars and I feel it is only a matter of time before someone is killed walking along these roads.  I do not let my daughter walk anywhere because of the traffic dangers. I would love to have safe walking areas in Piha.  It would mean not having to use the car constantly to get around Piha.  It would also mean a much more pleasant community to live in.

• It is absolutely critical for families and all people in Piha to be able to get around safely.  For too long people have risked their lives or just had to miss out on being able to get together/get around/be safe in doing so.  This is a very important initiative that would make a major difference to our community.  Please provide safe walkways in Piha. Regards  Jacki Houtwipper, on behalf of my family and on behalf of  the Piha Kids Charitable Trust

• As a resident of Piha I find it very frustrating that I am unable to walk to the beach from my house a short way away in Pendrell Road.  The access is very narrow and I find I have to stop and jump in the ditch every time a car drives past.  It is even worse if I have one of my children with me.  It is very stressful and unpleasant. I am unable to walk back up the road because it is too dangerous to walk with my back to the traffic.  If we do walk down to the beach I have to take my cell phone and get my husband to pick us up from the beach. I also find that every car that approaches us on the road drives onto the wrong side of the road to avoid us, even if we are standing in the ditch.  It is a natural reaction.  I don't even attempt to walk down to the beach in the weekend as it is just too dangerous. My children take the school bus and I am terrified of them walking home along Seaview Road by themselves because of the traffic and the lack of consideration pedestrians have in Piha.  I have been a resident for about twelve years and have noticed the traffic is far more heavy in recent years. If more consideration was given to pedestrians in road planning, I feel this would make Piha a much more pleasant place to live.  It is annoying that in such a small place we are forced to drive everywhere.  I even have to drive my 9 year old child around the corner to visit her friend because of the danger in walking along Seaview Road poses. I also believe that it is only a matter of time before there is a serious accident caused by a car avoiding a pedestrian or that a school child is run over on the dangerous Piha / Seaview road. Thanks for your consideration and listening to our concerns.  We would really appreciate a safe walkway in Piha.

• My family and I fully support the need for safer pedestrian access in Piha.  We live on Piha Road and there is nowhere from our house that we can walk to safely, either alone or with our small children.  The speed limit is 70kph, and many cars drive much faster than that and there is not even enough grass verge to safely walk along.  We have friends living on Te Ahuahu Road that we have to drive to visit, which is less than 1km away as there is no safe walkway.  I also have to pick my kids up from the bus stop in my car and drive them home even though it is only about 30 metres away, as there is no safe walkway from the bus stop to our house. We are permanent residents and property owners in Piha, and we love living and raising our family here.  The addition of safe walkways would encourage the community to use their cars less, promote a healthier lifestyle and support social interaction. 

• Definitely!  Thinking in particular about mothers (and others) pushing buggies up some rather knobbly tracks.

•  I fully support your campaign to make Piha a safer place for pedestrians. You take your life into your own hands when you walk down the Piha Road. Concerned citizens have appealed to the council for years to have a permanent footpath at least on one side of the road, so that pedestrians can enjoy a safe walk to the village or beach. The attempt to create a walkway a few years ago was not defined enough, and the vegetation has regrown and the path has deteriorated. So young parents or older grandparents with prams find it especially dangerous, as you have to cross the road before the bend in the corner by the 'adobe' house opposite the Caley's driveway, and that is a very scary experience. I personally would like to walk more, but am not confident any more with the volume of traffic, much of it speeding and uncaring, threatening pedestrians. So count me in on the move to improve footpaths in Piha. If we are urbanizing and commercializing as it unfortunately seems we are, then it seems ridiculous not to provide safe access throughout Piha, especially on the main thoroughfare.

•  I am over the moon to see this proposal in the R&R newsletter. My family have lived at the above address for almost 7 years and up until recently have been very unhappy to let our children walk to the shops/domain/friends/park etc even though we live very close to the beach. I have always thought how dangerous this stretch of road is and the blind bends and fast cars sometimes speeding down and up the hill have been a constant concern for me. When I see pedestrians on the road; with their surfboards, pushing prams, those with dogs, runners or cyclists etc I think they're taking a very real risk.  Traffic is obviously increasing particularly over the weekends/public holidays. We may be aware of the odd crazy drivers who think driving out to Piha is a good excuse to road test their vehicles and their driving skills, but others visiting Piha may not. Also, the number of permanent residents with children living in this area has increased considerably. Surely those of us that live up the hill should be able to walk anywhere in the community without feeling like we are taking our lives in our hands?.  It's a shame some sort of pedestrian walkway does not yet exist, except for the small one opposite my house. I couldn't believe my luck when it appeared one afternoon and  I can now turn into my driveway without having to go past my house and turn around in order to access my own driveway safely. (The council cleared the thick weeds and non native out of control tree from the corner to put the path in). This small pedestrian path does not only make it safer for pedestrians but also for drivers on this particular bend. I agree that it would be terrible to wait until a fatality happens before something is done, when we are already aware of the dangers facing pedestrians. I also believe people staying at Piha would not feel the need to take their cars to the beach/shop/RSA/Surf Club/tennis courts, if they could safely walk to these places.  A cleaner / greener / safer way of moving around Piha is something that can be justified and deemed desirable for the community. I think walkways would be a great and beneficial feature of this beautiful place.  Thanks for taking this on  - much appreciated.   Kia ora

• 1) I support moves to make walking safer in Piha but not 'sealed' pavements. Permeable paths or boardwalks like they have on the Barrier are good for pedestrians, fit into our coastal village landscape and avoid stormwater problems. 

2) I would also like to see a continuation of the previous R&Rs work to identify, reclaim and have signposted the walking tracks that connect our community away from the roads. The track from Pendrell to Glenesk Road should be cleared and signed at both ends, for example. 

 

3) I would like this work to also include support for cycling in Piha. Not sure what would encourage more local cycling within Piha but we could ask people. Maybe low-ley bike stands at the library etc. Or a Piha Bicycle Day once a year? 

• We received your note in our mailbox today and want to add our names to your list of concerned locals.  Until about 5 years ago, we would have been horrified at the thought of footpaths of any description but the time has well passed for these, preferably from the top of the hill right down to the beach.  They could be as simple as scoria which has been well rolled in to make a solid path.  We feel it is very sad that at a beach you never see children walking down the road which , of course, is because it is far too dangerous and no parent in their right mind would allow young ones to do it on their own. We, as fully grown adults, feel we risk life and limb.Another thing that is required is a sign at the top of the hill telling motorists to change to a lower gear and to SLOW DOWN.  At the present time motorists are travelling at incredible speeds by the time they reach Rayner Rd and you literally take your life in your hands as you try and negotiate the safest route.  We wish you all the best.