Kihikihi Cycleway
The community discontent concerning the street changes in Kihikihi has been acknowledged by Waipā three mayoral candidates, but it would be “foolish and fanciful” to expect the entire project be reversed.
Te Awamutu Business Chamber chief executive Shane Walsh (from left) with Waipā mayoral candidates Clare St Pierre, Susan O’Regan and Mike Pettit. Photo: Jesse Wood
It’s been a common theme across several candidate events in the greater Te Awamutu area.
The speed bumps, cul-de-sacs and cycleways are among recent changes opposed by many Kihikihi residents.
The question was put to the trio – Susan O’Regan, Mike Pettit and Clare St Pierre – at the Te Awamutu Business Chamber meet the candidates event on Thursday. What were their thoughts on the discontent towards the Kihikihi project?
Pettit likened it to Cambridge, where they have also had similar cycleway issues.
“In Cambridge, the same thing. Speed bumps are really an issue with the cycleways,” Pettit said. “The cycleways themselves, people are pretty happy with but the speed bumps, they’re not.
“I got four council staff members and the Cambridge community board chair in my truck and we went across 12 speed bumps.
“From that, five of the bumps got ground down. It’s listening to your community and doing what you can do with the money you’ve got available. It’s not going to go away but we need to listen and tweak.”
Incumbent mayor Susan O’Regan said the discontent it symptomatic of an organisation that’s been “acting in silos and not communicating particularly well with its community”.
“For me, this comes back to the need for a big transformation within and that has come with the new leadership that I have brought in – the new chief executive and transformation around that senior leadership table,” O’Regan said.
“We need people who can lead this organisation across this organisation, rather than just sitting in their own silo.
“In terms of trying to remediate the project now, I think that it would be foolish and fanciful to expect there’s going to be some investment in reversing the entire project because that will cost more money.
‘Some of those speed bumps are awful. I have actually been working with staff and trying to understand how we can remediate some of those more challenging ones.
Current councillor St Pierre said the community weren’t properly consulted.
If St Pierre is elected mayor, she said she will make sure plans aren’t forced through without consultation.
“If plans change, the community must always be asked again. The problem with the cycleway wasn’t just the design. It was the process,” St Pierre said.
“Consultation was rushed and plans changed without going back to the community.
“That is a failure of transparency. It’s a total upheaval for the locals there and I acknowledge all you’ve gone through.”
