Lakes footpath makes international news

The zig-zag design in The Lakes.

A zig-zagging footpath in The Lakes development in Pyes Pa is making international headlines.

7News is reporting on the footpath asking if people think it's the silliest footpath ever designed?

Former Tauranga City Councillor Murray Guy took to his Facebook page in the weekend, saying 'urban designers are killing off our residential values and amenity”.

Murray feels the footpath is an accident waiting to happen.

Tauranga City Council says there is a good reason why they have chosen the design.

'It's easy to assume that the footpath could have been shifted slightly but that would mean the footpath was built right over top of the underground utilities and services,” says Asset delivery manager Howard Severinsen.

'A straight footpath would have posed more problems accessing the underground infrastructure (fibre, water, gas, power and streetlight cabling) as house building proceeds.

'This is an example of sub-divisional developers using flexibility to place the necessary underground services into the road corridor while still achieving some greenery.”

Above is an aerial view of a footpath in are provided to SunLive by the council. This is not the same as the footpath shown at the top of the story.

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22 comments

Nice aerial but ... like the explanation?

Posted on 25-07-2017 09:51 | By Murray.Guy

Nice aerial but ... I think you should ask TCC Asset delivery manager Howard Severinsen if the aerial provided in support of his comments actually represents the area in discussion.


CRAZY TCC WORKERS AND MEMBERS

Posted on 25-07-2017 10:12 | By tabatha

When is our so called council, workers and elected members going to start and be sensible in what they do. Fancy hitting the News at 7 in Australia. All are trying to make a name for themselves in some way rather than thinking sensibly about how people move, and fancy fencing off a walking or cycling bridge.


Get a life

Posted on 25-07-2017 10:34 | By mutley

Murray Guy and Channel 7 both need to get a life and find some real news. The shot showing the "zig-zag" footpath is clearly a trick of the telephoto lens and the curves are much more gentle. The explanation from TCC makes good sense and does not deserve this sort of over-hyped criticism.


Bodgett & Scarper

Posted on 25-07-2017 10:48 | By maildrop

The was designed under the PPP principle. Laughable, if it were not for the ugliness and inevitable trip and fall.


An International Laughing stock!!

Posted on 25-07-2017 12:38 | By Maryfaith

Anyone sticking to the footpath will be arrested for drunkenness and won't the kids have fun on their bikes! ..We all know that the 'woolly' heads who run our city are not right in the head. How better to illustrate to the world their incompetence by this picture of stupidity!I wonder how much the 'consultant' was paid for this mad design ? Don't know whether to laugh or cry !!


Dumbing down

Posted on 25-07-2017 12:40 | By SonnyJim

Wonky bits so silly and not needed. Walkers, scooters, bikes and prams will just go in a straight line. If trees are to be a roadline feature, then, Council, please plan for it properly - make road reserves a metre wider!


Footpaths

Posted on 25-07-2017 12:58 | By Kancho

Well Pyes Pa shopping centre footpaths are a possible accident waiting to happen too. When they were first put in they were great and even. But council came along and they were ripped up as they didn't have a perfectly flat area at the shop door for wheelchairs. Now it's uneven and causes the elderly problems. I doubt wheelchair drivers would have had any problems with the original footpaths but now everyone else does probably including wheelchairs as the footpath levels all over the place now. I've heard a lot of discussion and comments none favorable. So thank you council


You must be joking

Posted on 25-07-2017 13:03 | By rastus

What sort of education did these 'Asset delivery managers' (Obviously a flash name for an individual pen pusher among the army of council pen pushers) get - if they cannot work out how to simply place a man hole in the area that they may or may not wish to access at some future time then perhaps it is time for some sensible people to go on the payroll - I doubt I have ever heard such a lame retort from council. Admit it - you got to work one morning and decided to be different - 'why not a zig zag design for a change' and typical of modern short term thinking, never work out the end results of your folly - but do not worry, us ratepayers will still continue to keep you eating and dreaming up more hair brained ideas.


A nightmare

Posted on 25-07-2017 13:52 | By Merlin

A nightmare for the person who has to mow and do the edges.Any volunteers especially from the council.


Mutley, go have a look, think a little deeper ...

Posted on 25-07-2017 13:57 | By Murray.Guy

I can assure you, no trick photography. Appreciate it looks totally bizarre, but it is in reality. The only party playing tricks is the City Council with their efforts to divert attention and mislead with false aerial shots. Mutley, you need to think a littler clearer, bit deeper, you see, this type of mindset is what influences repairs to Mauao base track (at $2 million plus), the building of a $1.5 million I-Site and paying out $5 million, the purchase of a near new $million home that has never flooded, as it might flood (Pengary Lakes Estate) with a view to destroying the home, the destruction of a City Council administration building due to mold and a lack of maintenance. The list is endless. This footpath cost more, will cost the ratepayers more than need be to maintain, it is a hazard to users.


Retired...

Posted on 25-07-2017 14:24 | By Alquro

Motorsports drivers are gonna love it, be out there on their sacked out mobility scooters with their helmets and 5 point harnesses practicing their clipping points on the chicanes


imagine this

Posted on 25-07-2017 14:29 | By CC8

is it safe for : a blind person with a cane? an elderly person on a mobility vehicle?a small child on a bicycle with training wheels?even somebody carrying a large item ... What about the contractors mowing the verge and trimming the edges? Their machine wont get those angles without breaking up the concrete.I am sure there are a hundred other scenarios...all this points to is poor planning...if the subdivision was sorted properly in the planning stages this abortion would never have needed.It would have been more prudent to leave the trees out than make a stupid footpath.What's more when was the last time that the services in the verge needed to be dug up less than 10 years from new? its just a BS excuse for BS planning. ppppppp


Kiwi as

Posted on 25-07-2017 15:31 | By maildrop

Is this No 8 wire Kiwi ingenuity in action? Impressive.


Get a life

Posted on 25-07-2017 17:11 | By IPoppy

Oh FFS walk around your own city! We have wavy, swerving, stopping/starting - we have footpaths of every persuasion - get a life people


Parkinson's law of triviality in action!

Posted on 25-07-2017 18:33 | By Papamoaner

I'm with IPoppy on this. Love your descriptive FFS acronym! The usual moaners and grizzlers. They should form an incorporated society and hold AGM's where they can all snivel in unison. Storm in a teacup! Fact is, this aint new and I'm curious to know why it got the media exposure it did. Have people never travelled to other centres? Christchurch has (or had) a footpath curving around a tree 30 years ago, probably still has. Merivale to be precise. They are not all that unusual in Lower Hutt and probably other places that have Pohutukawa lining the streets, although admittedly mostly curb channels as opposed to footpaths. To Howard Severinsen I say congratulations on a bit of lateral thinking which is innovative and refreshing in modern cities. Trees are our very important friends, more so than bitumen.


Simple really, just CLIP all those Kauri seedlings

Posted on 25-07-2017 21:34 | By The Caveman

at ground level and re-align the footpath. The clowns at the Lakes have been planting small Kauri trees on the berms for years, and if you have been visiting the area regularly you will have noted that they ALL die! Why ? Because young Kauri trees require the shelter of a forest canopy for the first 30-40 years of their life - why they do not like FROSTS, and a young Kauri tree in a FROST prone area The Lakes is a dead Kauri tree. Why are mature Kauri trees not found south of Northland/Auckland, other than a few in the Coromandel area and a couple in the Kaimais behind Katikati up Thompsons Track NO FROSTS.


Poppy right

Posted on 26-07-2017 07:33 | By maildrop

I'm surprised by all the criticism. Whoever dreamt it up was just following the Kiwi mantra of "getting the job done". They didn't want to waste money moving services already laid, had a path to get down and just used some good old Kiwi sense. Squeeze it in. Bend it, nudge it. Job done. She'll be right. Imagine the expense of moving services and trees, just for a footpath? I mean, footpaths are only there to park cars on, right? And it is good to see money is not wasted on proper planning. You lot should be congratulating them.


@The Caveman

Posted on 26-07-2017 11:42 | By Papamoaner

I agree. The gorse example comes to mind. Look at all the hilly places in NZ that now have native bush bursting out of the gullies. Why? Because the gorse in the gullies survived burnoffs, so continues to provide essential shade and shelter for native seedlings. And it's a self rewarding process because the natives eventually smother and kill off the gorse. Also, the gullies tend to hold more moisture. Actually, if you have enough space, meandering footpaths are so much more attractive than a straight pathway. On balance, I reckon they did the right thing. However, no matter what councils do, there will always be criticism from certain quarters, just on perceived principle.


Native seedlings

Posted on 27-07-2017 11:00 | By Papamoaner

Slightly off topic, but I remember from childhood, my father showed me how to propagate Kowhai from seeds. You have to boil the seeds, then stand them in a thermos flask of boiling water overnight. If you just put them in the ground without doing that, they evidently take up to 30 years to strike. Our native plant species are awesome (excuse cliche) survivors. Trees are our lifeblood for the planet's survival and we must respect them. Meandering foot paths help achieve that, and look bloody good too. Thanks for your foresight TCC. I hope you have started a refreshing trend that would progressively make the city more beautiful. @Caveman; Yes, and also, Kauri have sensitive surface roots, so much so that too much walking around the tree can eventually kill it.


yip

Posted on 28-07-2017 14:33 | By Capt_Kaveman

another golden handshake design by TCC, just look at Papamoa what a disgrace


Simple really

Posted on 04-08-2017 16:26 | By MISS ADVENTURE

TCC start thingiong and there is a disaster, they then spend millions in costs, losses and time to justify the unjustifiable. That means their numbers increase, debt increases and rates follow sure as night follows day. Denial is the prime answer that they have to the obvious stupidity of it.


Blinkers on

Posted on 04-08-2017 16:28 | By MISS ADVENTURE

So the "actual" photo is what is really there, the aerial is what TCC approved, desired or something, else? The gap is huge but does reflect just how far from reality that TCC and its minions are.


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