Cyclists are set to present a petition to Tauranga City Council this week seeking access to the Pilot Bay boardwalk in Mount Maunganui.

Resident Jo Wills has obtained 221 signatures seeking access to the boardwalk for cyclists, and will pass it on to the authorities on Thursday.

Mount Maunganui's Pilot Bay boardwalk is currently a 'no-cycling' zone. Photo: Andrew Campbell.

Jo describes herself as an avid runner, walker and cyclist who spends a lot of time on and around Mauao.

'A few weeks back I was running at Pilot Bay and saw the 'no cycling' sign at either end of the boardwalk,” she says in her covering note to council.

'My immediate reaction was anger, but it quickly turned to disappointment, so I spoke to a few people in the community and many shared my response.

'This gave me the confidence to start the petition calling for mixed use shared community spaces allowing for and considering the benefits that cycling and cyclists bring to a city.”

The petitioners want council to make the boardwalk a shared community space allowing boardwalk use by walkers, runners and cyclists along with people using wheelchairs, pushing prams, little kids on trikes and scooters, the elderly and those requiring mobility aids.

Jo says Pilot Bay was always a shared community space, made even more accessible with the introduction of the board walk to allow greater use and enjoyment by those with mobility needs.

The restriction on cyclists seems counterproductive to the outcome intended, and is alienating a different group of people, she says.

'It has always been a shared space that cyclists could access and enjoy alongside other members of the community.”

Pilot Bay is one of the most popular spaces in Mount Maunganui, while The Mall is a busy road with parallel parking on each side of the road and no cycle lane.

The speed limit along The Mall is now 30km, but Jo says speed is not the issue for cyclists.

'It's the fact that there is nowhere for cyclists to ride safely,” she says.

'The parked cars are a constant source of concern due to people often forgetting to check the road behind them before opening their car door.

'Any cyclist on the receiving end of a car door is not likely to escape without injury. The alternative is to stick right in the middle of the lane, which then causes frustration to all other traffic. Neither choice for a cyclist is appealing.”

The grassed area, now dominated by the boardwalk, was the only safe alternative for cyclists and this option has been removed and made a fineable offence.

'The Mall is not a safe road for the type of cyclist who would be accessing that area for recreational purposes,” says Jo.

'It's very rare and unusual for the area in question to attract sports or commuter cyclists as the terrain just doesn't suit their bikes, and they are unable to get the speed.”

Tauranga City Council transportation staff say the ‘no cycling' signs were installed when the boardwalk was completed. It was considered necessary due to safety concerns associated with the high level of expected use of the facility.

Legally, the boardwalk is constructed within the road reserve, and it is classified as a ‘footpath'.

The law states that 'it is illegal to ride on footpaths, unless delivering mail or when cycling a wheeled recreational device that has a wheel diameter less than 355 millimetres - a tricycle or small child's bicycle”.

Road Controlling Authorities can re-write bylaws creating shared paths that both cyclists and pedestrians can use.

'In this particular case, it is possible to create a shared facility,” says transportation manager Martin Parkes, 'but staff recommend against this due to the very high level of competing demands from different user groups, particularly over busy holiday periods.”

The 920m long boardwalk opened in 2013.