See this important post from DTTT regarding DCC pulling a fast one and removing the Caversham Tunnel from the 9 year plan which will delay the completion of the Twin Tunnels trail from Mosgiel to the Oval.
Its important that residents who beleive this route is significant for Dunedin, go ahead an follow the guidance in that link and tell the DCC how you feel about getting the Twin Tunnels Trail completed stat and that further delays to this project are unacceptable.
Thanks for highlighting this, Rob. I have just submitted now.
Submitted and sent to friends and family. Thanks for the update!
I’ve just submitted too.
It sure is difficult to work out from what is available about the plan what the plan actually is!!! Or what is included / excluded.
Thanks @bobthecoder for bringing this to our attention. @GerardH - have you got anything further to add about this?
Rally appreciate all the support for the Tunnels trail! The key thing is to hammer the Council to agree to immediately address the Caversham tunnel and the sewer pipe going through it: within the next 12 months, not 9 years from now. The current argument from 3Waters dept is “need to upgrade Green Island Treatment station first” but that could be 5-10 years way, and meanwhile the city will have a huge Opportunity Cost of no connected active transport infrastructure from Mosgiel, no safe cycle route town to Taieri, no connection to the wider Otago network, and lack of cycle tourists coming through. The Councillors can and should direct 3Waters to immediately either upgrade the sewer pipe running through the Caversham tunnel or upgrade and divert it down Kaikorai Valley.
Hi Gerard, I note the announcement of central Government funding is the issue that stages 4&5 (Caversham tunnel) need to be in 9 yr plan to complete project? Those of us who meet with the DCC (Fraser from SPOKES) should bring this up at next meeting.
I’d have to check but I think there may be a token line item at the end of the 9yr plan, but no serious committment of funds. This despite Councillors both at the end of last term and beginning of this saying Cav. tunnel is a priority to get open. Just no budgetry or action-underway proof of this. MBIE have said there’s $2M to assist the Trust with the project, essentially Stages 2&3 from Chain Hills tunnel to both Green Island & Fairfield (yes, designers Hamish & Tim are working on this right now), and have not ruled out more funding further along. DCC control the blockage of the Cav tunnel (Stage 5) while Stage 4 of Green Island to Kaikorai/tunnel portal will probably be the last finished as this can currently be accomplished on-road and moving it off-road will be the icing on the cake. DCC really need to prioritise the Cav. tunnel now, otherwise the city is going to look really realy stupid in a couple of years.
The Dunedin City Council already has egg on its face after making only a few hundred metres of progress on existing infrastructure. No blasting, no major engineering - just a bit of gravel, some lights, and signs.
Meanwhile, Queenstown is smashing through rock by the kilometre in just months to connect with Cromwell and the Central Otago Rail Trail.
After 20+ years of battling council to get Dunedin connected by pathway to Central Otago, the result so far is pretty pitiful despite 1. the goldmine of tourism that awaits 2. year health and fitness recreational option for Dunedin residents 3. a major rapid commuter route is opened up.
2005 was when we first approached the DCC to sort the Cav tunnel out and create the cycleway. That’s 21 years (finally coming of age?). Meanwhile over 430Km of cycleway trails across Otago have been developed in that time.
Wow! It seems like we were heard:
I guess that’s why we are being called the ‘powerful’ cycling lobby!
Much good it may do - apparently the ‘boilerplate’ text in submissions means Councillors ascribe far less weight to them. Which is really annoying as each and every one of those was someone going to the Trust’s website, reading through the page, selecting the text they wanted to use, then going to the DCC’s page and filling out the DCC form and submitting. Every one of those counts!