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Richard Moore's Straight Talk Columns

It's time to wheel out our creative side ...

13/7/2010

THE loss of immediate government funding is a blow to the idea of the cycleway running down the coastline in the Bay, but it is by no means a fatal one.

Instead of moaning about the situation, our municipal and tourism chiefs should be already planning one themselves - all it takes is a preparedness to realise it isn't going to be easy, rolling up the sleeves and getting stuck into it.

Nothing worthwhile is handed to us on a platter and instead of bleating about being let down by Government, our civic leaders need to harden up and take a leaf out of the book of Western Bay, our rural neighbour, and go it alone.

Or at least join forces with Mayor Ross Paterson and his mob to create a joint Bay-wide cycleway.

Apart from the proposed track between Tauranga and Waihi, I'd like to see one between Mount Maunganui and the Papamoa Hills.

It could run along the beach's edge and would safely link the businesses and communities along the coastal strip. I can think of fewer things that would be more fun on a summer day than riding from Papamoa towards the Mount, securing the bikes at a regular cycle station, going for a pizza or pasta at Milanos, or walking further down to Bayfair.

Likewise heading from the Mount down a beach cycleway to the Papamoa Hills.

It would also encourage people working in any of those linked areas to perhaps hop on to a bike and cycle to their job rather than drive.

Yes, it would cost money but the long-term benefits would add to Tauranga's attractiveness as a tourist destination.

Yes, come and swim at our beaches, visit Waimarino Adventure park, hire out our Blokarts, walk around the Mount then dine at the cafes, go out dolphin spotting and fishing, but also hire a bike and ride along a beautiful pathway, stay a few days at our motels, eat at our restaurants.

It is estimated that a tourist on a bike spends about $400 a day in the areas they travel through. That is money Bay businesses could well do with.

In many regional areas of New Zealand local authorities are creating a brand for themselves. Take for example Carterton. The little Wairapapa town is ``putting the art back into cARTerton'' by investing in outdoor removable art. Interesting pieces of art - painted on to large sheets of plywood - are being attached to buildings around the place.

It may not sound like much but when you think that they want to extend the range of art from seven pieces to several dozen all of a sudden it becomes an attraction.

And after a while cARTerton becomes a destination just for the artworks themselves. It's thinking outside the square and it's successful thinking too.

All it takes is vision and a bit of political will.

*******

You don't have to be a genius to see downtown Tauranga is ailing as a destination. And, equally, it's pretty obvious that the centre of the city is dying as a place for retailers.

The cost of car parking is a big turnoff for people wanting to shop. Even if the costs are not high they are more than the free and plentiful parking at places like Bayfair, Fraser Cove and Bethlehem.

The Tauranga council rakes in squillions a year in parking fees and will say it cannot afford to offer free parking. But can it afford not to?

People are not coming into the city and numbers have dropped so dramatically - possibly by 40 per cent - revenue from parking has already been hit hard. Estimates are that parking fees are down around $700,000.

The council needs to act quickly and back its struggling inner-city retailers by offering free parking in its carparks to anyone who buys an item in one of the downtown shops. It could also have free street parking while still retaining the time limits to ensure a good flow of new customers.

A city needs a strong heart and that centre needs people and excitement - as the Jazz Festival shows - and ours seems to have lost its beat.

Making the waterfront and downtown areas more family friendly should also be high on council priorities, giving a boost to both shops and eateries in the city. Street entertainment on weekends would help draw families in to wander around and then visit the Art Gallery.

It's hardly surprising that place isn't used to its potential when fewer people are going into the city itself.

Tauranga has a great harbour that divides the city from the Mount and Papamoa and more use should be made of the waterway.

A new ferry service is needed to carry people between Salisbury Wharf and Coronation Pier - it would be a fabulous trip for both locals and visitors.

And when cruise ships dock the passengers can be taken into the city area to enjoy shopping and restaurants in town, or just enjoy a pleasant outing on the water before checking out the Mount and its offerings.

Come on guys, get creative!