Courtesy Campaign Continues on Coastal Walkway

New signs encouraging walkers to keep left on the Coastal Walkway will be placed on the path’s surface in the next couple of days.

The vinyl transfers – which say ‘Enjoying your walk? So is the person behind you. Remember to keep left.’ – follow signs laid before Christmas that remind cyclists to keep an eye out for ‘Slow-moving humans ahead’.

“The signs advising cyclists have certainly caught people’s eye, and we think we’ll get similar awareness from these additional ones,” says Sustainable Transport Coordinator Nathaniel Benefield.

“These messages reinforce what the Coastal Walkway is about: A shared spaced that everyone can enjoy as long as they are considerate of all other users.

“That means all users keeping left so there is room for people to pass, and cyclists keeping their speed down so they can make their way around other users safely.”

The summer season and the popularity of Te Kupenga Stone Symposium have attracted large numbers of people to the Coastal Walkway.

Manager Parks Programmes Steve McGill says use of the walkway over summer has been largely incident-free, although some complaints have been received about speeding cyclists.

“Some people have been startled by fast-moving bikes suddenly coming passed them, and some cyclists and skateboarders have had to contend with the path being full of people in places – particularly in front of the symposium,” he says.

“It’s just a case of extra care and consideration being taken by everyone during this high-use time, and being aware of the other users around them,” he says.