New bike stands have been ordered for Raumati Village and are due to be installed this month as part of a trial to assess usage and location.

Kāpiti Coast District Council is looking at how to best increase biking infrastructure in the village and as a first step stands will be installed on Margaret Rd (opposite The Village Baker), and by the EV charging station on Raumati Rd (opposite Heritage Barbers).

Paekākāriki–Raumati Ward Councillor Sophie Handford says the new stands follow those recently installed in Paekākāriki and which have been a great success.

“The aim of these new stands is to encourage and make it easier for people to change their transport mode,” Cr Handford says.

“We’ve got such a great cycling network in Kāpiti already, and we’re really pleased to be able to add some more infrastructure to the mix.

“Cycling has so many benefits for both people and planet and these small steps can make big impacts.”

Raumati Community Board chair Bede Laracy says there has been growing community demand for more cycling facilities.

“Having secure bike parking means people can cycle to the village and take their time shopping, getting a haircut, or making appointments,” Mr Laracy says.

“It will be great to finally have some bike stands in the village - we’ve been talking about them long enough. The demand has been growing, and by starting with a few we can get feedback and test the actual demand for future location and design options.”

Council transport lead for walking and cycling Fraser Miller says the cycle stands are removable so can easily be tried out at other locations within the village.

Mr Miller says no car parks are being removed to make space for the bike stands and they won’t impede pedestrian movement.

“We are looking at safe and visible locations on the footpath for the stands,” Mr Miller says.

“This trial is part of a project looking at cycle stands across the district to make sure they are fit for purpose and keeping up with demand. We’d like to grow the number of stands right across the district and are working on a plan to do this.”

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