New Cycleway For Twizel Township

Twizel residents have a new cycleway thanks to a joint initiative by the renewable electricity generator and retailer Meridian, and infrastructure company Downer EDI Works.

The new 2.3km cycleway runs along State Highway 8 past the Twizel township to Meridian’s Twizel office, taking in views of Southern Alps along the way. It will provide Meridian, DoC and salmon farm staff with safe access from the Twizel township to their workplaces.

The new cycleway also links two existing tracks, the Te Araroa tramping trail and the Twizel River Trail making it ideal for local cycling enthusiasts and visitors to the region.

Meridian staff members were able to use the new cycleway for the first time earlier this week as part of a "Bike to Work" event, which included a barbeque breakfast at the Twizel site office.

“The Bike to Work event was a fantastic way to celebrate the opening the new cycleway,” says Meridian spokesperson Alan Seay. “This new facility is a great initiative undertaken with the local community and we are sure it will encourage more Twizel locals to get on their bikes and explore their own backyard.”

“The government’s new cycling initiative shows that cycle tracks can also provide a real boost for local tourist-based economies,” he added.

It is hoped that the new cycleway will be a stepping-stone for a new government funded cycle track to be developed, linking Mt Cook to Oamaru. A committee has already been formed to put together a proposal for the ‘Alps to Ocean Cycleway’.