Mark Gullery and David Ogden walk Singers Road on a tour of inspection last October.
By Chrys Ayley
Korokoro residents hope that risking life and limb on the narrow Korokoro-Singers Road loop will soon be a thing of the past. Korokoro Footpath Committee committee member Kate Malcom said the Hutt City Council Community Plan Committee resolved to accept their proposal to construct footpaths at its meeting on Thursday 12 February. The KFC petitioned Hutt City Council last October for footpaths to be built because the narrow road was a danger to pedestrians, many of them school children. Mayor David Ogden visited the site in mid-October and walked the loop to see the problems residents encountered on a daily basis. After his visit Ms Malcolm, Lisa Bagley, Mark and Fiona Gullery presented a petition to council with over 200 signatures in support of their demand for footpaths. Most support came from parents of children that attend Korokoro School. Concerned parents have organised a walking bus to help protect children on the dangerous walk to and from school. Council agreed the lack of footpaths as a safety issue, she said, ?We were very, very delighted,? with the decision, said Ms Malcolm. ?It really is very dangerous for the children and it?s dangerous for motorists too.? HCC divisional manager road and traffic management Ron Muir said council agreed it was a hazard and the work of installing footpaths was ?a top priority.? Work on the Korokoro footpath, likely to cost $200,000, will occur during summer 2009/10 following anticipated sign off in June, Mr Muir said. Normandale residents had also petitioned for Normandale Roads to be upgraded. The work is a larger scale upgrade than the Korokoro project, he said. However, Normandale residents have not been excluded as work on Normandale Road will start in the next financial year, once formally approved, but will not be finished until the 2010/2011 financial year. ?It?s a good compromise,? Mr Muir said.
