Upgrade coming for Crown Park Cycle Track

An exciting upgrade to the Crown Park Cycle Track is about to get under way with the construction of an asphalt pump track, which will be built alongside the existing area.

With heavy machinery to be used in the upgrade, the existing track will be closed for the next three to four weeks while this work takes place.

The track was originally built so that young cyclists could practice their skills and basic road safety before venturing out onto the streets, and it includes road signs and markings, a roundabout, and give-way and stop controls.

Infrastructure Manager Denis Lewis said that the track is not currently well utilised and there is an opportunity to make the track and surrounding area a much more valuable part of the community.

“Given the number of schools in the area, we want to make this more of an asset for a variety of age groups,” Mr Lewis said.

“We have a total budget of $120,000 allocated for this in the Long-term Plan which will enable the facility to be used for schools’ cycle skills training and road safety education but also serve as a recreational destination for the community.”

“Since the project was first formulated, several sponsors have come forward to help realise the vision the council and Bike Taupo have for the area. The first part of this vision will be the construction of an asphalt pump track, which will be built alongside the existing cycle track. We’ll be announcing the full scope of works and our sponsors in the coming weeks, but as the contractor was able to make a start on the physical works we are taking the opportunity to get this project underway now.”