The New Plymouth City Council says its programme to encourage biking and walking will help reduce the number of cyclists and pedestrians killed and injured on the roads.
There is a rising clamour, particularly after five cyclists died nationally in a five-day period in November, for ways of accommodating both cyclists and motorists in urban areas.
In a Transport Agency-backed pilot programme to ease traffic congestion, New Plymouth has $6.6 million and two years to encourage commuters out of their cars.
The council's Let's Go project manager, Carl Whittleston, says the separation of cyclists, pedestrians and motorists is key.
He says a lot of rivers and streams already have access routes that could be converted into shared pathways for non-motorised traffic.
