A Harbour Drive resident is asking Tauranga City Council to widen the concrete path outside his home and make it part of a city-wide cycle network.

Phillip Simpson presented a 130-signature petition in his submission to council on Tuesday, as part of this week's public hearings on the TCC's 2014/2015 draft annual plan.

Phillip Simpson measures the extra metre he is seeking to be added to the Harbour Drive concrete path's width. Photo: Tracy Hardy.

This year the city council received more than 770 submissions on its draft plan, which aims to reduce city debt through a reduction in spending. It proposes a two per cent annual rates rise plus a 4.7 per cent stormwater levy.

Phil wants council to consider extending the width of the path running from Bureta Rd along the harbour-front to Maxwells Rd from two to three metres – just like the recently-upgraded Beach Rd pathway – and take necessary steps to secure a subsidy from the New Zealand Transport Agency.

Earlier this year TCC finished construction of a rock wall to ensure Beach Rd is protected and to prevent further damage from erosion.

At the same time, a three metre wide cycleway/footpath from Kulim Park to Otumoetai Rd at the face of the wall was built, completing another portion of council's strategic cycling network.

Last July, Phillip advocated for a shared waterfront footpath along Harbour Drive, and handed petition of 75 signatures to TCC's Projects and Monitoring Committee in an attempt to reinstate cyclists that were banned. Cyclists were allowed back on the Harbour Drive footpath following this petition.

Council had previously erected signs ordering cyclists off the footpath after pedestrians using the path complained about receiving verbal abuse from cyclists on the footpath.

'What is the difference between Beach Rd, with a new three metre wide path, and Harbour Drive?

'You then end up with a very good cycle path and pedestrian path that goes from Fergusson Park down along Harbour Drive; and that can link into the Waikareao Estuary, where they are spending $462,000 at this point of time on the Daisy Hardwick.”

Phillip is pleased with the 130 signatures he presented to council, from local businesses, residents using the Harbour Drive, and people from as far away as Auckland.

'We have had signatories from Auckland just blown away by the ambience of the area here running along the harbour edge. So that's good and there has been a lot of positive support.

'The consequences of the waterfront three metre wide shared path would go far beyond Harbour Drive,” says Phillip.

'In fact, it could become part of the National Cycle Network; now that would do something for the city and the tourism industry in Tauranga.”