A community thrives when its streets are safe for everyone, especially children. When young people can walk, bike, or scooter to school with confidence and ease, it builds independence, and a stronger connection to their neighbourhood.
This is one of the key drivers for Hamilton City Council’s upgrade plans for Morrinsville Road. The proposed improvements, between Cambridge Road and Matangi Road, will make this road safer and easier for walking, scootering, and biking, better serving school children and the wider community.
With the previous elected council having approved the preliminary upgrade designs, it’s now time to hear what the community think.
What’s proposed:
- Physically separated on-road cycle lanes on both sides of the road
- Safe, raised crossings at Mullane Street, Morris Road, and Berkley Avenue side road entrances
- Improvements to the existing signalised crossing on Morrinsville Road
- Energy-efficient LED streetlights.
The safety improvements support the revocation process to transfer State Highway 26 (SH26) to a local road following the opening of the Hamilton section of the Waikato Expressway. The first part of these changes, a peanut shaped roundabout at the Silverdale Road/Matangi Road intersection, was open for community consultation earlier this year.
Tania Hermann, Operate and Maintain Unit Director, says the latest safety upgrades will make Morrinsville Road feel more like a local road, so it better serves the community.
“Safer travel for school children is a key benefit. We spoke with around 25 students from Berkley Normal School, many said they felt unsafe crossing roads and that cars are going too fast. Nearly all of them wanted a dedicated cycleway to make biking safer”, Hermann said.
“Importantly, these upgrades won’t disrupt traffic passing through Morrinsville Road, and the raised crossings at the entrances to Mullane Street, Morris Road, and Berkley Avenue are designed for smooth driving while providing a safe place for people to cross those roads.
All the improvements are 100% funded by the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, so it’s a win-win for the ratepayers.”
NZTA is also inviting feedback on proposed changes to the speed limits along Morrinsville Road/SH26, commencing from the current 50–80 km/h speed threshold southwest of Matangi Road and extending towards the Ruakura roundabout. Learn more at nzta.govt.nz/new-speed-reviews-under-the-2024-rule.
Have your say:
Visit hamilton.govt.nz/haveyoursay to find out more and share your feedback before 9 November 2025.
You can also speak with the project team at Berkley Normal School Performing Arts Centre:
- Tuesday, 28 October, 5pm - 7pm
- Saturday, 1 November, 11am - 1pm
Proposed physically separated cycleway on Morrinsville Road
Proposed safe raised crossing at Berkley Avenue
