Cycling and Walking infrastructure is hampered by lack of investment, not because of the lack of a new highway. Unfortunately the desire by some to use this project as a political football has held Nelson back from being the city if could have been. The reality is that by focusing on this project as a solution to the regions woes, regardless of the social and environmental consequences, projects such as the St. Vincent St. cycleway have been severely compromised and the Rocks Rd. boulevard project delayed (possibly indefinitely). These compromises and delays reduce the uptake of cycling and also put peoples lives at risk. New roads do not reduce congestion. Reducing car usage does.
It is worth noting that there are four stages of assessment in the current NZTA investigation, and this is just the first stage which looks only at whether there is a problem worth considering further assessment, and not whether there are alternative responses to that problem, or if the potential solution of a new road would cause other problems to an extent that outweigh the advantages. Those assessments lie ahead.