An unpopular proposal to reduce ski lanes widths in the district will not go ahead, Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) says.

QLDC regulatory manager Anthony Hall said 160 submissions were received on the proposed changes to ski lanes, which included lane reductions to 60m at both Glendhu Bay and Roys Bay. 

“The feedback was constructive and it’s clear many people felt there was more work to do on our initial proposals, especially at Glendhu Bay,” he said. 

Some submitters had described the proposed changes as dangerous and impractical.

See also: ‘Proposed waterski lane changes would ‘cause mayhem’

Many people said making the ski lanes narrower, which would put swimmers and motor crafts into closer proximity, would be counterproductive.

Others, including Coastguard Wānaka Lakes (CWL) president Jonathan Walmisley, asked why other popular beaches were not included in a proposal for safety improvement changes.

“We’ve taken that on board and will spend time observing how dedicated ski lanes and nearby areas are used,” Anthony said. 

The proposal also asked for residents’ feedback on more signage for popular swim and ski areas and, after receiving a thumbs up from submitters, QLDC will be going ahead with this.

“There’ll be more signage with safety information relating to conduct within a ski lane, jet skiing and jet boat use,” Anthony said. 

As well as the two Lake Wānaka locations, the proposal also considered ski lane and signage changes at another four sites in Lake Wakatipu: Kingston, Kelvin Grove, Sunshine Bay and Wilson Bay. 

Anthony said this summer the council will be working across the district on “educating different lake users where we can see safety could be improved, and taking any enforcement action required to protect everyone in the water”.

“What we learn over summer will help us decide whether to revisit a review of ski lanes in the future,” he said.

He issued a reminder that water ski lanes must not be used by swimmers and that motor vessels must not exceed five knots within 200m of the shore or 50m of another vessel, person or structure in the water.

“Everybody needs to do their bit to ensure everyone stays safe on our waterways over summer and all year-round,” he said.

PHOTO: Wānaka App