7 Dec 2016

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Twenty-nine changes have been made to the planned Quarryman’s Trail cycleway in response to feedback from the community.

Quarryman’s Trail is one of 13 major cycleways Christchurch City Council plans to build over the next seven years and will link the central city to Halswell, via Addington, Somerfield and Hoon Hay.

Plans for the 8.8km route were put out for public consultation in early October and drew 466 submissions.

Just over 60 per cent of the submitters said they supported the plans in their entirety while another 29 per cent indicated their support, but raised concerns about specific aspects of the route.

Eight per cent of the submitters were totally opposed to the cycleway.

As a result of the feedback provided by the submitters, 29 changes have been made to the cycleway plans.

Council Head of Transport Chris Gregory said the changes were designed to address some of the concerns people had raised about route safety, connectivity, and the loss of on-street parking.

“We had some great submissions come in with some really constructive ideas and as a consequence we’ve made a number of changes that we hope will go some way to alleviating people’s concerns,’’ Mr Gregory said.

A number of submitters raised concerns about routing the cycleway along Roker St, in Somerfield, and suggested alternatives.  Mr Gregory said the project team had considered the alternatives put forward but believed Roker St was still the best option, even though two properties would need to be purchased to make way for the cycleway.

“We could put the cycleway along Milton St but we would have to remove all the on-street parking which would have a detrimental effect on the businesses there. We also had feedback from cyclists that Milton St was not a pleasant environment for cycling.’’

Mr Gregory said incorporated into the cycleway plans were a number of projects that would benefit all road users. For example, the roundabouts at the intersection of Sparks and Hoon Hay roads and Sparks, Frankleigh and Lyttelton streets would be replaced with traffic signals, which would help reduce congestion and provide safer crossings for pedestrians and cyclists. 

A new signalised crossing would also be installed between the gates of Hoon Hay School and Our Lady of Assumption School to allow pedestrians to safely cross Sparks Rd.

“In putting together the plans for the cycleway we’ve looked at how we can make things better not just for cyclists but for everyone who uses the transport network,’’ Mr Gregory said.

Submitters will have the opportunity to speak to their submissions before the Council makes a final decision on the cycleway.