Cranford Street and Main North Road - speed limit change

Have your say on a speed limit change on Cranford Street

This project has closed

Thanks to those who provided feedback - you can view all submissions [PDF, 25 KB].

Summary of feedback

We received 47 valid submissions. 37 were in support, 9 were not in support, and 1 person only made comments.

Key topics raised were:

• Improved safety as a result of the speed change
• Improved environment for non-car road users

Comments made on topics not covered by this project have been forwarded to the appropriate people in Council.

The staff recommendation is for the Papanui-Innes Community Board to approve:

• a 50 kilometres per hour speed limit on Main North Road from Queen Elizabeth II Drive southerly, to Cranford Street.
• a 50 kilometres per hour speed limit on Cranford Street, from Main North Road southerly, to a point 300 metres north of McFaddens Road.

Meeting details and decision making process

A staff report recommending approval of Cranford Street and Main North Road speed limit change was presented to the Papanui-Innes Community Board on Wednesday, 20 June 2018. You can read the meeting minutes, including the staff report and Board recommendations, online at christchurch.infocouncil.biz(external link). 

The Papanui-Innes Community Board recommended that the Council:

1. Approve that pursuant to Part 4 of the Christchurch City Council Traffic and Parking Bylaw 2017, speed limits be revoked and set as listed below in clauses 1.a to 1.d and include the resulting changes in the Christchurch City Register of Speed Limits and Speed Limit Maps:

a. Revoke the 60 kilometres per hour speed limit applied to Main North Road from Queen Elizabeth II Drive southerly, generally along Main North Road to Cranford Street. Papanui-Innes Community Board 20 June 2018 Page 5

b. Approve that the speed limit of: Main North Road from Queen Elizabeth II Drive southerly, generally along Main North Road to Cranford Street be set to 50 kilometres per hour.

c. Revoke the 60 kilometres per hour speed limit applied to Cranford Street from Main North Road southerly, generally to a point 300 metres north of McFaddens Road.

d. Approve that the speed limit of: Cranford Street from Main North Road southerly, generally to a point 300 metres north of McFaddens Road be set to 50 kilometres per hour.

2. Approve that the speed limit changes listed above in clauses 1a to 1d come into force following the date of Council approval and any installation and removal of signs shown on Attachment A (approximately August 2018).

Council will make a final decision at a meeting on Thursday 5 July.

Project time-frames

We expect that signs will be installed and speed changes implemented within approximately 4 weeks of the decision being made (August 2018).

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Project information

We are proposing a speed limit change from 60km/hr to 50km/hr on Cranford Street and Main North Road to just north of Queen Elizabeth 11 Drive. The speed limit change takes into account safe and appropriate speeds in accordance with the NZTA approved guides to speed management.

A reduced speed limit is more appropriate given the heavy volumes of traffic and the built up nature of the environment with residential entrances, various businesses and a school frontage. While it is acknowledged that there is a section of Cranford Street that currently has a rural element that may justify a 60km/hr speed limit, this location is where the new Christchurch Northern Corridor will connect to Cranford Street. This is expected to significantly alter the feel and complexity of the traffic environment which a lower speed limit (50km/hr) would support.

Finally changing the speed limit on Cranford Street and Main North Road to 50km/hr will provide consistency along the route with the existing 50km/hr speed limits to the southeast on Cranford Street and the adjoining section of Main North Road.

Speed limit location. [PDF, 232 KB]

Setting speed limits

The Christchurch City Council's Traffic and Parking Bylaw 2017 allows Council to set and change speed limits on roads within Christchurch in accordance with the Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2017.

Further information