The corner of Memorial Ave and Greers Road is to be made more ‘efficient’. The Orbiter and motorists are inconvenienced by people on bikes and all those kids going to school on foot. The solution? Remove the Greers Rd cycle lane, narrow the footpath.
Burnside High is on this corner Memorial Ave needs cycle lanes and people who want to cycle safely need infrastructure. Yet Council staff continues to chip away on behalf of motorized transport with piecemeal ‘solutions’ which further prioritize motorists and enshrine their ‘existing use rights’. The use rights of pedestrians and cyclists don’t seem to matter.
Building a complete cycle network, encouraging the ‘interested but concerned and enabling children to walk and cycle to school are Council policy yet remain in Council staff’s ‘too hard’ basket.
Let Councillors know that real change is needed. No more catering to the status quo of motorized transport domination through piecemeal projects which just continue to increase car dependency and congestion. While formal submissions to this project are not being taken the Community Board will consider it at their Monday 18 March meeting.
Politely let Councillors and Community Board members know what you think. If you want to speak, cc Margaret Henderson, Community Board Adviser to schedule you in. margaret.henderson@ccc.govt.nz
This project is in the Fendalton/Waimairi/Harewood Community Board. Chair sam.macdonald@ccc.govt.nz Deputy Chair david.cartwright@ccc.govt.nz and local Councillors jamie.gough@ccc.govt.nz , aaron.keown@ccc.govt.nz , raf.manji@ccc.govt.nz It’s an election year, perhaps they will listen.
Thanks to Spokes Canterbury Spokes.org.nz and their FaceBook page for information.
Do you have any further details? Like exactly what is being removed?
Looking at google maps there are two skinny lanes on Memorial Ave which are outside the leftturn+straightahead car lane. I’m guessing these are for the chop – which is actually OK because they’re sub-standard because they’re narrow and they conflict with the turning traffic.
Many left-turning lanes on Bealey Ave are “sharrowed” now, perhaps that will be done here too, ideally with a dedicated left turn lane. Difficulty is that its a combo left-turn and a straight ahead lane. The road rules say “take the lane” which is a hard-sell to the “concerned” level of competance.
(unrelated – it would be awesome to allow images posted in replies. Not sure if this is possible.)
The change affects the Greers Rd north approach only (top of the picture). The existing cycle lane approaching the intersection outside two traffic lanes is to be widened and turned into a shared left-turn and cycle lane. So what is being removed is an exclusive cycle lane.
It is time for this council to start living as the rest of us do. instead of half baked ideas they should try to use the roads on bikes, not just one day but for a month. The patience’s people show when driving is remarkable small, some do not even know one second longer in turning let alone driving may save their life. I sit at 30 km through town and still get passed, it’s time for education not alteration. Time to teach patience’s for other people whether they are on cycles, walking or driving. We all die in the end so why hurry to it, trying to cut seconds of the day. Maybe a challenge should be given to the council, cycle your streets for one month, not just fine days but wet as well. not one but every day, live as the people live.