Today is the memorial public holiday in NZ to commemorate the passing of Queen Elizabeth II – it certainly seems like the end of a significant era with her death.
In Christchurch we have our own Queen Elizabeth II Drive (aka SH74) running across the northeast of the city (ultimately connecting to QEII Park). While the route has always had a pathway alongside it, ostensibly for cycling, it used to be a fairly poor facility with limited width, a rough surface, and not great options across driveways and side-roads. Fortunately, as part of the Northern Corridor works, a large section of QEII Drive was upgraded and that included the pathway:
As well as the protection now afforded for much of the way from traffic with the barriers, the path is a much better width (mostly 3m?), smother ride, and better highlighting of crossing points. It’s certainly now a much nicer way to connect the eastern part of town with destinations further west and north.
I’d like to think that Her Majesty would have appreciated the improved provision for cycling along her namesake. The Queen is dead – long live the King…