Jellie Park Management Plan Review

I have sent the following email submission to Council:

Dear Lorraine

Thanks for the opportunity to submit on this management plan review. This is a submission from Spokes - the Canterbury Cycling Association.

We note Objective 3.5 of the draft Plan states:
To provide and maintain a network of safe and accessible walking, running and cycle routes linking through the park to surrounding streets.

Policy 3.5.3 also states:
Identify and improve major pedestrian and cycle routes and their linkages through the park to connect to schools and other facilities beyond the park boundary.

Spokes strongly supports this Objective and Policy. However, the current status and layout of the existing paths in the park is confusing, and there is a lack connectivity for cyclists cycling through Jellie Park . The Councils 2008 Cycle guide shows cycling route 9 traversing the park, but there is no signage to show cyclists where or how this route traverses the park, or identifying the entry points where it continues on from the park at Ilam and Greer's Roads.

While the Jellie Park pool was rebuilt the cycle/pedestrian path on the south west side of the pool was rerouted and subsequently blocked. Just north of the pool, the route is on a road but access is blocked off by a chain. This forces northbound cyclists to do a sharp left turn on a footpath which is heading for the end of Hogarth Lane. They have to then turn across some grass to join up with another path that goes through a low fence to rejoin the access road.

The current cycling facilities at the park are not consistent with Objective 3.5 and Policy 3.5.3. We ask that, as part of the implementation of the management plan, a clear, continuous, and well marked cycle route or routes be provided across the park between Ilam and Greer's Road, and that these be clearly linked with and signposted to cycle route 9, as well as providing for access to and from local schools.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any queries.

Cheers
Rob

I'll lodge an email submission along the lines discussed in these comments.

Agree with Keith and Robin. The whole route (CCC's number 9), and this bit of it, have great potential but are almost impossible to follow. Good signs on both Ilam and Greers Roads would be important. By Jellie Park itself it got even worse when they were rebuilding the pool, the cycle/pedestrian path was rerouted and in several places basically stopped.

Also just north of the pool, the route is on a tarmac access road that suddenly has a chain right across it, rather than having a cycle sized gap to allow through cycling. This forced cyclists northbound to do a sharp left turn on a footpath which is heading for the end of what must be Hogarth Lane, and then turn right across some grass to join up with another walking path that goes through another low fence to rejoin the access road you just had to abandon. I rang the CCC about 4 months ago to complain about all this and got a positive reply but whether anything has been improved there I don't know. Getting a through connection on that tarmac access road would be a key request.

Dave

Thanks Keith - this seems to be the key point that we want to get others. Not sure there are many others. Glen, Dave Kelly do you have any views on this?

I had a look at this proposal as it is quite close to my school and I also use the park to occassionally ride across.

I would agree with Robin's ideas above.  The enterances into the park for cycling are very poorly defined.  For children riding from Cobham Intermediate this is not really a viable way of getting to Greers Road or beyond as there has been little thought given to entering or exiting the park.  Likewise following cycle route 9 is tortuous to say the least.  I find it difficult to follow and I work in the area and know the roads and paths reasonably well.  How a visitor or stranger to the area would navigate it is beyond me.  A start would be to improve the section through the park.

Keith Turner
Chairperson