Redcliffs Transport Project due 17.12.18
https://www.ccc.govt.nz/the-council/consultations-and-submissions/haveyoursay/show/207
Main Road offers cycle lanes and Beachville Road is part of the Coastal Pathway. Both should feature prominently in this “transport project”. Neither are mentioned or depicted.
With no provisions for cycling infrastructure indicated it would seem that Council has simply opted for parents driving children to school.
Main Road is a busy road. Celia and Beachville Roads can expect to see increased traffic from parents driving their children to school. Children who could walk or bicycle to school will likely be in the backseat of a car, congestion will be greatly increased and another generation lost to car captivity.
There is nothing in this project to support the ‘interested but concerned’ or commitment to the 8-80 year old cyclists Council claims to serve.
The 40km/h limit is a start. Lowering the speed limit to 30km/h on all the impacted streets during school hours would help remind busy parents to slow down. Congestion on Main Road is already accomplishing this during peak hours. Please increase safety for children using and crossing Main Road from McCormack’s Bay to the New World by making this 30km/h.
Providing suitable infrastructure can encourage children to walk and cycle to school. Quiet Streets treatment with road narrowing on Beachville and Celia are established techniques to encourage cycling. Ban the right turn onto Beachville at the causeway end of Main Road. Prioritize these streets for active modes.
Main Road has on road cycle lanes. Widen them and add in separator posts or widen the footpaths and make them shared spaces so children can safely cycle to school. Separator posts along the inside edge of the turn from Beachville Road to Main Road will reinforce the message to drivers to share the road and to remain vigilant.
Narrowed streets, signalized crossing points on Main Road and raised platform crossings for pedestrians will reinforce slowing at crossings. In addition to drop off points on the west side of Main Road across from the school create drop off points further from the school so children who are driven to school can walk the final distance and congestion can be spread out.
Work with the school to develop travel management plans. The school plans already provide ample secure cycle parking. Please support their efforts.
This is the point where Spokes often requests reinstatement of the Cycle Advisory Panel. What’s the point? We have asked and been ignored for over a decade and it is plans like this one which are the result. Despite the MCR’s Council’s commitment to actually providing infrastructure which supports all modes fails to be honoured.
