Link
https://www.ccc.govt.nz/the-council/consultations-and-submissions/haveyoursay/show/289
All encouraged to share their thoughts, but residents of the east impacted the most. This is not a formal submission process. The Community Board has put forth their priorities and need to hear that cycling needs to be included and prioritized.
Draft sub from Spokes
Draft Sub
Thank you for opening up plans prior to advancing a draft plan.
Good on the Community Board for considering the needs of the disabled community. Equal opportunity is important for all.
Support for the Priorities
Community facilities be they QEII or a new facility in Burwood will have better usage if accessible safely by all modes. Please, don’t limit access by children by leaving parents feeling afraid to let their children walk and cycle to activities.
Improvements to roading are needed. Making roads safe and inviting for all modes is as important as providing disabled access in facilities. With more people on foot and bicycle the sense of community inclusion and pride can lead to better maintained rubbish free routes.
Lack of Access
Both Burwood and Coastal wards suffer from inequitable infrastructure which restricts free and fair movement as well as business health.
Access to and within both wards is primarily by motorized vehicles as safe inviting cycling infrastructure has not been provided.
Shoppers, tourists, day trippers and cycle commuters to and from the west and south find inadequate on again off again cycle lanes, often narrow, with poor surfaces and overgrown in some places. Too often what is provided abruptly ends and/or requires knowing where to cross to continue. Council’s Major Cycle Routes, MCR’s do not reach New Brighton and only partially serve Burwood.
What Needs Prioritizing Benefits the Community
The residents of both wards want and deserve better. Please prioritize local cycle networks. A “Quiet Streets” approach is a first easy step which can deliver improvements. Recent upgrades to the north side of Travis Road at the ANZAC/Frost Road roundabout have seen increased cycle use of between 50-100+%, this even without complete connecting links. Local residents are finding cycling to be the preferred way to meet their transport needs. The lack of infrastructure is defeating them.
It benefits both wards to support local businesses. Making it easy for people to bike to the shops increases local turnover. Once they are in their cars they are more inclined to travel out of ward. Road improvements which drain money away from the east are not helpful.
The lack of good cycle infrastructure hurts businesses on Marshland’s Road and access to Burwood Hospital. Where lanes are provided they are typically on road, narrow and too often hard up against on street parking.
People on bicycles find travel from the east to the south and west circuitous and unsafe. Safe routes to Shirley and St Albans are not there. The shared path route along QEII does not hook up to the Papanui Parallel, is narrow, poorly maintained and is a very indirect route to the central city. The Otakaro path along the river will do well for accessing the Red Zone and for cycle tourists and day trippers. It too is not a suitable cycle commuter link.
Council needs to hear from the representatives in the east that the lack of good cycle connections or even planned MCR links is unacceptable. The Community Board can prioritize this need or the east will continue to lose out. The east cannot remain disadvantaged and thrive.
