https://www.ccc.govt.nz/the-council/consultations-and-submissions/haveyoursay/show/297
due 9 March
Spreydon Cashmere Community Board Plan 2020
With climate challenges and transport costs increasing more people will want to use bicycles for transport. All routes will need to provide for safe inviting cycling. It is good to see the Board taking up this long neglected work.
Spokes strongly supports the Community Boards efforts to improve road safety and efficiency on Cashmere, Hackthorne and Dyers Pass Roads. All of these roads have high numbers of people on bicycles. Cashmere Road is used by both recreational and utility cyclists. The need for safe mode equitable road use on these roads is long overdue. A shared river path is great, but not a substitute for cycle commuters or enthusiasts. Spokes is concerned that the $446,000 in Council’s draft Annual Plan for these roads will not be able to achieve what is required.
Recreational cyclists add a lot to the local economy and Cashmere Road and the Mountain Bike Park warrant proper cycle routes to support our economy.
Continuing the commitment for transport mode equity with plans to extend the Nor West MCR to Westmorland is also welcomed. To make it all work a local cycle network will need to be developed to connect to MCR’s to provide safe inviting cycling to all places people need to travel. Without good links the MCR’s promise of transport equity will not be achieved “Quiet Streets” are a step in the right direction.
Spokes also supports the intersection improvements at Worsley’s/Hoon Hay/Cashmere Road, but with some concerns. This intersection already sees high usage from people on foot and bikes, be they residents or accessing the Mountain Bike Park. It is common to see cars backed up on Worsleys Road waiting to get onto Cashmere Road with bicycles filtering between parked cars and queued traffic and/or on the footpath. Bicycles and cars also share Worsleys south bound. With on street parking narrowing the road in both directions close passing and close calls are all too frequent. The new developments are expected to add up to 500 new homes.
The current plans for the intersection and the roads it serves do not provide adequate safe cycle infrastructure. Spokes submitted our concerns without effect and beseeches the Community Board to meet with people who cycle & residents to hear our concerns. The Board will need to push Council to actually respond constructively to the need to build safe, future proofed infrastructure from the start, not after tragedy.
Ask the Council to build for both what is the current and future need. Council too frequently builds for yesterday at great expense only to rebuild for today at even greater expense. Ratepayers are not well served.
