Transport options  |  22 Feb 2023

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Eleven Government-funded transport projects have been fast-tracked by the Christchurch City Council that aim to encourage walking, cycling and public transport use.

However for these to be delivered by the June 2024 deadline, work has been paused on 24 other transport projects.

At today’s Finance and Performance Committee meeting Councillors agreed to add the Government funded work, which received approximately $25.6 million from the Climate Emergency Response Fund, to this year’s capital programme.

It will include walkable neighbours, sustainable school travel, public transport improvements and upgrades to the strategic cycle network.

Three of the projects have completed by 2024 so eight others, such as the Wheels to Wings Major Cycle Route and Lincoln Road bus lanes between Whiteleigh Avenue and Curletts Road which would be difficult to defer, will progress as planned.

Committee Chair Sam MacDonald says the Council had a hard decision to make but had to be honest with the public about what was deliverable while balancing that with maximising funding opportunities.

“We don’t want to set ourselves up to fail and today we’ve had to be clear about what work we can and cannot complete within the next eighteen months,” Mr MacDonald says.

“The Government funding is welcomed by Council and want to make the most of it so we can ease the burden for ratepayers by not rating for this work and help bring much needed relief to our residents who are struggling with increasing costs across the board.”

Design work and consultation on the projects will begin in the coming months.