Hospital lane drop trial begins next week

A trial lane closure around Christchurch Hospital is about to get underway.

The two-week trial will begin from Wednesday 25 October on Hagley and Riccarton Avenues around Hospital Corner and will scope the feasibility of permanently removing the lane to increase on-street parking.

The first week of the trial will just see the kerbside lane, on the Hagley Park side of the road, coned off, while the second week will additionally include rephasing of the traffic lights.

“This trial will help us understand the impact of permanently closing the kerbside lanes around the Hospital, including showing the effects on traffic flow, congestion levels, overall feasibility and how this might affect everyone using the road,” Transport Operations Manager Stephen Wright said.

“The trial will be marked out by cones so there will be no permanent change to signage or road markings. This means we can easily end the trial if we get feedback that something isn’t working.”

There will not be any loss of parking throughout this two-week trial, and there will not be any additional parking added either. 

Mr Wright said people are encouraged to use the area as they ordinarily would so the data reflects typical daily use.

“We anticipate that drivers, cyclists, scooter users and pedestrians will only experience a very small delay as a result of this trial and we’ve worked with Hato Hone St John to ensure their access to the Emergency Department is not affected,” he said.

The work was approved by Christchurch City Councillors following recommendations from Mayor Phil Mauger and Councillor Keown.

“Once the trial ends, we’ll analyse the full set of data. A report will then go to the elected Council to decide if the lane will be closed permanently to create more car parks,” Mr Wright said.