Projects aim to make city cycling safer

Plans for several projects designed to make cycling around the central city safer and more appealing have been moved forward by a Christchurch City Council committee.

It’s proposed that a budget of $1.2 million previously set aside for the City Wide Bike Share project - no longer going ahead - should be allocated to 20 smaller projects focused on improving connections between major cycleways and the city, cycle parking and safety for people on bikes.

A package of projects to make cycling safer and more accessible is moving forward.

The aim is that projects would be planned and worked on over the next 18 months.

The Infrastructure, Transport and Environment (ITE) Committee has recommended the Council approve all 20 projects, giving highest priority to three of them.

The Council’s General Manager of City Services would have authority to make minor alterations to the list of projects to be investigated and delivered.

The Committee's three priorities include addressing safety risks associated with the tram tracks on Armagh St from Rolleston Ave to Colombo St; identifying areas where kerb levels are too steep so they can be cut down; and improving safety measures for cyclists on Tuam St at the Justice Precinct Entrance such as installation of detector-activated warning signage.

Several initiatives to address issues with bike parking in the central city are also proposed.  

ITE Committee Chair Pauline Cotter says, if approved by the Council, the package of projects would make the central city much safer and more accessible for cyclists. “More bike parking is definitely needed because our statistics show more people are getting on their bikes with the growing popularity of our cycleways.

"I also want to make clear that we are not ruling out the possibility of bike share schemes being developed in the future.”

Other proposed projects include creating more space for cyclists on Worcester St between Fitzgerald Ave and Latimer Square and prioritising cyclists on Gloucester St between Rolleston Ave and Manchester St to streamline connection between the Uni-Cycle route and the central city.