Background: Members of the public partially blocked access to the Christchurch City Council Chambers on Friday, with an ‘interactive installation’ illustrating congestion concerns.
A security guard kept an eye on proceedings, but Council staff and elected members didn’t appear upset by the community action. “It’s been a few years since we had a good protest inside the building” observed one Councillor. Continue reading “Residents turn up and turn on the heat”
Analysis: The construction of the Christchurch Northern Corridor is nearing completion. It was described as a $240 million project at the time that the construction contract was awarded in 2016. Now that it’s nearly done, is the spending on track? Where is the money going, and who’s paying the bills?
I recently wrote about the benefits that the Christchurch Northern Corridor is expected to deliver. The cost to construct this project is also of public interest. Having reviewed the NZ Transport Agency’s 2011 Final Scheme Assessment Report, and made follow-up inquiries with both NZTA and the Christchurch City Council, I’ll discuss the project’s costs as best I can. Continue reading “Calculating the cost of the Christchurch Northern Corridor”
Analysis: It’s fair to say that the Christchurch Northern Corridor (CNC) is a contentious project. There are significant costs involved (both financial – more on that in a future article – and in terms of community impact, especially on those living downstream). Given these costs, surely there must be significant benefits on the other side of the ledger?
In a previous career in the technology sector, I’ve been involved in big-ticket product development decisions. These might have been an order of magnitude smaller than a Road of National Significance, but they still required a comprehensive business case. Continue reading “Adding up the benefits of the Christchurch Northern Corridor”
Analysis: the recent announcement that Kmart was moving to Papanui raised some questions about safety and traffic volumes, especially at the intersection of Langdons Road and Greers Road. I’m having trouble reconciling advice given to the Waipapa/Papanui-Innes Community Board with what I’ve been reading in the retail development’s Resource Consent.
Continue reading “No solution in sight for traffic pressures on Langdons Road?”
Opinion: Years of campaigning for traffic lights at the Harewood/Gardiners/Breens intersection might be about to pay off for Harewood Councillor Aaron Keown. The Christchurch City Council is currently consulting on options to improve safety at the intersection. Will a focus on this one intersection however deliver the best result for residents?
I was interested to read former Mayor Garry Moore’s recent editorial on the Council’s Annual Planning process. Garry sees many projects and issues pitched to Council during the budgeting exercise, but bemoans a lack of big-picture thinking about Council’s overall priorities and trade-offs to balance the budget and constrain rates rises. Likewise, I’m concerned that a single-minded focus on the Harewood/Gardiners/Breens intersection in isolation might not serve the community well.
Continue reading “What will Harewood traffic lights campaign deliver?”
Simon Britten 