Tag: safety

Simon’s 3 March column in the Nor’West News

Today’s Nor’West News includes a column I’ve written reflecting on traffic and safety issues in the Langdons Road area, which is soon to be impacted by the opening of the Kmart in the Northlink development. As I say in the column, all members of the public are welcome to raise issues with the Community Board, and we start every meeting with a public forum if you wish to come speak to us – contact details can be found on the Council website.

Simon soap box 3 March 2020

Waipapa/Papanui-Innes Community Board deputy chair Simon Britten writes about the concerns raised over the new Northlink shopping complex.

Kmart’s new Papanui store in Langdons Road will open next month. Development at the site is bringing new shops to Papanui, but also safety concerns. Continue reading “Simon’s 3 March column in the Nor’West News”

Harewood/Gardiners/Breens traffic signals get the green light from Council

Recap: The Christchurch City Council gave in-principle approval for traffic lights at a Harewood Road intersection on Thursday. Earlier in 2019 Council staff consulted on safety improvements for the Harewood/Gardiners/Breens intersection, seeking feedback on two options. The response from the community was clear, with 77% of 1,085 submissions preferring traffic lights to either the alternative left-in/left-out proposal, or the status quo. The community’s feedback and this week’s Council’s decision prioritises connectivity for the community, with an independent safety assessment finding lights to be less safe than both the alternative option and also the current configuration.

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As a resident in the wider area, I travel through this intersection on at least a weekly basis, and I also have a strong interest in both urban design and community engagement. I’ve been following the debate around this intersection since Cr Aaron Keown campaigned on a ‘this intersection needs lights’ platform in the 2016 local election. (My own submission to the Council was in favour of one-laning Harewood Road as an affordable initial step that would allow for lights later if still needed – at the time I wasn’t aware that the Council had in fact approved one-laning back in 2010, but that the decision had never been implemented.) Continue reading “Harewood/Gardiners/Breens traffic signals get the green light from Council”

Board rejects safety assessment, favours lights for Harewood Rd intersection

Opinion: Less than 2 months out from the election, a Christchurch Community Board has disregarded expert advice on safety, instead recommending traffic signals for the intersection of Harewood, Gardiners, and Breens Roads. This decision appears to have popular support from local residents, but if implemented will increase the expected number of injury crashes at the intersection, increase the likelihood of serious injury outcomes, and there is a high probability of increased traffic volumes*.
*refer to the independent Safety Assessment included in the agenda for the Board’s meeting

Harewood-Gardiners-Breens 4

On the 17th of August 2019 I made one of seven deputations to the Waimāero/Fendalton-Waimairi-Harewood Community Board’s meeting in relation to the Harewood/Gardiner/Breens Road intersection. Continue reading “Board rejects safety assessment, favours lights for Harewood Rd intersection”

Adding up the benefits 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?

CNC benefit icons
CNC benefits from the project website

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”

No solution in sight for traffic pressures on Langdons Road?

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.Northlink sign.jpg Continue reading “No solution in sight for traffic pressures on Langdons Road?”

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