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From reporter Steven Walton:
Leading Christchurch developers are scaling back major projects, putting others on hold and threatening to pull out of the central city altogether in protest of council plans to make some streets one-way.
Philip Carter and Shaun Stockman made stark warnings to … View moreFrom reporter Steven Walton:
Leading Christchurch developers are scaling back major projects, putting others on hold and threatening to pull out of the central city altogether in protest of council plans to make some streets one-way.
Philip Carter and Shaun Stockman made stark warnings to Christchurch city councillors on Wednesday as they vented about a $33 million plan to make roads around the new Te Kaha stadium more pedestrian-friendly.
One of the most significant proposals in the plan is to make Lichfield St, between Madras and Manchester St, one-way with a 10kph speed limit, though three quarters of the 1200 submitters supported this.
A leading transport academic was among those in support and said the streets had to be made safer.
But Carter and Stockman said the council was breaking promises of earlier post-earthquake rebuild documents, which had left them without certainty.
Carter, who developed The Crossing, said the documents showed Lichfield St would remain two-way.
The street was an “artery” for his car park at The Crossing and the council was “tampering” with it, he said.
Making it one-way would break trust, he said, adding that he had “deep concerns” about anything that affected traffic coming into the city.
He also criticised council plans to make part of Gloucester St one-way, which were recently put on hold.
“You guys [the council] continue to make it so hard,” Carter said.
“You are now driving investments away.”
In light of the council proposals, Carter said:
- He would stop a planned development on the old Holiday Inn site, despite having attracted an international tenant with no other New Zealand stores.
- He was no longer prepared to be involved in the planned car park for the new Catholic Cathedral precinct.
- He would downscale his planned international hotel beside the new Te Pae convention centre.
- Carter said he also wanted to stop work on an office building in Cathedral Square , but could not because construction had recently commenced.
He said he recently showed a London investor a site near the convention centre and asked him if he wanted to put a hotel there. After hearing about the Gloucester St plans, the investor replied: “Why would I”, Carter said.
A council analysis of those who wanted Lichfield St to remain two-way found many were concerned about loss of parking and traffic flow. Some also wanted cars to take priority.
But planning just for cars was “at best unbelievably naive and at worst plain dumb”, according to Canterbury University professor Simon Kingham, who is also chief science adviser to the Ministry of Transport.
“You need to provide good alternatives, [such as] walking, cycling and public transport and people will change their behaviour,” he said.
“This is clearly what the evidence says.”
Kingham backed council staff’s view that the streets had to be safer and more pedestrian-friendly.
He said he was horrified when the plans were paused last year.
Youth-led climate action organisation Generation Zero also supported the one-way option and said the streets should be redesigned to be safer for pedestrians, cyclists, scooter and mobility device users.
The council analysis said submitters backing the one-way plan supported enhanced pedestrian access, more safety, as well as the greening and beautification of the street.
Five Lichfield St businesses supported the one-way plan while four wanted the two-way option.
Out of all Christchurch businesses that submitted, 17 supported one-way while 35 wanted two-way.
Developer Shaun Stockman was among the latter. He said his company’s board was so alarmed by the proposed revamp that it had paused two projects.
“If these proposals as per go ahead, we will be stopping any further investment in Christchurch CBD fullstop,” he said.
Stockman claimed the revamp overlooked the elderly and disabled communities; removed an unnecessary amount of car parking; and would take away valuable trade from businesses.
Stockman said he did not own buildings in the affected streets, but owned some in surrounding streets.
The views of residents and businesses are now being considered by councillors Melanie Coker, Tyrone Fields, Sara Templeton, Mark Peters, and Yani Johanson.
They will make a recommendation to council on how to proceed with the revamp, with a final decision to be made by the full council.
From reporter Steven Walton:
A $78 million government grant to improve Christchurch's “unreliable” bus service will only cover about one-third the project's total cost.
Local councils and Waka Kotahi will cover the remaining $160m to ensure buses arrive every 7.5 minutes on key… View moreFrom reporter Steven Walton:
A $78 million government grant to improve Christchurch's “unreliable” bus service will only cover about one-third the project's total cost.
Local councils and Waka Kotahi will cover the remaining $160m to ensure buses arrive every 7.5 minutes on key routes.
The Government money is coming out of the budget of the ditched $785m cycling and walking bridge planned for the Auckland Harbour Bridge.
A major revamp of the Christchurch bus network was first revealed in late 2020, but the time frame for the work was going to be about 12 years. The Government contribution, announced on Friday, would allow the revamp to happen within five to six years.
“This will offer people living in Christchurch regular and much more reliable bus services,” Transport Minister Michael Wood said.
Amongst the planned improvements are 100 extra buses, 22km of new bus lanes, and more than 470 new bus shelters. Some of the work has already begun, like adding bus lanes to Lincoln Rd.
The 100 new buses are being introduced despite recent struggles nationwide with a driver shortage. The shortage has caused thousands of bus trips being cancelled in Christchurch in recent months, frustrating commuters.
Wood said there had been “good progress” with the driver shortage in Christchurch. The shortage was now only 49 drivers, he said.
The 2020 business case for the city’s bus revamp said buses were unreliable and not as quick as taking a car.
It also estimated the revamp’s infrastructure (capital) work would cost about $115m, but Wood confirmed that number had now risen.
He said the revamp’s total cost would be $238m, but this figure also included the operational costs of running new buses and paying the new drivers. He was not able to say how much of the $238m cost was capital costs and how much was operational costs.
Of the $238m, the Government is covering $78m of it directly and the remaining $160m will be split between local councils and Waka Kotahi. Waka Kotahi and councils in Christchurch have already planned to spend millions on the revamp, but it is not clear how much each party will end up spending. Wood’s office has been asked to provide this detail.
Mayor Phil Mauger said it was great to be at the Government’s funding announcement on Friday, even though he voted against the revamp’s business case in 2020.
Asked if he would still vote against it, he said “probably not” because he had “learnt a lot more about how buses will make a difference [with reducing emissions]”.
Buses were a “good thing” that would help the climate change situation, he said.
Mauger said he also supported the 22km of new bus lanes, “as long as they’re in the right place”. Narrow roads should not be made narrower, he said.
“It’s all very well to have bus lanes everywhere, but if no-one else can get along [the road] everyone's going to get all snarly and upset.”
As part of the revamp, Christchurch’s main bus routes will have dedicated bus lanes with traffic lights that give buses priority.
The city’s main bus routes are Rangiora to Cashmere (#1), Airport to Sumner (#3), Rolleston to New Brighton (#5) and Halswell to Queenspark (#7). All of these services go into the central city and stop at the bus interchange.
The fifth main route is The Orbiter, which does a circular route.
The revamp aims to convert the main routes to “turn-up-and-go” services, where a bus would arrive every 7.5 minutes between 7am and 7pm on weekdays.
Presently, these routes only have a 10 or 15-minute frequency.
The business case for the revamp said 14 million trips were taken on Christchurch buses in 2018, and it hoped to increase this to 20 million by 2028.
Know the friendliest barista around? Does your mechanic always go the extra mile? Got a lawn-mowing legend? Hairdresser hero?
Give your favourite local business the recognition they deserve by nominating them in the 2023 Prospa Local Business Hero awards.
There's been hundreds of … View moreKnow the friendliest barista around? Does your mechanic always go the extra mile? Got a lawn-mowing legend? Hairdresser hero?
Give your favourite local business the recognition they deserve by nominating them in the 2023 Prospa Local Business Hero awards.
There's been hundreds of incredible entries already but don't forget to nominate your local this week. The recognition will make their day (and they're in with a chance to win a $10,000 package!).
Share a few words about your favourite local now.
Your home is your sanctuary, and that’s why Ryman villages are designed to be safe havens.
We’ve prepared for adverse events, so you don’t have to.
Your safety and your family’s peace of mind are our priority. Every Ryman village has staff available 24/7 and backup generators for … View moreYour home is your sanctuary, and that’s why Ryman villages are designed to be safe havens.
We’ve prepared for adverse events, so you don’t have to.
Your safety and your family’s peace of mind are our priority. Every Ryman village has staff available 24/7 and backup generators for emergencies. If something happens, you’re in safe hands.
We’ll take care of everything and make sure that you have what you need.
If you or a loved one are over 70, Ryman has a range of options from emergency accommodation through to townhouses or apartments available to purchase.
Want to make a difference and help rangatahi realise potential? Mentoring will be a period of 6-12 months depending on the programme, no prior experience is required and we'll provide you all the info you need to be an awesome mentor 💚
Internet is something we need these days for work, study, keeping in touch with loved ones or just to watch a movie! It's another bill to manage right?!
With the cost of living rising, we want to know how much your broadband bill is setting you back each month?
Every month, NZ Gardener runs a series of tested reader recipes using a seasonal crop. We are still on the hunt for amazing and inventive jerusalem artichoke recipes! Send your best ones to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz by March 26, 2023. Every published recipe wins a copy of the May issue of NZ … View moreEvery month, NZ Gardener runs a series of tested reader recipes using a seasonal crop. We are still on the hunt for amazing and inventive jerusalem artichoke recipes! Send your best ones to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz by March 26, 2023. Every published recipe wins a copy of the May issue of NZ Gardener.
If you want to have a say in the development of Christchurch then this is your chance. There are several ways to do this :
1. Go to the website www.greaterchristchurch.org.nz... and take part in the online survey huihuimai.nz...
2. Take part in one of the workshops. You can still register … View moreIf you want to have a say in the development of Christchurch then this is your chance. There are several ways to do this :
1. Go to the website www.greaterchristchurch.org.nz... and take part in the online survey huihuimai.nz...
2. Take part in one of the workshops. You can still register for the Rangiora session www.eventbrite.com...
Extendable but missing slat. Heavy, will require trailer to collect. Chairs are in excellent condition. Cash only on pickup.
Large office desk, Good Condition. Heavy but breaks down into 3 pieces to transport. Cash only on pickup.
Selling my acoustic fiesta guitar and accessories as I'm moving away. Everything works great and is in great condition.
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