Changes for ‘stuffed’ CBD street

The Christchurch City Council will make only minor changes to St Asaph St, despite a business group lobbying for more car parks.

After months of grappling with how to improve the street’s heavily-criticised layout after a

$4.5 million redevelopment, the council made a final decision yesterday.

It will spend $210,000 making minor changes, including installing two goods vehicle loading zones and modifying the entry and exit to parking bays. It planned to reduce the speed limit on the street to 30kmh, but would consult the public on this first.

The council dismissed another option, developed with input from Central City Business Group (CCBG), that would add about 53 car parks and cost $1.2m.

Cr Vicki Buck said a safety report found the extra car parks CCBG wanted would be dangerous and jeopardise cyclists’ safety.

Cr Mike Davidson made an unsuccessful last-ditch bid to get the existing car parks on one side of the street removed.

Instead the council decided to review the functionality of the street, including the width of the lanes, car parking and safety.

‘‘It is not acceptable for a cyclist to be biking down there and have the risk of being run down by a car because they can’t see you. It is time for us to do what is right. We didn’t get it right the first time.’’

Cr Jamie Gough supported the

$1.2m option and said he would support consulting on removing parking on the south side of the street. St Asaph St felt ‘‘fundamentally stuffed’’.

‘‘I don’t need an audit to tell me it doesn’t work because I have eyes and have driven down there.’’

It was important to plan for the future, but not at the expense of today, he said.

‘‘Option one is cheaper but it’s

"I don't need an audit to tell me it doesn't work because I have eyes and have driven down there." Cr Jamie Gough

also true that $1 spent on something that does not fix the problem is $1 wasted.’’

Cr Pauline Cotter said people needed time to adjust. Some were struggling with the new behaviours required, including slowing down and parking a bit away from their destination.

Crs Davidson, Gough, Deon Swiggs, David East, Yani Johanson voted against the

$210,000 option.

The council spent more than

$200,000 of ratepayers’ money dealing with CCBG on the issue and met with the group 16 times.

The council also approved a plan yesterday, led by Crown company O¯ ta¯karo, to redevelop a

117-metre section of Oxford Tce between Riccarton Ave and Antigua St. The area would include a shared cyclist and pedestrian path, a five-minute parking drop-off zone, and an 11m-wide crossing, linking the hospital with the outpatients building.