Safety warning to city council
The Christchurch City Council could be left with blood on its hands if it does not protect pedestrians on a popular coastal pathway, a community board member has warned.
Darrell Latham has likened the narrow gravel path running beside a straight section of Main Rd leading up to Shag Rock corner, in Moncks Bay between Sumner and Redcliffs, to a goat track. He says pedestrians are offered almost no protection from passing cars, and is calling on the council to install temporary safety barriers as an interim measure before a permanent solution can be funded.
‘‘I would hate to see the council have blood on their hands when there’s the possibility to do something to ensure safety for families that transit that area,’’ he said.
The council said barriers would be included as part of the 6.5 kilometre Coastal Pathway linking Ferrymead and Sumner.
But with funding yet to be allocated, construction on the $10 million to $12m Moncks Bay stretch could be years away.
Latham wanted the council to include funding in its long-term plan, which is under consideration – a position supported by Heathcote ward councillor Sara Templeton, the Coastal Pathway group and other submitters.
‘‘Safety has to be the priority along this stretch,’’ he said.
Council planning and delivery transport manager Lynette Ellis said road safety funds were targeted on the most effective schemes at the highest risk locations. The Shag Rock corner barrier was prioritised as the ground was able to support a guard rail. The narrowness of the area made any solution complex, and all options and costs needed to be explored, Ellis said.
A sturdier permanent barrier was installed on Main Rd at Shag Rock corner following the death of 73-year-old Maureen Imrie in March last year after a car driven by her husband, Bruce, crashed through a barrier into the sea.
A year earlier, a repeat drinkdriver hit two pedestrians, knocking one of them on to rocks below the narrow gravel path, which was positioned between the busy road and the sea.
The path is separated from the road by wooden barriers along part of the straight but, Latham said, they were flimsy, rotten and ineffective. In one section, there are only cones.
The Coastal Pathway group also asked the council late last year for netting along the seaward side of the path to protect against falls.
The council spent $6m to complete the first stage of the jointly funded pathway between Ferrymead Bridge to Moncks Bay.
The next stage, between Shag Rock and the Sumner Surf Lifesaving Club, is expected to cost between $5m and $7m.