‘Someone’s gonna get killed’
Christchurch’s cycleways are becoming a flashpoint for residents and business owners angry about new road layouts and business disruption.
Fulton Hogan roading contractors were forced to down tools yesterday when resident John Button parked his truck in the path of a digger on Grassmere St, Papanui.
He and Murray Turley stood in the middle of the street in the rain to protest the new layout, which they said made the road ‘‘hazardous’’ and difficult for drivers to turn safely into the street.
‘‘Someone’s gonna get killed here. We’re just trying to prevent something happening, before it does happen,’’ Button said.
Anyone with a long trailer would also struggle to get into the road with its new design, he said.
The roading crew had only started work on the site on Tuesday, but the Christchurch City Council told them to suspend work after the protest.
A council spokeswoman was unable to say late yesterday when they would return.
Spokes Canterbury chair Don Babe said people should ‘‘let the council get on with their business and do what has been decided’’.
Grassmere St is part of the new Papanui Parallel cycleway, one of the council’s 13 new major bike routes being built around the city over the next seven years.
Business owners elsewhere along the route have criticised its design and ongoing disruption from roadworks.
Rutland St, St Albans dairy owner Jackson Zhang said he normally saw 300 customers a day, but since roadworks started in February numbers had plummeted. He had seen 300 customers in three days this week.
Others at the southern end of the cycleway said the council should have given more thought to parking when designing the route.
Cr Deon Swiggs said feedback he had received suggested people were not opposed to cycleways, but were concerned about their implementation.
Council manager planning and delivery (transport) Lynette Ellis said the design of the Grassmere St and Main North Rd intersection was consistent with council standards and other intersections in the area. It also allowed for the movement of large vehicles such as rubbish trucks.