$2 million pathway dubbed ‘poop loop’
Residents are complaining an expensive Avon walkway is unusable due to Canada geese.
Locals are calling it the poop loop.
A new $2 million riverside walkway in central Christchurch’s Avon Loop is splattered with goose droppings, leaving walkers either put off or putting their feet in it.
Several flocks of Canada geese are on the stretch of river, and locals say the guano has been building up since the path was cleaned for its opening in late February.
‘‘It’s a real mess — you really have to watch where you put your feet, and it’s very difficult to walk on,’’ said Ruth Gardner, chair of the local residents group.
‘‘What they’ve built is wonderful and cost a lot of money. But if they want people to use it, especially with young children, they have to do something about it.’’
Posts on the Avon Loop Facebook page about the state of the path include: ‘‘I hope the goose mess gets cleaned up soon! I’m able to dodge it, but my son walks right into it and also tries to pick it up’’.
Gardner said they had asked the city council in April if the area could be cleaned, but it was not done. So they called Government rebuild company O¯ ta¯ karo, who built the pathway as part of an anchor project riverside improvement.
After being approached by The Press yesterday afternoon, a spokesperson from O¯ ta¯ karo said workers would clean it today.
O¯ ta¯ karo remains responsible for the facility until it is officially handed to the city council, after which council company Citycare will maintain it.
Much of the Avon Loop neighbourhood was red-zoned after the earthquakes.
City maintenance has been included in essential services continuing during the Covid lockdown, and Citycare staff have been in the area since April watering plants and lawn and painting.
Council did not respond to a request for comment on the care of riverside walkways.
Central city resident Lee Hicks, dodging the guano yesterday with his partner Sandy Hicks, said they walked the path a few times a week and it had been ‘‘like this since it opened.’’
‘‘You just have to always walk looking down. We call it the poop loop.’’
Hicks said they hoped the ongoing planting would help keep the geese off the path.