1
1 February 2013
Christchurch Central Recovery Plan : Te Mahere ‘Maraka Ōtautahi’
An Accessible City
Kia ora, Our very damaged urban village has an active landowner/community group participating in, contributing and assisting with the rebuild. The village involves a balanced mix of mixed use and living zoned land. Most of the land is being cleared. Peterborough Village / pita kaik Inc Soc representatives have attended briefing sessions on the transport plan, have discussed concerns, and wish to make comment and seek some amendment. PUBLIC TRANSPORT The earthquakes have provided the opportunity to renew and not just replace the central city. An improved, more modern and sustainable transport system needs to be part of this renewal. Within our village, that adjoins the North Frame and Te Papa Ōtākaro, we support the public transport routes as proposed (page 15). However for within ‘the core’ we do question the appropriateness of providing car park facilities (page 17) in easier reach than bus stops. The Council’s previous proposal involved a bus stop always accessible within one block. The current proposal doubles that to being at least 2 blocks away. This reduction in accessibility to public transport is not considered desirable. CYCLE ROUTES Key Cycle Routes are proposed to access ‘the core’ (page 11). These are supported. However there are insufficient or inadequate routes to encourage people to pass to and through the central city generally. Worcester Street and the River route are inadequate as the only key cycle routes providing and encouraging east-west cycle access. We ask that an additional key east-west cycle route be introduced linking from Hagley Park-Salisbury Street directly east beyond Victoria Street. 3 options have been investigated, and are explained in the appendix and shown in the attachments. The preferred route is Salisbury - Colombo - Peterborough Street. We seek the addition of this eastwest route. Also, the addition of an Armagh Street Key Cycle Route is also supported.
Peterborough Village / pita kaik
www.peterboroughvillage.org.nz
2 MAIN STREETS The proposed design for Main Streets (Victoria, Colombo and High Streets, page 12) is assessed as inadequate. Alone the reduction of maximum vehicle speed to 30 kph is an inadequate measure to enhance cycle experience to reach an adequate threshold. The cycle and vehicle lanes should NOT be combined on these routes. Nor should pedestrian and cycles be combined. The streetscape design proposed is not supported due to the lack of allowance for an adequately separated cycle lane.
KEY WALKING ROUTES As a transition to achieving the new transport arrangement, we are elsewhere seeking transient street works within Peterborough Village to begin to achieve the long-term changes we seek with reduced car domination and increased people-friendly streetscapes, such as with shared space in Peterborough and Colombo Streets. To this end we seek that “Key walking links” delineated (page 9) be added to. To better address the integrity of the central city and support for the core, the Key walking link up Colombo Street should be extended. It is not appropriate to not extend that key walking route to and beyond the north side of Te Papa Ōtākaro and the North Frame and their associated activities. As Bealey Avenue and Colombo Street North have been and remain important visitor accommodation places, as well as a concentration of health services (map attached) with substantial professional staffing and out-oftown client visiting, the addition is sought of a Key Walking Route from Bealey Avenue down Colombo Street to the core.
ONE WAY STREETS Peterborough Village currently has two pairs of one-way streets passing through and thus people here are aware of their disadvantages and advantages. To improve the liveability of the urban village character sought, the change of Salisbury and Kilmore Streets from one-way to two-way is supported (page 17). The recognition of Salisbury Street as a local distributor street is also supported. We support the intent of through traffic being encouraged onto Bealey and Fitzgerald instead of Kilmore, and hence we consider a 30 kph limit for Kilmore Street would be more appropriate to assist with this. Kilmore Street is a route that is not very respectful of the river - with the dominating Madras-Kilmore bridges, and the proximity of Te Papa Ōtākaro, the North Frame, Market Place (Victoria Square) and other anchor projects mean it would be appropriate to have Kilmore Street as a slower two-way street. A change of Madras and Barbadoes from one-way to two-way streets is also sought. These streets pass through areas where increased residential density and quality is sought. The one-way streets are contrary to this regime. After careful consideration, a switch to two-way is also sought for this north-south pair.
MANCHESTER STREET Manchester Street is addressed as a local distributer street with public transport between St Asaph Street and Salisbury Street. The proposal (page 14) for a Manchester Boulevard between St Asaph and Armagh Streets, widened by 9m, is supported only if an adequate separated cycle lane is provided. Narrowing north of Armagh Street to cross the Avon, it is important that the street corridor is also somewhat widened north of the river. With almost all buildings destroyed by the quakes, there is capacity to widen Manchester Street on the eastern side by 4 - 5 m from the bridge north to near Salisbury Street. The widened corridor, through Te Papa Ōtākaro, the North Frame and on up to Salisbury Street, would enable better accommodation of public transport facilities and separated cycles as well Peterborough Village / pita kaik
www.peterboroughvillage.org.nz
3 as cars. There would also be capacity for day-lighted spring-fed waters and storm water swales to be accommodated along the street (see attachments, proposed cross-section of Manchester St North). Over the last year and a half considerable consultation and research has been undertaken with interests in the Village, and the day-lighting of waters has been found to have wide support. With land and buildings in the area from the river north to Salisbury Street so very damaged, and in need of recovery support, we ask that Manchester Street North be widened to provide an improved streetscape as an important entry and support area to ‘the core’. An improved streetscape would be an important contributor to recovery of this area which is recognised as necessary to achieve residential appeal to support the city’s recovery. We therefore submit that as well as the Manchester Boulevard to the south, the transport plan include a widening of Manchester Street north and a commitment to an improved sustainable streetscape.
We thank you for the chance to make comment. The community welcomes further dialogue. We are happy to meet to expand on points raised and to discuss refined solutions for the Recovery Plan chapter.
Nga mihi, Mark McEntyre Chairperson, Peterborough Village Inc. Soc. Chair@peterboroughvillage.org.nz
appendix 1. Report on proposed Transient Landscape Interventions appendix 2. Map of the Northern Health Precinct graphic attachments: a. b. c. d. e.
a proposed northern east-west Key Cycle Route (3 options, 1 + 3 sheets). transient streetworks planned for Peterborough Street (2 sheets). Manchester Street widening proposals (1 sheet). Transient Parklet proposals (7 sheets). Cycling Questionnaire (2 sheets).
NOTE. Whilst not directly relevant to the Plan, but appreciating the time frames likely needed for achieving the proposed changes, the transient works are included merely as small examples of the kinds of effort needed to assist recovery through a transition to more sustainable streetscapes long-term.
Peterborough Village / pita kaik
www.peterboroughvillage.org.nz
4
appendix 1.
Report on Peterborough Village . Transient Streetscape Interventions Christchurch has been a car-orientated city with lots of traffic going through every day. After the earthquakes that caused a lot of damage and destroyed a big part of the City Centre, new chances and possibilities turned up that were seen able to reorganise the City Centre for a better, more modern, sustainable cycle- and pedestrian-friendly city. Taking this chance to create a more enjoyable city we have the intention to reduce cars and car parks as well as slowing down the traffic which would have positive long-term effects for the whole central city. By designing transient streetscapes, like the proposed cycle lane intervention as well as car parks replaced by parklets, we hope to make this happen to help support transition to long-term transport changes. The first part of the brochure (attached) shows the cycle lane intervention we are proposing for the northern part of the Central City of Christchurch. We think that there are not enough connecting west to east cycle routes given for the northern part of the City Centre in the latest Transport Plan from CERA. Therefore we have proposed three different options for a Key Northern East-West Cycle Route, which all pass through Peterborough Village with the idea of creating a Cycle Hub area at Colombo Street, between Salisbury Street and Kilmore Street. Our preferred northern east-west cycle route begins at the eastern side of Hagley Park, follows Salisbury Street until it turns right into Colombo Street. After following Colombo Street for one block the cycle lane turns left into Peterborough Street, which finally reaches the Avon River at Barbadoes Street. This would be a quicker way to get from west to east instead of having to follow the Avon River. The following cross section 'Cycling in Peterborough Village' shows how the transient cycle lane intervention could be applied e.g. at Peterborough Street. The second part of the attachment shows the streetscape idea we have. I have designed a Parklet, which includes the cycle lane interventions as well. I have done lots of measurements to make sure that the idea to transform the existing area, which is currently planted with roses, into a parklet is achievable without too many changes needing to be made. This example can be applied to further areas in Peterborough Village with adjustments to be made depending on the site. The design idea for the parklet was to show how nature has been here a long time before humans turned it into a big city. Christchurch was covered with different kinds of forest. There were lots of springs and streams flowing along the plains and the iwi used to fish and bird here. In the parklet we are using flax plants to mark the original flow of those forgotten streams, the Kahikatea Fruit Light Stands as well as the Tree House sculpture design by Julia Morison, should all remind people of the lush Kahikatea Forest which used to cover the area.
Lena Reifschneider (intern) for Lucas Associates & Peterborough Village
Peterborough Village / pita kaik
31 January 2013
www.peterboroughvillage.org.nz