This page is not a current Christchurch City Council document. Please read our disclaimer.
| Our Environment: Special Edition - Charleston Update |
|
Bid To Solve Traffic Problems
Traffic management is one of the hot
topics in the Charleston neighbourhood. Speeding cars, particularly along Charles and
Grafton Streets, industrial traffic in the residential area, and traffic cutting through
from Wilsons Road to Ensors Road and vice versa, are all significant problems.
The Council’s ‘Living Streets’ initiative is one means of tackling excessive traffic speed and traffic cutting through neighbourhoods. It also addresses the area as a whole, rather than on a street- bystreet basis.
A number of different measures from this approach, from road narrowing to play streets, could be used to solve these
The issue of industrial traffic in the residential area is a lot more difficult to address given the current road network and the railways lines to the south of the area. A number of options will need to be explored, including discussions with Tranz Rail, to find practical and economic solutions that are acceptable to the community.
Contact: Lorraine Wilmshurst
Ph: 941 6625
Ferry Road – Ensors Road Intersection
Christchurch City Council is planning some changes to the intersection of Aldwins, Ensors and Ferry Roads.
Ferry Road has long been considered a major cycle route from Sumner to the City. The Council would like to complete continuous on-road cycle lane marking from Sumner within the next year.
To provide for cycle lanes at the Aldwins/Ensors/Ferry intersection, and provide additional road safety improvements, the plan is to widen the City side of the Ferry Road approach to the intersection. The change in lane markings with the widening will allow for separate traffic lanes and a cycle lane in each direction.
Additionally, the plan is to provide a long central traffic island on the City side of the intersection. This will stop vehicles from turning out of the petrol station on the corner, removing the cause of a number of crashes.
The nearby Edmonds Factory Gardens will not be affected by plans to widen the intersection.
Ferry Road – Road Widening Designation
Ferry Road, from Moorhouse Avenue to Aldwins Road, is classified as a major arterial road in the City Plan, requiring certain road widths. Presently the width of Ferry Road is not up to City Plan standards and the two existing lanes do not provide enough capacity for the high volume of traffic on the road, let alone for predicted future flows.
Road widening is planned to occur in stages over the next 10 years as budgets allow and in association with intersection improvements at the Ferry/Wilsons and Ferry/Aldwins intersections. The widening of these parts of Ferry Road are necessary to address the efficiency and safety of the road.
Safety, in terms of motorist, pedestrian and cyclist accidents, is a real concern along this stretch of Ferry Road. One hundred and forty eight accidents have occurred from Moorhouse Avenue to Aldwins Road in the last five years, with over half of these occurring at intersections. By improving the intersections, and widening Ferry Road between the intersections, the crash rates on this section of road are expected to decrease significantly.
The process of carrying out this road widening will involve detailed plans and public consultation, and will try to minimise any adverse effects on people living on and using Ferry Road.
| Our Environment Index |
