Green feet delivered to hill residences

In January, the Council delivered nearly 3000 bright green foot-shaped cards to houses in the hill suburbs of Christchurch, with the aim of returning footpaths to the pedestrians.

Michael Thomson, Traffic Engineer and Pedestrian Advocate at the City Council, said that the campaign’s objective was to discourage motorists from parking on footpaths, and thereby increase the safety and convenience of pedestrians who want to use the footpaths.

“Parking on footpaths can make it difficult for pedestrians, sometimes forcing them to walk out on the road to get past a vehicle. Some groups are more vulnerable than others, such as children, the elderly, disabled persons and parents with pushchairs. For example, I have been advised by the Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind that several blind persons have been injured and/or disorientated in Christchurch when they have walked into a vehicle parked on a footpath”, Mr Thomson said.

Hill suburbs were the focus of the campaign because the roads tend to be narrower, often have poor visibility at corners, and in many instances the properties have less private parking space. However it is an offence to park on the footpath anywhere, and people doing so always run the risk of being fined. Council parking officers routinely monitor all streets, and may issue $40 fines on vehicles parking on footpaths.