News from the Christchurch City Council’s City Services Committee held yesterday.

 A third floor of parking in the city’s new bus interchange and the sale of the Tuam Street car park are moves planned by the council.

The City Services Committee yesterday set up a sub-committee to consider the proposals after its chairman, Denis O’Rourke, said the Tuam Street car park could be sold and the proceeds used for the extra floor in the bus exchange for 100 car parks.

The parking operations manager, Maurice Smith, said the Tuam Street site was too valuable for a car park. There was an over-supply of car parking at present and the Tuam Street site sale would bring about a rationalisation of car parking.

Cr O’Rourke said the bus interchange car park would allow motorists to get into the inner city easier.

The council’s principal policy analyst, Dave Hinman, said the interchange was proceeding well with construction on time and within budget.

A pin oak, in the City Mall outside the revamped Arthur Barnett store, will be moved, as it is too large for the area.

It will be shifted immediately to a central site.

Craig Taylor of the Parks Unit said its buds had not yet burst so it could be moved now.

Humps under review

Speed humps in suburban roads are to be reviewed along with other road "calming" techniques.

Cr O’Rourke said the review would show whether the council should continue to install road humps or use other methods or a combination of methods to slow suburban traffic.

Cr Ron Wright called for an immediate freeze on installing humps but the committee decided to allow planned hump work to continue. Cr David Close said there was not doubt that humps slowed traffic but some of them were savage.

A council engineer, Paul Burden, said some humps were too severe in some streets and he wanted to undertake research on traffic calming.

Cr O’Rourke said the council was getting more and more reaction against humps and he thought better results could be achieved. Other methods were used elsewhere in the world, he said.

He said Eastern Terrace’s humps were "a damned nuisance".

The committee considered an application from Riverlaw Terrace residents who wanted road humps. They said traffic did not use Eastern Terrace but was now using Riverlaw Terrace.