Traffic lights at the Edgeware Road/ Colombo St corner and Trafalgar St is no longer a through route to Merivale because it will have a double cul-de-sac in the middle near Sheppard Place.
These are two of the main changes to the streets of St Albans but they could have consequences beyond what the Christchurch City Council envisages.
Other changes include loss of car parking space eg: east side of Colombo St and other streets from Bealey Ave to Grasmere, loss of some trees on footpaths etc and the replacement of the roundabout at Courtenay St/ Westminster St intersection with a stop sign.
In some parts of the cycleway, the cyclists going in both directions share a pathway, in other areas there are cycleways on both sides of the road. Pedestrians have not been forgotten about with crossings and priority around bus stops, but is that enough?
The consequences of the double cul de sac in Trafalgar St is that it will reduce some of the traffic going through the street but will force vehicle traffic down other roads instead e.g.: Massey Crescent the very narrow Dover St is being suggested as a way back from the dead end in the middle of Trafalgar St. Other traffic will head down Courtenay St and down Rutland St. Rutland St is the main route for the cycleway once it leaves Trafalgar St.
All this and more is explained in the Council document on the Papanui Parallel.
The council is mainly consulting about two options though such as whether a shared footpath area or separate facility are used in the Main North Road section and what to do where Rutland St and Hawkesbury Ave meet. The staff appear to have made their minds up about the other parts of the cycleway and have had limited consultation with affected residents prior to the plans being drawn up, according to a Courtenay St resident.
Find out more and comment here about the pros and cons of the council plan, make suggestions for changes or visit the St Albans Community Centre on November 11 at 3.30pm to talk to council staff about the plans and make a submission before December 2. Give yourself plenty of time as it takes a while to get your head around the proposed changes. They are expected to be implemented by 2017.
