Submitter
Submission id number: 964901
Submitter name:
Miriam Sharpe
Organisation
Do you want to speak to Councillors at the hearings?
No
Supporting information
No associated documents with this submission.
Submission
How are we doing? Is there anything you would like to tell us?
In many areas the council has been doing a wonderful job. For example, the necessary upgrade of infrastructure and beautiful street redesign on George st is a stand-out. Also the separated bike lanes on the one-way highways, now some years old, have encouraged me onto my bike and helped make me a regular bike commuter.
What other ideas should we be thinking about to include in future plans for our city?
The council should make more of the celebrated TOWN BELT, encouraging more people to use it as a cycle path and general active transport corridor across town for commuting and leisure.
A cycle path that stretches from the southern cemetery all the way to prospect park (and even along Cannington and Burma roads to the Ross Creek reservoir!) would be an amazing addition to the city, and would come at considerably less cost than recent cycle path projects (eg the harbour edge).
I use the belt as part of my cycle commute already, but only outside of rush hour traffic. My kids should also be able to take themselves to high school using the town belt without worrying about crazy drivers.
The most important priority to achieve this is to create safe pedestrian and bike crossings on the major car routes up and down the hills that cut through the belt.
These points include: Lachlan Ave at Prospect Park, Queens Dr where it meets Drivers Rd and Corrie St, City Rd/Rattray St, Hawthorn Ave/Serpentine Ave, and the top of High St. There is already a reasonable traffic light system on Stuart St.
At a minimum these points require raised pedestrian crossings, with islands half-way across to pause and wait for traffic.
It would also be important to discourage (not necessarily ban) car use through the Belt by installing more speed bumps (like on Maori Rd).
It's time to reclaim the Town Belt from priority car use!