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Minor Improvements to Welles Street

Spokes Logo of a bicycle wheel with the word spokes written underneath

 

Minor Improvements to Welles Street

 

Submission from Spokes Canterbury

Reference: https://letstalk.ccc.govt.nz/wellesstreet July 2025

Tēnā koutou katoa

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Minor Improvements to Welles Street

Introduction

Spokes Canterbury (http://www.spokes.org.nz/) is a local cycling advocacy group with approximately 1,300 followers. Spokes is affiliated with the national Cycling Action Network (CAN – https://can.org.nz/). Spokes is dedicated to including cycling as an everyday form of transport in the greater Christchurch and Canterbury areas. Spokes has a long history of advocacy in this space including writing submissions, presenting to councils, and working collaboratively with others in the active transport space. We focus on the need for safe cycling for those aged 8 to 80. Spokes also supports all forms of active transport, public transport, and has an interest in environmental matters.

Spokes supports:

  • The proposed bike parking near the various venues in Welles St
  • Two new seating areas on the southern side and associated landscaping
  • The five carparks removed
  • The addition of street trees to beautify and calm the space

Spokes would like to see:

  • Sharrows added to the road to encourage cyclists to take the lane in this narrow street. The speed limit should be 30km/h but we are aware this is difficult to achieve at the moment.
  • Ideally, the permanent treatment would be a shared space with a 10km/h speed limit, trees planted in the ground instead of planters, rain gardens, flush footpath/road level, and nice paving, like Lichfield St between Manchester and Madras Streets
  • Even less parking available in the street, with more space for pedestrians and cyclists
  • The current walls for the road-side dining are intimidating for less confident cyclists.
  • Outside Winnie Bagoes the road surface is rough which does not help. Could you put a smoother surface here?
  • The new brown palling fence just down from the Winnie Bagoes has been built too close to the bike stand effectively reducing the available bike parking by one. Like the bike parking signs.
  • More bike parking, the current ones are always full, particularly around Muy Muy and O-Studio where there have been problems with bikes attached to inappropriate places.
  • Even more trees
  • You could also consider modal filters so there is no way to drive all the way through, or making the street one way
  • Did not see any Disability parking on the plan.

Other

  • There is a dangerous transition on Colombo St, from separated cycleway, to on road cycle lane, then an island forcing cyclists to merge with cars who ignore the 30 km/h speed limit. It would be good to get this fixed. (image attached)

I would like to speak to the Council when this intersection is considered.

Ngā mihi nui

Submissions Co-ordinator

Spokes Canterbury

submissions@spokes.org.nz

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