Waihoro Spreydon-Cashmere-Heathcote Community Board Plan 2026-28
Submission from Spokes Canterbury
Reference: https://letstalk.ccc.govt.nz/waihoro-spreydon-cashmere-heathcote-community-board-plan-2026-28
March 2026
Tēnā koutou katoa
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Waihoro Spreydon-Cashmere-Heathcote Community Board Plan 2026-28
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.
Vision Statement
Spokes would like to see accessible or inclusive added to the vision statement.
Priorities
Ki uta ki tai – From the hills to the sea
Spokes supports the environmental work of the council and community organisations.
Response to intensification
Spokes supports intensification, particularly where it is associated with good public transport, walking, and cycling infrastructure. We are now seeing many streets blocked with stored cars belonging to residents who have nowhere else to park. This is making some streets less safe to cycle on. We support the “Living Streets” model and suggest experimenting with removing vehicle through traffic from some streets by installing modal filters. There are many examples in Europe and the UK of successful designs.
Transport choices
- Advocate for the Selwyn Street Masterplan to be delivered. Spokes supports the Selwyn Street masterplan.
- Advocate for improved bus infrastructure such as priority lanes and improved shelters. Spokes supports improvements in public transport. Consider providing and advocating for secure bicycle storage or cycle stands for park and ride at strategic bus stops.
- Continue to link cycleways in the transport network
a. Create a cycle connection along Edinburgh Street and install safe crossings at Lyttelton Street. Spokes supports this.
b. Create a cycle connection linking Westmorland to the Nor-West Arc Major Cycleway. This is a priority for Spokes. One idea is to create an alternative shared pedestrian / cycle bridge at Cashmere Bridge into Ashgrove Terrace if the current bridge cannot be widened/clip-on lanes be added.
c. Provide a direct crossing point for cyclists at the Milton Street to Simeon Street cycleway. There are new traffic lights now in place but no indication for cyclists on how to get to them when travelling north up Simeon Street. Also this crossing has become so popular with pedestrians that the space on the south side has become congested.
- Increase and improve cycle parking and end-of-trip facilities, particularly at sporting grounds, outside businesses and at the bottom of the hills. Safe cycle parking is now one of the biggest barriers to increasing cycling. Cyclists with expensive e-bikes want to know there is bike parking that will fit their bikes. Children should be able to bike to sport without leaving their bikes on the ground for others to trip over or risk them being stolen.
- Improve overall safety of transport on the hills through smart design choices and improvements and advocate for restoring bus connectivity in these areas. Spokes supports this.
- Seek safety improvements to the roundabout at St Martins Road/Wilsons Road, Particularly for pedestrians and cyclists.
- Implement traffic solutions to promote adherence to the speed limit in 30km/h speed areas. Sections where pedestrian bridges cross the river and intersect with Eastern Terrace have been mentioned as a particular problem for children travelling to school.
- Support school safety with crossing points, sight lines, and pedestrian access changes. In particular outside of West Spreydon School and Cashmere High School. Spokes strongly supports improving safety around schools to increase the uptake of active transport, including cycling. We would like to see school drop-off zones moved further away from school entrances and crossing points. We would also like to see a safety review of Rose Street. A number of Rose Street issues have come up in our public consultations on cycling this year and there is a strong desire to see something done before someone is seriously hurt.
Parks and recreational amenities
Spokes supports the upgrade of paths through parks remembering that these have a dual role of providing safe shared routes for getting to school and around neighbourhoods by active transport. When paths are renewed they should be widened where needed and provide an easy transition onto the road at the end. Spokes also supports toilets being made available and would like suitable bike parking in more places, including outside toilets.
Many entrances into our parks are too narrow for cargo bikes and bike trailers, which often transport young children, for disability devices such as trikes, wheelchairs, and mobility scooters, and for push chairs. The width and angle of the entrances should be made more accessible for everyone.
We would like to see a safer connection between Victors Road and Hoon Hay Park. Please create a new entrance way in the middle onto the road with better sight lines and away from driveways.
Activation of Ōmōkihi and surrounds
We support the Hunter Terrace pump track. Spokes would also like to see increased appropriate bike parking at Ōmōkihi and the market. We support Ōmōkihi Shared Pathway.
Community resilience
The Community Board should promote cycling as a form of resilience that is not reliant on fossil fuels or subject to price shocks from international actions that we have no control over. In times when the road network is compromised, cycling provides a more flexible way of getting around damaged neighbourhoods.
Spokes Cycling Priorities in Waihoro
These priorities have come from Spokes members and from a number of public consultations in 2025 and 2026. It is pleasing to see that a number of these align with the Community Board priorities.
These are our top 11 of 30 requests for Waihoro in priority order:
- Connect the Rapanui Shag Rock cycleway with the Heathcote Express. Bridle Path Road is narrow and the traffic is going too fast. The preferred solution is a shared path where Bridle Path Road is narrowest.
- https://maps.app.goo.gl/ED4FUCwU9PikryG28
- 133 Eastern Terrace / Malcolm Ave / pedestrian bridge intersection needs safety work. Traffic going too fast on Eastern Terrace and not looking for children crossing to school – Cashmere High and Beckenham School. Spokes suggests a raised intersection to slow traffic or create a shared zone.
- 133 Eastern Terrace https://maps.app.goo.gl/EcXW19mSBzuGLcST9
- Malcolm Ave https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZQduVHGLeUrWXoom7
- Ashgrove Terrace – add visual indication that people are crossing at the pedestrian bridge, raise the intersection and/or create a shared zone.
- Rose Street needs traffic calming for safe routes to school. The lack of road edge reduces space for cyclists. Rat runners are increasingly using Rose Street / Palmside Street along the Nor’west Arc route to get to Cashmere Road rather than use the Hoon Hay intersection. This is becoming a safety problem, particularly on Rose Street.
- There is a good route from Wilsons Road to Wilsons Rd North to the paths around past Lancaster Park. Crossing Brougham St is no problem due to far off light phases. But from Shakespeare Rd to the bike lanes at Lancaster Park is treacherous. Otherwise this is a good route for linking the South and the East. The Shakespeare Rd / Wilsons Road intersection is dangerous due to poor sight lines.
- Connection to Westmorland. Create an alternative shared pedestrian / cycle bridge at Cashmere Bridge into Ashgrove Terrace.
- The Nor’ West Arc at Rose St has a really harsh transition at the Northern entrance from the park on to Rose street. This is a safety issue because of the speed of cars turning out of Hoon Hay Road if a cyclist falls off their bike.
- Smartlea St bridge too narrow / tight bend – not good for cargo bikes, trikes or less confident riders. As part of the MCR this should be a better standard accessible for all, including wheelchairs and mobility scooters.
- Lincoln Road just past Wrights Road/Lyttelton St intersection heading towards Halswell narrows into one lane with no space for cyclists. The new bus lanes do not seem to solve the problem according to the diagrams.
- Wilsons Road / St Martins Road roundabout has safety issues for cyclists and pedestrians – needs upgrade.
- Centaurus Road opposite the little pathway (Farnley Reserve) to Corsons Ave behind shops, to get into Palatine Terrace could be improved. There is no cutdown to get into the path / road. This is a good route to get to Beckenham School.
- The connection between Victors Road and Hoon Hay Park is dangerous. Join the two paths in the park and create a new entrance way in the middle onto the road away from driveways.
Spokes is happy to provide additional information on these priorities on request.
There are also some general things that can significantly improve cycling in the Waihoro area.
- Speed reductions make neighbourhoods safer for all road users. Spokes would like to see more roads reduced from 50km/h to 40km/h and 60km/h to 50km/h.
- Pedestrian / cyclist refuge crossings make it easier to get across busy roads.
- Bike parking at popular destinations and events that suit a wide range of bikes such as cargo and cargo trikes with space for loading and unloading children.
- Provision of cut downs into and out of paths in parks and alleyways – suitable for cargo bikes and mobility devices.
- Progressively remove staples and bollards at alleyway entrances that are too narrow for cycles, push chairs and mobility devices to navigate. Put reflective tape on bollards that remain and paint diamonds on pavement where appropriate. Where bollards remain, offset them back from the entrance slightly
- More cycle signage and way-finding. This was the top request at the UCSA Orientation Day from new students. Adding ‘except cycles and pedestrians’ signs to no exit streets with alleyways helps for navigation
- Reinstating cycle infrastructure when road works are completed, e.g. green paint.
- Improved lighting for cycling and walking through parks and alleyways.
- Greater enforcement for vehicles parked / driving in cycleways and cycle lanes, or dangerously parking at school entrances. Automated 24/7 enforcement at hot spots.
- Ensuring that cyclists trigger the lights at intersections without waiting for a car or pressing the pedestrian button. E.g. If there is a cycle lane at the intersection, make sure the cycle lane has underground loops to trigger the signals, and diamonds on the road surface so cyclists know where to ride.
- Spokes would like to see bike parking provided at all playgrounds.
- Flexi-posts should be installed on left-hand bends where drivers cut the corner and drive in the cycle lane or shoulder, where possible. These have been very effective along Kotare Street.
I would like the opportunity to present to the Community Board on this submission and I am happy to discuss or clarify any issues that arise.
Ngā mihi nui
Submissions Co-ordinator
Spokes Canterbury
Image above and below facing north towards Milton Street. There is no easy way for cycles heading north to use the new traffic lights and instead cross at the pedestrian crossing and ride the footpath on the North side of Milton street to get back on to Simeon street. 
Image above shows traffic light pole in foreground and no easy way for cycles to bike on to Simeon street (south section) to the Quarrymans trail on Roker street.
Below shows how on the North side there is a good connection to the traffic lights for cycles heading south. Cyclist in photo currently using the curb cut/ramp. 
