Selwyn Annual Plan 2026 / 2027

Submission from Spokes Canterbury

Reference: https://yoursay.selwyn.govt.nz/annual-plan-2026

April 2026

Tēnā koutou katoa

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Selwyn Draft Annual Plan 2026 / 2027.

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.

Overall

The focus on rate affordability in the Annual Plan is understandable but should not come at the expense of future generations. Selwyn is urbanising and growing rapidly. This requires ongoing investment to make every street safe for walking and cycling through good design, including safe speeds (40km/h in urban areas) and streets designed to encourage slower speeds using for example build-outs, plantings and indented parking.

Selwyn should be actively planning for increased housing density along public transport routes rather than continuing to sprawl further outwards. This makes it easier and cheaper to provide services to a growing population while preserving agriculture and biodiversity.

Capital Programme

There is little in the capital programme that provides safe walking and cycling opportunities in Selwyn despite a growing population and increased demand. This is a lost opportunity to support active transport, particularly given the current fuel crisis. Spokes would like to see an updated walking and cycling strategy which includes a multi-year plan for funding and delivering improvements in this area.

Now is the time to ensure that new subdivisions are interconnected, provide good connections to popular destinations, including schools; and provide alleyways and green spaces that encourage active transport and conveniently link with public transport.

E-bikes allow a wider range of people to commute to destinations without worrying about distance and wind. There is a growing use of cargo bikes, trikes, scooters and other micromobility devices that provide better accessibility. We know cyclists who bike from Rolleston to Lincoln University regularly for work, or who bike from Kirwee to Darfield to go to the gym and community classes (who would love a more direct safe route), or cyclists in Rolleston who simply want to use their cargo bike to safely take their younger children to school a few kilometers down the road and allow their older children to bike to the high school.

Selwyn has always been good at providing cheap, yet functional, separated walking and cycling shared paths. We hope this will be extended to more routes. Some of the gaps include Lincoln through to Tai Tapu (the last stretch between Perymans Rd bridge and Tai Tapu, plus more signage), West Melton to Kirwee and Darfield, Prebbleton to Halswell, Prebbleton to Templeton, Lincoln to Doyleston, and a more direct route between Rolleston and Prebbleton.

Public transport and Park and Ride facilities

Selwyn residents often need to travel significant distances to work and school. The current fuel crisis has increased costs for everyone and it is increasingly likely that these higher costs will be a long term issue. Park and Ride facilities are one of the few ways to reduce these costs, particularly when appropriate cycle parking is also provided. If more people use public transport there will be less congestion and less need to provide roading upgrades. Spokes suggest Selwyn funded at least one of the planned Park and Rides despite the lack of government co-funding. A Bike and Ride option at Lincoln would be a cheap alternative. We are already seeing people locking or leaving their bikes in inappropriate places at bus stops along various routes through Selwyn.

We would like to see Selwyn District Council continue to work with ECan, NZTA, the government, the Canterbury Mayoral Forum and the Regional Transport Committee to improve the coverage, reliability, and frequency of public transport in Selwyn. We know that around 18% of residents are unable to drive for various reasons including age, health, and affordability. This can have a significant impact on wellbeing. Selwyn is one of the fastest growing regions in New Zealand so is ripe for investment.

SH1 Dunns Crossing cycle underpass pathways

Spokes is pleased to see this project continue. We hope this includes safety works at West Rolleston Primary School. It is unclear why the 2026/2027 funding has been halved.

Lincoln Town Centre Upgrade

Spokes supports this project including the upgrade of Gerald Street linking the town centre with Lincoln University.

Meijer Drive extension

This project will benefit cycling in Selwyn.

School Safety Upgrades

The funding for this high priority has been cut in half. Please restore the full funding.

Prebbleton to City Cycle Link

Please restore the funding for the Prebbleton to City Cycle Link. The current fuel crisis is increasing the number of people cycling and this is an important link.

Operational Programme

Small projects funded through the operational budget can make a big difference.

Speed reductions have the most impact on safety and are cheap to implement. Many areas in Selwyn are becoming urban rather than semi-rural yet the speeds have not been updated to match the new housing density and changes of use in these neigbourhoods. We suggest 40km/h around schools and other high use areas, outside of the current 30km/h zones. Residential streets in Prebbleton, Rolleston, Lincoln and other areas should be made 40km/h. Other areas should be reduced to 50km/h or 80km/h where appropriate.
Pedestrian/cyclist refuges to get across busy or high speed roads is essential.
Bike parking is one of the biggest barriers to cycling. Appropriate staple parking should be provided at popular destinations such as libraries, sports fields, cafes and shops.
Signage and way-finding helps cyclists to find safe ways to destinations. An updated cycling map for Selwyn would be very helpful. It is easy to get lost on the Rolleston to Lincoln route for instance. The last walking and cycling map is dated 2018 and does not seem to have been updated since. Searching for some cycle routes leads to out-dated maps on the NZTA website created for the original funding application. Once you get to Rolleston from some of the existing paths there is no signage to get to the centre of town by the safest route. It is easy to get lost going through Templeton and places on Jones Road.
Timely removal of glass and debris from the road and shared paths makes cycling more enjoyable.
Removing staples in alleyways and putting reflective tape on bollards
Cut-downs to get between the road and park paths allows cyclists to use safe shared routes.
Providing good quality wide footpaths is a great start for pedestrians and less confident cyclists.

I would like the opportunity to present to the Council on this submission and I am happy to discuss or clarify any issues that arise.

Ngā mihi nui

Submissions Co-ordinator

Spokes Canterbury

submissions@spokes.org.nz