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Moorhouse Avenue pedestrian safety improvements

Submission from Spokes Canterbury

Reference: https://letstalk.ccc.govt.nz/safetyonmoorhouse

Tēnā koutou katoa

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Moorhouse Avenue pedestrian safety improvements.

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.

Proposal Overview

Spokes is glad to see long standing issues of pedestrian safety and priority at these busy intersections being addressed in this consultation. However we would also like to see crossings provided for cyclists who are less confident getting across busy roads. This includes students from the Catholic Cathedral College and families going by bike to the Washington Way Skate Park.

Overall, Spokes strongly supports this proposal. Spokes has some ideas to make the proposal better, which are listed below.

The Love to Ride Rider Comfort and Safety Map (below) shows concerns in this area, with red showing the most urgent need for improvement for biking and orange also uncomfortable. The new shared path on the east side of Madras St addresses some of these issues and will tie in nicely with the changes to the Moorehouse intersection. The Barbadoes intersection will help cyclists coming to and from Waltham.

Moorhouse / Madras / Gasson Intersection Comments and Recommendations

1. Can the proposed pedestrian crossing on the east side of Moorhouse ave/Madras St please be a combined Pedestrian and Cycle crossing providing a critical link to Gasson street, which is currently not served unless you dismount and use the Moorhouse Ave crossing on the west side and then cross again on the south side. The crossing should have cycle lights as well as pedestrian lights. This links up nicely with the proposed shared path on the east side of Madras Street along the Ara frontage.
2. The signalised crossing should be wide enough for cargo bikes and mobility devices to easily enter, manoeuvre through and exit the staggered island. (See the Simeon St / Brougham Street crossing, which has barely enough space to manoeuvre.)
3. Given the amount of traffic, the signalised crossing should have a red surface and be raised. Please ensure the light sequence is long enough for everyone to get across safely.
4. Spokes supports the proposed speed humps to slow vehicles down and the priority zebra crossings where pedestrians and cyclists are crossing on both the east and west side of Gasson Street.
5. Spokes strongly supports the removal of the slip lane on the north west corner and the provision of extra waiting space to cross for pedestrians and cyclists.
6. Spokes supports the cycle markings and green surface treatment at the intersection, including the hook turn boxes.
7. Please provide a cut down for cyclists on the north east corner to get to the new shared cycle/pedestrian path and into Ara. Please make sure this cut down has a smooth transition.
8. The shared path on the Ara side of Madras St should continue around the corner to the proposed shared pedestrian/cyclist crossing on Moorhouse Ave.
9. What thoughts has the council given to how this intersection will function during events at Te Kaha stadium? After events, many people will want to cycle home, walk to cars, walk home or to the McDonalds. We suggest pre-programming in a ‘barnes dance’ style crossing phase for use during large events to accommodate the large numbers of pedestrians and cycles. This could also help save on traffic management costs.

Moorhouse / Barbadoes / Waltham Comments & Recommendations

1. Please provide an advanced stop box in the left turn lane on Barbadoes Street.
2. Please provide a hook turn box for cycles coming east down Moorhouse Ave and wanting to turn right on to Waltham Rd.
3. Please ensure there are underground or camera detectors on Barbadoes St at this intersection. Cyclists riding down Barbadoes Street currently do not trigger the lights. Late at night you cannot cross Moorhouse Ave and have to wait for a vehicle to come along to trigger the lights. Late at night would be classified as 11:30 pm or later.
4. Can the pedestrian crossing on the west side crossing Moorhouse Ave please be a combined pedestrian and cycle crossing as many cyclists already use this to get to Ara or connect to the Heathcote Expressway on Ferry Road. This should also have a cycle detector and beg button on both sides of the crossing.
   1. Work with Ara to allow pedestrian and cycle traffic to connect directly into the Ara campus car park for students and cyclists on the corner of Barbadoes Street. This would remove most cyclists from the footpath. Alternatively, Barbados St could have a shared path widened by marginally narrowing every driving lane by a small amount to gain some extra space for a counter flow (to car traffic) cycle way separate from pedestrians on the road. This could be done in a similar fashion to the temporary cycleway down Rolleston Ave.
   2. There should be an advanced trigger for cycles coming down Waltham road for those wanting to cross Moorhouse Ave, if it can distinguish them from cyclists turning left.
5. Can the proposed pedestrian crossing on the east side of Moorhouse Ave / Barbadoes St / Waltham Road please be a combined Pedestrian and Cycle crossing providing a critical link to Waltham Road (a popular cycle route). The crossing should have cycle lights as well as pedestrian lights.
6. The signalised crossing should be wide enough for cargo bikes and mobility devices to easily enter, manoeuvre through and exit the staggered island. (See the Simeon St / Brougham Street crossing, which has barely enough space to manoeuvre.)
7. Given the amount of traffic, the signalised crossing should have a red surface and be raised. Please ensure the light sequence is long enough for everyone to get across safely.
8. Spokes supports the speed hump and pedestrian priority zebra crossing in the south east corner of the intersection.
9. Spokes supports repainting the cycle infrastructure.
10. What thoughts has the council given to how this intersection will function during events at Te Kaha stadium? After events, many people will want to cycle home, walk to cars, or walk home. We suggest preprogramming in a ‘barnes dance’ style crossing phase for use during large events to accommodate the large numbers of pedestrians and cycles exiting the area. This could also help save on traffic management costs.

Other issues:

1. On the south side of Waltham bridge, south-bound traffic side there is a really bumpy and dangerous transition from the bridge to the on-road cycle lane which needs to be fixed.
2. From the Love to Ride data: the section of Waltham Road between Brougham Street and Moorhouse Ave needs to be made safer for cyclists.

I am happy to discuss or clarify any issues that arise.

I would like to speak to our submission if there is a hearing for it.

Ngā mihi nui,

Submissions Co-ordinator

Spokes Canterbury

submissions@spokes.org.nz

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Gasson St/Madras St/Moorhouse Ave