Submission from Spokes Canterbury
Reference: Safer Streets for Halswell | Kōrero mai | Let’s talk
Tēnā koutou katoa
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on Safer Streets for Halswell
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 agrees with the need to improve safety around the schools in Halswell. The proposal is very timely. Traffic in Halswell has continued to grow as more housing has been added to the area making it more difficult to safely cross a number of roads. Overall this is a very good suite of changes that will make a substantial improvement to safety for cyclists and pedestrians, including children getting to and from school.
Halswell School
The proposed safety treatments to make it safer and easier to cross streets surrounding Halswell School. Spokes supports:
Sabys Road:
- Adding a pedestrian island at two locations between Jadewynn Place and Country Palms Drive, where kids have been observed crossing the road.
- The realignment, kerb build-outs and refuge at the Sabys Road / Halswell Junction Road intersection.
- The green cycle lane markings on Halswell Junction Road at the intersection.
These safety treatments reduce the crossing distance, making it safer and easier for children to cross the road.
O’Halloran Drive (at Halswell Road intersection)
Spokes supports and recommends:
- Adding a pedestrian island to make it safer and easier for children to cross O’Halloran Drive as they walk along Halswell Road. This will also reduce the ability for motorists to make a U-turn at the intersection, which can cause safety risks to pedestrians and other road users.
- Would like to see green cycle lane markings on Halswell Road at the intersection, similar to the proposed treatment on Halswell Junction Road at the Sabys Road intersection.
- A stop sign at O’Halloran Road.
- Has the intersection been pushed too far out into Halswell Road so that vehicles may intrude on to the cycle lane?
School Road (at Larsens Road intersection)
Spokes supports and recommends:
- Adding a pedestrian island to make it safer and easier for children to cross School Road, especially when the intersection is busy at school times.
- There is an existing pedestrian island where Larsens Road meets Halswell Road, and another slightly north of Larsens Road on Halswell Road. These allow safer crossing by reducing crossing distance.
- Make the path on the east of Larsens Road from School Road to the Halswell Road crossing an official shared path.
Kennedys Bush Road / School Road / Provincial Road roundabout
Spokes supports and recommends:
- Adding speed humps on each approach to slow traffic entering the roundabout. This reduces the likelihood and severity of a crash and will make people feel safer using the roundabout, whether driving, biking or walking.
- The Provincial Road proposed speed hump that would span both lanes on the road.
Oaklands School
Spokes supports and recommends:
Dunbars Road / McMahon Drive / Hindess Street roundabout
- Adding a pedestrian island on McMahon Drive to make it safer and easier to cross the road.
- Installing speed humps on each approach to slow traffic entering the roundabout.This is a very busy intersection so slowing the traffic is important.
- Adding tactile pavers and handrails to all four pedestrian islands – three existing and one new.
- Bike signage on McMahon Drive to Ngā Puna Wai
Dunbars Road (west of Balkwell Street)
- Strongly supports installing a signal-controlled crossing to make it safer and easier to cross the road. This is a very difficult road to cross safely.
- Adding coloured road surfacing to highlight the crossing to motorists.
- Adding kerb buildouts on the south side in the parking lane.
- Adding a pedestrian waiting area on the north side.
- Adding the cycle lane green paint treatment.
Ensign Street
- Adding two pedestrian crossing points, using pedestrian buildouts, making it safer and easier to cross the road.
- Adding two speed humps to slow traffic at each crossing point.
- Adding the sharrows to Ensign Street and reducing the speed to 30km/h
Lillian Street (at Ensign Street / Wales Street intersection)
- Adding a pedestrian island.
Adding a no-stopping zone near the intersection to improve visibility.
Lillian Street (at Halswell Road intersection)
Does NOT support removing the existing no-stopping zone near the Halswell Road end of Lillian Street to provide increased parking. It is too close to the intersection and the two entrance ways would be more difficult to exit.
- The crossing on Halswell Road just south of Lillian St should be converted to a light controlled crossing for cyclists and pedestrians. Pedestrians and cyclists are finding it is very difficult to cross Halswell Road here, and teenage cyclists and scooters are taking too many risks as a result.
Knights Stream School
Spokes supports and recommends
Installing a signal controlled crossing to make it safer and easier for kids to cross the busy road. This should be a pedestrian and cyclist crossing. It can be very difficult to cross Halswell Junction Road due to the volume of traffic that is growing every year. This is positioned nicely with the Bill Harvey walkway.
Adding coloured road surfacing to highlight the crossing to motorists.
Extending coloured road surfacing to highlight the crossing to motorists.
Extending the length of the existing pedestrian island.
Adding pedestrian buildouts along the south side of the road to shorten the crossing distance.
Adding the road surface treatment for cycles, including positioning waiting cyclists ahead of motor vehicles.
Other
- These changes significantly improve safety for school children. They are also building up the bones of some good safe cycling routes that can be extended at a later time to connect Hornby, Ngā Puna Wai and the Little River Trail.
- There is a lack of cycle parking throughout this area.
I am happy to discuss or clarify any issues that arise and would like to present to the Waipuna Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton Community Board on this submission.
Submissions Co-ordinator
Spokes Canterbury
submissions@spokes.org.nz
