Submission from Spokes Canterbury
Reference: Petrie Street renewal | Kōrero mai | Let’s talk
Date 23 Nov 2025
Tēnā koutou katoa
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Petrie Street Renewal initial consultation
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.
Response
Spokes supports:
- Replacing the deep dish gutters
- Resurfacing the road and footpath
- Upgrading the street lights
- Narrowing the width of the road to maintain a consistent width along all of Petrie Street. Petrie Street is quiet and pleasant. The current treatment along Petrie Street is sufficient for cyclists (unless it is a corridor – see below)
We would like to see:
- A street redesign that makes the road more of a shared space, slow speeds, trees, indented car parks and a more human centred street, rather than cycle lanes.
- Improve the cycle connection into Petrie Park. As usual the power pole is in the worst possible place and the entrance in the old stone fence is narrow (at the other end on Stapletons Road the exit has a chain across most of the entrance, which narrows the exit too much for cyclists, mobility scooters and pushchairs). Ideally you would remove the angle parking as it is safer. What is the utilisation? If not you could remove or shorten the south most carpark and put an entrance between the pole and the carpark.
- Consider a shared path in front of the angled parking at Petrie Park for less confident cyclists.
- Retain the speed humps near Petrie Park.
- Speed limit reminder signs are needed (everywhere) as few vehicles are travelling at 30km/h
- This is an opportunity to create a defined north / south corridor for cyclists using either Stapletons Road (or Petrie Street) through quiet streets as an alternative to Hills Road or North Parade. Petrie is busier. Stapletons is quieter but has a lot of cars parking on the street. This needs further discussion to determine the best route. It potentially connects the City to Sea path through to Prestons.
- Narrowing the street slows speeds but be careful not to force cyclists into the same space as the vehicles as this is stressful for less confident cyclists. There is a happy medium. Alternatively provide an option on the inside of the build out for cyclists (like Worcester St)
- Use sharrows where the road is narrow.
- Provide cycle lanes only if this is the north / south corridor
- Footpaths should be located next to property boundaries, instead of adjacent to the road, where they get blocked by wheelie bins. New footpaths should be 1.5m wide to accommodate wheelchairs, mobility scooters, and posties.
- Increased tree planting and rain gardens in the road space, where there would otherwise be on-street parking, which has the feeling of narrowing the space, slowing travelling speeds and assisting with rain and heat
I am happy to discuss or clarify any issues that arise.
Submissions Co-ordinator
Spokes Canterbury
submissions@spokes.org.nz
