Nor'West News: August 01, 2017

NOR’WEST NEWS Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Tuesday August 1 2017 5
News
Motorway plan fight continues
Community board
opposes extra
lane across
Waimakariri River
• By Julia Evans
THE FIGHT against a third
Northern Motorway lane
continues for the Papanui-Innes
Community Board.
The board fears traffic
build-up in St
Albans, and the
surrounding
areas, particularly
Cranford
St, if a third
southbound lane
Ali Jones
on the Northern
Motorway gets
the green light.
In a submission to Environment
Canterbury opposing the
additional lane, the board said
there had not been enough investigation
done into mitigating
the traffic effects.
“The board still believes the
downstream effects need looking
into before anyone can celebrate
the easing of congestion,
or the assumption that congestion
will ease,” chairwoman Ali
Jones said.
LAwyERS
PROPOSAL: The Papanui-Innes Community Board fears
downstream congestion if the third lane is approved.
The proposal is an additional
high occupancy vehicle lane
that will run into the city across
the Waimakariri River bridge in
a bid to ease building commuter
congestion.
If done in conjunction with
work on the Northern Corridor,
it will set taxpayers back around
$20 million.
But if not, it could cost up to
$34 million.
And without proper
investigation into the
downstream effects, the
board will remain staunchly
opposed.
“The board opposes the
construction of a third lane on
the bridge until such a time as
the downstream effects of the
proposed lane have been fully
investigated, consulted on with
the community and mitigation
measure put in place,” the submission
said.
But that is not all the board is
concerned about.
It is also concerned the
third lane will be underutilised
and too difficult to enforce that
only high occupancy vehicles
use it.
Although it did acknowledge
the effort undertaken to address
the congestion on the motorway.
The board thinks the money
would be better spent on running
a light rail trial from North
Canterbury.
“It’s a lost opportunity,” Ms
Jones said.
Board member and city councillor
Mike Davidson abstained
from the submission due to a
conflict of interest, as he sits on
the hearings panel.
But the rest of the board,
which included Ms Jones, deputy
chairwoman Emma Norrish
and members John Stringer,
Jo Byrne and city councillor
Pauline Cotter all supported the
submission.
ECan opened the proposal for
public feedback until July 13.
It received about 180
submissions, which are finalised
and summary report of the
submissions is being written.
Public hearings are scheduled
to be held on August 7 and 14 at
ECan’s council chamber.
•HAVE YOUR SAY: Do you
think a third lane is a good
idea? Or will it just cause
more traffic chaos? Email
your views to julia.evans@
starmedia.kiwi.
People power
wins over
liquor store bid
•From page 1
“Our opposition will be ready
and waiting,” Mr Fussell said.
He and fellow Trafford St resident
Bruce Tulloch championed
a petition against the application
that was signed by 1144 people.
And the city council received 86
further public objections before
the hearing on July 13 and 14.
Mr Tulloch said there are more
than enough options for buying
liquor in the area so there was no
logic behind granting yet another
licence.
He thanked everyone who had
contributed to the campaign.
Mr Fussell said while this battle
was won, the war is not over.
“The battle has been won but we
need to address the greater issue
in other neighbourhoods who
are facing the same problem,” Mr
Fussell said.
In its report, the licensing committee
said granting the application
would be detrimental to the
neighbourhood.
“We have formed the opinion
that amenity and good order
would be reduced by more than
a minor amount. The foreseen
reduction may not be great but it
is likely to impact on the people
who live in the vicinity,” the
report said.
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