Breezes Road cycleway scrapped following backlash from residents

Photo: Google maps

Christchurch City Council transport staff have been forced to back down on cylceway plans for Aranui, following a wave of opposition.

Staff wanted to eliminate 90 car parks along Breezes Road and replace them with cycleways, between Pages and Wainoni Roads.

Breezes Road resident Nigel McDougall surveyed residents on his street and most were against the plan.

“There were a lot of pissed off people in my street. A lot of people wanted it stopped and but didn’t know who to talk to.”

McDougall said 60 people were against the plans with just three people for it.

Chris Lynch Media understands council staff did “consultation” with children at nearby schools, but didn’t canvas reaction from adults living on the affected street.

Adding to the chorus of disapproval, Councillor Kelly Barber of Burwood Ward embarked on a door-to-door campaign, spending an hour and a half listening to the concerns of residents.

His findings were stark: nearly all were against losing their on-street parking, a sentiment that underscores the deep-rooted connection between the community and their living space.

The situation was further complicated by the unique layout of Breezes Road, characterised by multiple dwellings with limited parking options and strict rules about vehicle access.

This arrangement left visitors with no alternative but to park on the street, making the proposed removal of parking spaces a critical issue for residents.

Barber relayed these findings to his colleague on the Community board and as a result the Chair of the board recommended they strike out the section from Breezes Road that would put in the cycleway and take all the parking for the residents. The board unanimously agreed.

“The community board came to a sensible solution based on the clear feedback we received from the residents of Breezes Road.

“While it’s always nice to get an offer of 90% funding from Waka Kotahi for these sorts of projects, sometimes their designs are not acceptable to local residents and propagate a feeling that this is being done to them not with them.”

Transport Planning and Delivery Manager Jacob Bradbury confirmed the Breezes Road portion of the project was declined by the Waitai Coastal-Burwood-Linwood Community Board on 6 November.

“Currently, the project team is focused on programming construction activities for the approaches to the Breezes Road intersection which does not impact car parks.”