Christchurch residents have successfully stopped a city council plan that would have removed more than 170 on-street car parks to make way for cycle lanes on Glandovey and Idris roads.

The original scheme, developed by council staff in response to safety concerns raised by the Glandovey and Idris Safety Association (GISA), proposed cycle lanes on both sides of each road and five pedestrian refuge islands.

To accommodate the changes, the plan required the removal of 116 parking spaces on Glandovey Road and 62 on Idris Road, leaving just 34 and 42 spaces remaining respectively.

Council staff justified the removals based on a 2022 parking occupancy survey showing usage rates of just 18 to 25 percent for 150 spaces on Glandovey Road, and 9 to 11 percent of 104 spaces on Idris Road.

However, the same report also cited low pedestrian and cyclist numbers along both roads.

Public feedback was mixed: 49 submitters opposed the parking removals, only 25 supported the introduction of cycle lanes, and another 25 opposed the use of speed cushions.

Fendalton Community Board Member David Cartwright told chrislynchmedia.com, “Local residents know their communities best. I am pleased we could stop this excessive removal of carparks. Communities need to feel and see action that Council is listening and we have achieved that here.”

At a meeting in August 2024, the Waimāero Fendalton-Waimairi-Harewood Community Board heard deputations from residents urging Council to prioritise landscaping and traffic calming through design, rather than removing parking. The Board halted the proposal and requested alternative options.

A revised plan reduced the number of pedestrian refuge islands but retained the cycle lanes, which still failed to gain public support.

Follow-up meetings with residents, developers, and stakeholders confirmed a strong preference for removing the cycle lanes altogether and using road narrowing and trees to reduce traffic speed and improve street amenity.

Council staff then carried out a landscaping assessment and shared a new design in early 2025. While the revised plan included additional trees and intersection changes, residents at a March meeting requested further improvements including more planting, changes to signage, and new refuge locations.

The updated plan will now be presented to the Community Board in a workshop ahead of a final decision.