Christchurch City Councillors have joined forces with Mayor Phil Mauger to express their collective frustration over the recent alterations to Park Terrace.

Two Notices of Motion have been lodged for debate and voting at this week’s council meeting on Wednesday.

The first Notice of Motion, spearheaded by Councillors James Gough and Aaron Keown, aims to reinstate Park Terrace to its original layout.

These changes, which have triggered a wave of controversy, were implemented by council staff under Temporary Traffic Management delegations, without any prior consultation or approval from councillors.

Some left leaning councillors said the new cycleway was up for consultation, and claimed the shared pathway was “unsafe” for cycles, despite the Sumner cycleway being a shared pathway.

Councillor Gough expressed his dismay, stating, “reducing this vital thoroughfare to a single lane and replacing it with bollards and a cycleway is one thing, but erecting a bus stop in the middle of the street is simply the icing on the nutty cake.”

Gough believes these alterations have exacerbated congestion in alternative northbound traffic routes and compromised safety at the Park Terrace and Kilmore Street intersection.

Gough further emphasised that alternative options should have been explored beforehand, such as widening the shared path along Park Terrace to accommodate cyclists or establishing a dedicated cycle path in Hagley Park.

He criticised the decision-making process, remarking, “seeking retrospective views from the community and retrospective approval from the council demonstrates how backward this all is.”

The second Notice of Motion, initiated by Councillors Sam MacDonald and Victoria Henstock, aims to review the Temporary Traffic Management delegations granted to the council’s transport unit.

Councillor MacDonald said that it was high time to evaluate and potentially eliminate some of these delegations.

He argued that fundamental changes to roads should be subject to deliberation at the elected council level, emphasising that the notion of one-laning a road for an extended period under temporary traffic management delegations is incongruent with local democracy.

MacDonald firmly believes that such decisions should be made in the council chambers, with due consideration of public input, rather than being passed off under the guise of temporary traffic management.

MacDonald lamented the abundance of misinformation surrounding the issue, stating, “there has been quite a lot of debate over this issue—most of it, disappointingly, is misinformation. I do hope our colleagues will support democracy and allow for these decisions to actually be made by the elected council, after hearing from the public—not under the guise of temporary traffic management.”

The impending council meeting promises to be a battleground where councillors will rally to reclaim their authority and ensure that such significant changes to key roadways undergo rigorous scrutiny and community engagement.

The public is being encouraged to submit their views via the Christchurch City Council website