OPINION: Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger has personally funded independent advice on the Park Terrace cycleway.

You know the one. The five year trial one that nobody asked for.

It raises the obvious question. Is the Mayor doing the job Council staff should have done from the beginning? Seeking practical and balanced options that reflect the needs of the wider community? Quite possibly.

There is a growing view across Christchurch that the City Council Transport division is no longer guided by common sense or evidence, but by ideology.

Many decisions appear focused on reducing car use regardless of road function, context, or whether suitable infrastructure already exists. And while council’s attempt is noble, they have to take the public with them.

The Park Terrace debacle is minor overall, but it reflects a broader problem of growing control and overreach within the council.

Park Terrace already has two shared pathways on either side of the river. Yet Council approved a “temporary” cycleway directly along the road. Five years temporary.

What exactly was the problem they were trying to solve?

Further down on Rolleston Ave makes perfect sense. There’s plenty of cyclists.

When questioned about Park Tce, some advocates shifted their reasoning from capacity to safety. When that was challenged, they changed the justification to climate change. If one argument falls flat, another one is rolled out. It has become predictable.

The Hagley Avenue situation is another example. Hospital staff have long struggled to find affordable parking near their workplace.

Mayor Phil Mauger and Councillor Aaron Keown backed a small fix, by converting one lane for night time staff parking.

But Council staff never told the hospital. No signage. No communication. A good idea completely undermined.

Then came the decision to install a bus stop in the middle of a traffic lane on Park Terrace. It was baffling.

From a safety and usability point of view, it made no sense. Only after a strong public reaction was it moved to a better location and out of the way of those naughty cars.

These are not isolated mistakes. Residents are not anti cycling or opposed to public transport improvements.

Some of the infrastructure already built is excellent. The shared path along Redcliffs and Sumner is fantastic! Note to council staff – it’s a shared path. No five year trial needed.

But residents expect transparency and proper consultation.

In March, as first reported by chrislynchmedia.com, Councillor Andrei Moore discovered that significant road changes in his Halswell ward were made without any approval from elected members. Staff had to scramble to get retrospective sign off.

Last September, a Council staff member publicly advocated for housing intensification at a Council funded meeting.

This happened despite earlier warnings from the Chief Executive that staff or councillors should avoid expressing personal views in public discussions about the issue.

Local resident and lawyer Storm McVey raised similar concerns in 2023. She said Council staff were ignoring residents.

Her comments shocked some councillors. If looks could kill.  Not because she was wrong, but because they were not used to being challenged by a working professional, who could articulate real world dialogue.

Rather than engage, several councillors walked out of the meeting while she was speaking. That is not leadership. That is avoidance.

In 2020, Christchurch City Council staff were forced to abandon plans to remove car parks outside a well-known florist in St Albans following a wave of public outrage.

Staff hadn’t bothered to tell the business owner its plan. 

Reportedly, mayoral candidate Sara Templeton said there were more important issues facing the city, than the latest news on Park Terrace.

She is absolutely right. Christchurch is grappling with serious problems in housing, infrastructure and financial accountability.

Arguing over a redundant cycleway in a corridor already well served by shared pathways is a waste of time and public energy.

I do not know why the Mayor bothered. Perhaps he is trying to make a point to Council staff. If so, he should be cautious. Council staff often wield more influence than the people elected to oversee them.

Mauger’s decision to seek outside advice may be exactly what is needed. A reset. A fresh view. One that is not shaped by internal agendas or predetermined outcomes.

There is nothing wrong with encouraging cycling or easing congestion.

But public infrastructure must reflect reality. Not ideology.