Christchurch City Council’s draft transport strategy has been met with support and criticism.
The Draft Ōtautahi Christchurch Future Transport Strategy 2024–54 aims to reshape how people move around the city, including a push to reduce transport-related emissions by 50% by 2030, and make Christchurch’s roads more resilient to natural hazards like flooding and earthquakes.
Under the plan, the council is seeking a major shift in how residents travel, with a target of reducing car use and increasing trips made by walking, cycling, and public transport.
During public submissions, Christchurch property developer Richard Peebles questioned why the council was spending millions on a new transport plan “16 years earlier” than scheduled.
“For some reason, the council seems to have capacity to do a new plan 16 years early, without even articulating why we’ve done a new plan,” Peebles said.
“I’ve asked numerous times who’s leading this. Is it the CEO? The mayor? Who’s behind it? Where’s it come from? Why are we doing this? It’s a fundamental question. We’ve already got a plan, and the old one is apparently delivering vibrancy and accessibility. So why are we wasting millions on a new one?”
Peebles claimed the draft plan is part of a wider agenda by council transport staff to force anti-car policies into the city without proper oversight.
“They talk about reducing cars in the city by 25% over four years. How are they going to do that? By removing parking, increasing charges, bringing in congestion charges, and even charging for parking on private property. The same planners are creating congestion on purpose and then wanting to charge us for it,” Peebles said.
“If council truly believes this is the best thing for the city, put it to an election. Tell people you want fewer car parks, higher charges, and restricted access to the city, and let the public decide.”
However, others welcomed the draft plan, including Greater Ōtautahi chairperson M Grace-Stent, who said the strategy was “generally a really good plan that should be adopted.”
“It’s really heading in the right direction. It just needs to be pushed further in some key ways,” Grace-Stent said.
“We need to make sure we’re getting it right in areas where development will continue to happen, not just for the people who live there now, but for future generations. Instead of reacting later and retrofitting public transport into car-focused areas, we should be planning ahead.”
Grace-Stent said better planning could enable the city to provide safe and reliable transport options like cycleways, wider footpaths, bus infrastructure, and green spaces before urban sprawl pushes growth to the outskirts.
“We know where infill development is going to happen, and we can use funds to build transport infrastructure that supports this, rather than just spreading people further out into areas that don’t support good outcomes,” he said.
Christchurch Airport also raised key points in its submission, calling for stronger recognition of the airport’s role in the city’s transport network.
“The airport is an integral part of Christchurch’s transport network, and it’s vital that transport decisions reflect its importance in connecting passengers, employees and freight to the wider city and region,” said Jesse Aimer, the airport’s Senior Environment and Planning Advisor.
“We’re growing. Nearly 7 million passengers pass through the airport each year, and that’s expected to increase to nearly 12 million by 2040.
“On any given day, up to 30,000 people visit our campus. This growth requires careful consideration in transport planning to ensure the infrastructure is in place to support that demand.”
