The footpath on Sutherlands Road ends abruptly. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
Christchurch City Council has pledged to investigate improvements to a potentially dangerous section of road in Halswell as part of a vote on a $20 million footpath plan.
The council programme included 19 priority areas for new footpaths around the city over the next three years but the omission of any for the rapidly expanding suburb raised the ire of community leaders and Halswell ward councillor Andrei Moore.
He said infrastructure including essential footpath links had not kept up with massive growth in the area, with about 5000 homes built in the past decade and thousands more planned over the next four years.
At a council meeting on Wednesday, Cashmere Road resident Tony Chaston implored the council to build a foothpath between the Sutherlands Road intersection and the Halswell Quarry car park.
The footpath on Awatea Road in Halswell. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
He said the narrow 60 kilometre per hour road was frequented by pedestrians and runners.
"At present the danger has been heightened by a slip with a temporary council fix done approximately three months ago that forces walkers out onto the road to pass. At this point the road is only six metres in width," he said.
"In my opinion the council needs to fix this problem immediately as this is a dangerous spot and it's an accident waiting to happen."
Waipuna Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton Community Board chairperson Marie Pollisco also questioned how much weight was given to board feedback as part of the programme.
"The board's disappointment is more about the timing for [scoping and planning works for] Cashmere Road and Main South Road considering the board had been advocating for this in the past three years," she said.
Sutherlands Road in Christchurch. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
Cashmere Road was ranked 35th in the council's original plan and earmarked for footpath upgrades after 2028.
Councillors later voted for an alternative programme that gave greater weight to areas that had no footpaths on either side of the road, but the complexity and expected high cost of building a Cashmere Road footpath meant council staff would need to look closer at options for the area.
The council agreed to investigate building a footpath along the road in more detail and report back before the 2027-2037 Long-Term Plan.
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