Results from contentious cycleway survey revealed

Results from a public survey on the future of a controversial cycleway in Christchurch's central city have just been released.

The 350-metre-long cycleway along Park Terrace caused an uproar when it was installed in May.

The temporary cycleway was never formally approved by councillors, with the mayor and some councillors saying at the time they felt blindsided by the change.

More than 4,100 submissions were received by the Christchurch City Council, with a further 180 responses found to be duplicates and ruled invalid.

Final results found 45% of total Park Terrace users had their journeys negatively affected by the cycleway.

42% responded that their journeys had improved, and 10% said there had been no impact. 2% were undecided.

88% of cyclists who responded to the public survey say their journey along the temporary cycleway...
88% of cyclists who responded to the public survey say their journey along the temporary cycleway had improved. 73% of drivers reported the opposite. Photo: Geoff Sloan
Of the respondents, 73% of drivers and 71% of motorcyclists believe the changes have made driving down Park Terrace worse.

However, 88% of cyclists thought the temporary cycleway made things better, with pedestrians and scooter users also reporting a more than 60% improvement to their journeys.

The Waipapa Papanui-Innes-Central Community Board will meet on Wednesday to consider the survey results and the situation.

There has been strong interest in the contentious issue, forcing the meeting to be moved to the larger City Council chambers.

The board's recommendation, along with the survey, will be considered by city councillors, before a final decision is made on the cycleway’s future.

 - Geoff Sloan, Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air