The money was given to Christchurch City Council so it could improve the condition of roads and footpaths in selected suburban areas of the city and make it safer and easier for people to get around.
Council transport planning and delivery manager Lynette Ellis said is going to be spent in parts of Richmond, New Brighton, Linwood/Woolston, Spreydon/Somerfield/Beckenham/Waltham, and Riccarton.
These areas either experienced significant damage and disruption in the earthquakes or have more people travelling through them because of post-quake changes in travel patterns.
“We are going to spend the money on work that will make people feel better about their neighbourhood and allow them to easily get to the places that matter to them," said Ellis.
“We have technical understanding of the problems with the transport network in these areas, what we don’t know is what the local “bug bears” are. Locals are the ones who are moving around the area all the time. They are the ones who know from personal experience what needs fixing the most.
“There might be a stretch of footpath that locals avoid using because it is so badly damaged or there might be a safety issue with cars speeding on a neighbourhood road.
“In these areas we want to hear about the transport issues that are impacting how people move around and how they feel about their neighbourhood.
"We’re keen to hear about the small things we could do, such as pruning trees to clear a pathway or providing more seating at a bus stop, to the bigger things to make it easier and safer to walk, bike, scooter, get the bus and drive in your neighbourhood.
An interactive online tool has been created which residents can use to pinpoint the problems in their area.
"If you live in the parts of Richmond, New Brighton, Linwood, Woolston, Spreydon, Somerfield, Beckenham, Waltham or Riccarton that we’ve identified and there’s a transport issue that’s bugging you, please take a few minutes to go online and tell us about it," Ellis said.
"Once we’ve gathered the communities’ insights, we will work with the local community boards on developing a priority list of projects to tackle. There will be some quick fixes but some of the projects may take longer and may require further engagement with residents.
You have until March 12 to give feedback here. Several drop-in sessions are also planned.
About the Government funding
- The $30 million is to fix suburban roads and improve safety and is part of a $40 million Government funding package for transport projects in Christchurch.
- $5 million from that $40 million funding package is going towards progressing targeted road safety initiatives across the transport network. These safety initiatives will target transport corridors where collectively 829 crashes have occurred, including nine fatal crashes and 107 serious injury crashes.
- $5 million from that $40 million fund is going toward the implementation of bus priority measures on key public transport routes in Christchurch.
