More rubbish bins will be available and shared transportation encouraged at New Brighton's Kite Day on Saturday to avoid a repeat of last year’s scenes.
Christchurch City Council events and arts manager Lucy Blackmore said it had learnt from last year when waste disposal and illegal parking were issues.
“This year, we have increased our temporary bin provisions in response to the feedback.
“Staff on site will be monitoring the bin levels throughout the event to ensure they are emptied before they reach capacity,” she said.
Twelve temporary rubbish bins had been put in place last year, but were soon overflowing as an estimated 8000 people converged on the eastern suburb.
Parking was also at a premium, with some resorting to illegal parking tactics.
Blackmore said the city council had a list of tips for getting to the event, which runs from noon-4pm, including taking public transport, using active transport (such as biking and walking), and carpooling.
“By encouraging use of these transport modes, we aim to reduce the amount of traffic and congestion, the number of cars needing car parking, and the carbon emissions,” said Blackmore.
“The north ramp car park will be open, and on-street parking is available by the beach and township. The south ramp car park is closed to cars, except those displaying a mobility pass, for the event.”
The New Brighton Volunteer Fire Brigade will be running a car wash at the corner of Shaw and Hawke Sts from 10am-2pm.
It will raise funds ahead of the Firefighter Sky Tower Challenge in Auckland in May, when firefighters will run up the 1103 steps of the Sky Tower in full firefighting equipment to raise funds for leukaemia and blood cancer research.
Ridpath said Kite Day was a reminder of the benefits of getting out and about.
“You can have fun basically for free on our doorstep.”
Saturday’s weather forecast is cloudy to fine with easterlies and a high of 23.
