The $256 million Major Cycleway Routes Programme has been a highly contested issue in this year’s elections, with mayoral candidates squaring up over its cost on ratepayers.
Papanui-Innes Community Board member John Stringer, who is running for a council seat in the Papanui Ward, wrote to city council acting chief executive Mary Richardson last week after he received a booklet Bike easy Otautahi Christchurch bike guide and map in his letterbox.
The guide arrived on the same day as his election papers.
“Council staff are well aware that infrastructural rates spending on cycleways is a contentious election issue,” said his letter.
In response, Ms Richardson said the guide was not intended to support any particular political position.
“In hindsight, we could have delayed the delivery of the publication by a few weeks to avoid a perceived conflict. However, at the time we felt the information was relevant to the time of year and the need for our residents to have up-to-date information about cycling in Christchurch.”
“The timing of the guide is to coincide with spring, when people start to use a greater variety of travel options (mainly due to the warmer weather) to get around. Its distribution is also timed to coincide with Biketober – festival of cycling.”
Ms Richardson said while the publication is not able to be recalled, further information being delivered about cycling will be delayed until after the election on October 12.
Mr Stringer said he accepted Ms Richardson’s response but doesn’t accept council staff wouldn’t have realised the conflict.
“It’s disingenuous, staff aren’t that stupid. I don’t accept they wouldn’t have known that.
There seems to be a lot of coincidences.
“That brochure should have never been delivered; they would’ve known it wasn’t inappropriate.
“I accepted the word of the chief executive, I am thankful they have admitted the error, but they are either not attentive to the rules they put out themselves or they are disingenuous,” he said.
Previously, mayoral candidate Darryll Park promised to axe the next phase of the project and halt the entire project, pending an overview of costs.
He was quickly criticised by Mayor Lianne Dalziel, who is seeking her third term, saying that the cycleway he proposed to axe, the $38m South Express cycleway, has already been approved.
The route from Templeton will go into the central city, via Hornby, Sockburn, Middleton, Riccarton and Addington.
Two city councillors, Papanui Ward Mike Davidson and Riccarton Ward Vicki Buck have spoken out in defence of the cycleways during the election, saying that misinformation has been spread about their cost.
“The city’s cycleway programme has an impact on the rates of approximately 0.17 per cent, per year,” said Cr Davidson.
