The omission of a burgeoning Christchurch suburb from a $20 million plan for new footpaths around the city has riled a local councillor.
The southwestern suburb of Halswell was awash with missing footpath links despite new sub-divisions continuing to crop up in the area.
There were fears that some busy areas without these links in the suburb put community members at risk.
The Christchurch City Council was deciding on 19 priority areas for new footpaths around the city over the next decade.
But none of the areas in the proposed programme included Halswell.
The plan was due to be tabled at Wednesday's council meeting, but was withdrawn on Tuesday afternoon.
City councillor Andrei Moore said infrastructure had not kept up with massive growth in the area.
"Having to get in your car with your kids to go to your local park or reserve a few hundred metres down the road because there's no safe way to get there is just nuts," he said.
"It's inconsistent with everything this council has said about a climate crisis and everything else. We're trying to promote active travel, should be able to walk to school. Well, good luck if you're having to walk through the mud, or walk through on the road to do that."
He felt certain areas, including the Cashmere and Sutherlands roads intersection was a constant threat.
"A child on a bike has been hit on Sutherlands Road. The longer we wait, the more likely there'll be accidents," he said.
"It's happened before and it'll happen again."
On Tuesday, an area of Cashmere Road, without a footpath on either side, was restricted due to roadworks.
It meant pedestrians walking between the nearby popular Halswell Quarry Park and Sutherlands Road were legally required to wear hi-vis.
"Eventually a cyclist is going to get injured if not killed. Eventually someone walking along the grass verge is going to get hurt if not killed," she said.
"And let's hope that the person who's injured is an adult, because if it is a child, it's most likely going to be a fatality."
Developers were required to pay fees to the city council to support infrastructure upgrades, but Gerats said Halswell was not seeing these improvements happening.
Moore agreed and said council was not meeting its obligations.
"Even if I think it, it should be the developer's responsibility to build footpaths miles away from their development, it doesn't really matter what I think, because it's not within the boundaries of the Resource Management Act.
"So what I think is that we have to work with what we've got and the money that's being paid from all of these new residents in these areas and build the damn paths."
Following the withdrawal of the council meeting's agenda item, a decision on the footpaths programme was now expected to be made next week.
