Merivale’s traffic problems

Press, 3 November 1984, Page 8

Merivale’s traffic problems

A comprehensive scheme for traffic management and car-parking near Merivale Mall was .needed before businesses in the area would accept a plan to realign the intersection of Office Road and Papanui Road, a Christchurch City Council planning hearing was told yesterday.

Residents at the hearing were concerned that the move would increase traffic on Office Road. A variation to the District Scheme would shift the intersection south between St Alban’s Methodist Church and the Merivale Service Station and opposite St Albans Street. Traffic lights would be installed.

A total of 49 objections and cross-objections to the variation were receiv-

A City Council town planner, Mr Laurie McCallum, said . the deviation would give easier access from the Merivale Mall carpark to Papanui Road. Traffic on St Albans Street would also have better access to Papanui Road. A traffic engineer with the City Council, Mr Michael Gadd, said the easier access to Papanui Road, as well as some road-

widening, would attract traffic to Office Road. “Severe restraints” should be placed between Akela Street and Winchester Street to discouarge traffic use of Office Road, said Mr Gadd. The form of the restraints had not been decided and would be discussed by residents and the City Council, he said.

The piece of land between the new section of Office Road and the church could be landscaped and include measures to reduce noise, said Mr Gadd.

Counsel for G.U.S., Mr John Milligan, said the company would accept the deviation if it was part of a comprehensive review of traffic and parking problems in Merivale. “There is a need for an overview, not just a little bit at a time to lick at,” he said. As the variation stood, it would not benefit G.U.S., only take away land which it owned. The company wanted all of the land bounded by Office Road, Akela Street, Aikmans Road and the Mall to be designated for offstreet car-parking. Other businesses repre-

sented at the hearing also thought the variation went only part-way to solving the traffic problems of the area. They wanted the plans to be scrapped so that a more comprehensive plan could be drawn up after consultation between the council, residents, and businesses.

Mr David Hannah, a director of St Albans Motor Court, said his car sales business would not remain viable if it did not have access to Office Road.

Mr Peter McCombs, a traffic engineer giving evidence on behalf of Mr Hannah, said the change would have, considerable adverse effect on the St Albans Motor Court business.

The car sales yard would be by-passed and the service station, owned by the company, would be confined between the traffic signals at the new intersection and the existing northern boundary of the site.

The Merivale Precinct Society and residents were pleased to hear that restraints on traffic using Office Road were planned but were concerned they had not been included in the variation. Some residents doubted

the ability of any restraints to limit traffic once traffic lights had been provided at the intersection with Papanui Road. The board of trustees of St Alban’s Methodist Church was ' concerned about the amount of noise the church would be subject to because of the\ deviation. Mr John Goffin said the church',was often used for recordings because of the organ installed there. The noise from Papanui Road was already, at a critical level and musical recordings made last week were rejected by the Broadcasting Corporation after 12 attempts. A loss of the recordings would mean a serious loss of income for the Trustees. J.: :

Vibration from traffic on Office Road couuld damage the brick building and wall of the church, he said.

The trustees were also concerned that the church could become “cuty off’ from the community which it sought to serve when it became bounded by roads on three, sides. i

The hearing sub-commit-tee, comprising Crs Helen Garret (chairman), Mollie Clark, and Louise Moore, reserved decision.