Residents seek options on Fendalton Road

Press, 30 May 1985, Page 5

Residents seek options on Fendalton Road

Alternative proposals for improving Fendalton Road between its existing boundaries should be investigated by the Waimairi District Council, according to the Association of Fendalton Residents. About 70 residents met council staff and councillors last evening to discuss the proposal for the widening of Fendalton Road.

They decided to ask the council to find alternative proposals which would not require properties to be bought. The association would like the alternative proposals, which would include underground services to facilitate safe traffic flow, to be presented at another public meeting in two months.

Last evening's meeting began with a visual presentation of the council's proposal to widen and improve the road between the Main North railway line and Clyde Road. It included a plan of what

the widened road would feature — four lanes, an intermittent parking lane, and a median strip.

The council’s reasons for widening the road were detailed. The main reasons were the need to improve the road structure, the increased and mixed traffic volume and consequent safety problems, and the importance of the road as part of a main arterial route.

The Waimairi deputy engineer, Mr Gary Main, told the residents that the proposal was at the conceptual stage. Some properties had been bought and money had been budgeted for future purchases as well as a survey of the road. Although residents acknowledged the need to improve the road, most were sceptical of the need to encroach into residential properties to widen it. Some said they were not convinced that the traffic flow was sufficient to warrant the widening. According to a Ministry of Trans-

port report about 16,000 vehicles use the road each day. Some residents said that the traffic was only heavy at peak hours.

One resident said that the population of Christchurch was expected to drop during the next 20 years and a widened road to cope with expected traffic increases might not be necessary. Mr Main said that in spite of low population growth the number of households had grown significantly. People were demonstrating an “incredible” capacity to use vehicles, he said.

Although the population was expected to increase about 1 per cent in the next 20 years, households and traffic were expected to increase 20 per cent.

The chairman of the Waimairi District Council’s works, reserves and traffic committee, Cr Brian Shackel, said that the council had to look ahead. “This road when finished would be at least for 50 years if not 100,” he said.

The median strip, which will measure about 4.2 m at its widest, was the most contentious issue. If the median strip was scrapped much less residential property would be needed, some residents said. Others were concerned that a widened road would attract more traffic. Mr Main said that Fendalton Road was a main arterial road and was supposed to attract traffic rather than have the traffic divert into quieter, more residential streets.

Some residents said they thought a widened road would be treated like a freeway, with vehicles travelling faster. Several alternatives, including constructing a three-lane road or four-lane without the median strip, were suggested by residents. The residents were told that any proposals they had or changes to the present proposal would be welcomed by the council and its staff.