Traffic at new shopping centre worrying residents

Press, 8 December 1988, Page 30

Traffic at new shopping centre worrying residents

By

SUZANNE KEEN

The popularity of the new Bush Inn Centre is causing problems for many upper Riccarton residents.

About 110 people living in Bowen Street and Fletcher Place have petitioned the Waimairi District Council to relieve traffic congestion caused by customers and staff of the shopping centre parking outside their houses. They said parked cars blocked the view of residents leaving their driveways, slowed the refuse collection, and made visits by the Meals-on-Wheels and Nurse Maude almost impossible. The traffic also made elderly people afraid to cross the road to go shopping.

They suggested reducing traffic speeds, widening the roads or banning parking in Fletcher Place and having only limited parking in Bowen Street.

The chairman of the District Council, Mrs Margaret Murray, told a

works, reserves and traffic committee meeting that she believed reducing the conflict as soon as possible was important. Cr Ted Arundel said that on the Monday the centre opened he was inundated with calls to his home from upset residents.

He also thought taking action before Christmas was important. Staff parking their cars in the streets all day was a big problem.

He said he understood there were 400 staff “so we do have problems of quite a magnitude.” He suggested the council paint broken yellow lines to stop people parking over culverts and also consider having parking on only one side of the streets, even if only temporarily. The district engineer, Mr John Lamb, said the conflict had been inevitable. Council staff were monitoring the situation. “If the development is going to take off they

have to have the car-park and other areas full until it gets on its feet. “We have already noticed a marked reduction in traffic since the opening and I think it is important the council does not have a knee-jerk reaction.”

Some of the congestion was probably also being caused by the pre-Christ-mas shopping. Council staff have been given permission to take any action they think suitable to alleviate the conflict.

They will also report back in February.

Transfer station

Serious thought should be given to asking the Christchurch Metropolitan Refuse Committee to close the Northern Transfer Station, said Cr Des King. He was responding to comments by Cr Bruce McFadden about rubbish being dropped on the road by vehicles on the way to

the station. Cr King said that in addition rubbish blew against the fences of the station and was not retrieved, and there was also uncontrolled weed growth. “The rubbish is not. being cleaned up, they are not doing their gardening and quite frankly, the whole thing is a pain in the butt.”

If the station was closed there would be no difficulty finding an alternative use for the site — it could be turned into a sports and recreation centre.

Cr Arthur Adcock agreed that the refuse committee was not fulfilling earlier promises to keep the area tidy. Councillors agreed to ask the Ministry of Transport to carry out a blitz on people who dropped rubbish on to the road from loads that were not properly secured or covered.

The refuse committee will also be asked to keep the station in better order.

Water restrictions

The council still has not plans to impose water restrictions in Waimairi.

The Christchurch City Council has written to all other local authorities in the area asking that for them to impose restrictions similar to its own to help save water. However, Mr Lamb said Waimairi believed that any restrictions imposed would have little, if any, effect on the city council’s water supply. Authority has already been given to council representatives to impose restrictions if these are needed.

“At the moment we are more concerned about how power cuts will affect the water supply. If these continue there could be real problems.”

He said the supply could handle normal winter demand during the cuts, but could be in trouble if residents used a lot of water hosing gardens.