Tēnā koe Jana,

 

Thank you for your request for information.

 

We are handling your request under the Local Government Official
Information and Meetings Act 1987 (LGOIMA). We have forwarded it to the
appropriate Christchurch City Council staff, and we will provide a
response or update within 20 working days of the date we received your
request. If we are unable to respond to your request by then, we will
notify you of an extension of that timeframe.

 

If you have any queries, please feel free to contact me using the
reference 1583576. If any additional factors come to light which are
relevant to your request, please do not hesitate to contact me so that
these can be taken into account.

 

If you have not had a reply within 10 working days, please email
[1][Christchurch City Council request email]  

 

Nāku noa iti, nā

 

Jess Griffin
Official Information Advisor
Te Ratonga Ture me te Manapori - Legal & Democratic Services

 

 

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Tēnā koe Jana,

 

On 5 March 2026, you requested the following information, under the Local
Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (LGOIMA):

 

Under the Official Information Act 1982, I request information relating to
the traffic management changes implemented around Reynolds Avenue, Bainton
Street, Hoani Street, and Greers Road in Bishopdale.

Specifically, I would like to request:

Any traffic assessments, modelling, or transport analyses undertaken prior
to implementing these changes, including any analysis of traffic flow,
congestion, or travel times for local residents.

Any climate change, emissions, or environmental assessments undertaken as
part of the project, including how the changes were expected to impact
vehicle emissions or climate-related objectives at the time the plan was
developed and put into action.

Any policy or strategic documents used to justify the changes, including
references to transport or climate strategies adopted by the Council.

Any post-implementation monitoring or evaluation that has been undertaken
to assess whether the changes have achieved their intended outcomes.

Any internal reports, briefing papers, or decision documents explaining
the rationale for restricting entry/exit movements in this area.

By way of context, the changes appear to have increased travel time for
some residents by requiring longer routes and additional time spent in
vehicles. I am interested in understanding the analysis undertaken by
Council that considered these effects and how the changes were expected to
contribute to National and international climate or transport objectives.

Please provide the information electronically where possible.

 

Release of information

By way of context, the signalisation of the Greers/Langdons Road
intersection and the left in/left out arrangement at Greers Road/Reynolds
Avenue were approved by the Joint Waimāero Fendalton-Waimairi-Harewood and
Waipapa Papanui-Innes-Central Community Board meeting on 4 December 2023.
The relevant report and meeting minutes are publicly available on
Council’s website:

o Community Board report for approval: [1]Agenda of Waimāero
Fendalton-Waimairi-Harewood Community Board and Waipapa
Papanui-Innes-Central Community Board - Monday, 4 December 2023
o Community Board meeting minutes: [2]Minutes of Waimāero
Fendalton-Waimairi-Harewood Community Board and Waipapa
Papanui-Innes-Central Community Board - Monday, 4 December 2023
o Meeting attachments: [3]Minute Item Attachments of Waimāero
Fendalton-Waimairi-Harewood Community Board and Waipapa
Papanui-Innes-Central Community Board - Monday, 4 December 2023
o Video of the meeting: [4]Joint Meeting of the Waimaero and Waipapa
Community Boards

1. Traffic assessments, modelling, or transport analyses

Traffic assessments were undertaken as part of the resource consent
process for the Northlink Retail Park development at 84–148 Langdons Road
(RMA/2018/2326) in 2018. Those assessments predicted significant adverse
impacts on the local road network and identified the need to upgrade and
signalise the Greers/Langdons Roads intersection.

Following the opening of Stage 2 of Northlink Retail Park in May 2020,
traffic surveys confirmed substantial increases in traffic volumes:

•         Langdons Road west of Northlink: a 23% increase, from 7,762
Average Daily Traffic (ADT) in March 2020 to 9,578 ADT in February 2021.

•         Langdons Road east of Northlink: a 35% increase, from 8,682 ADT
to 11,713 ADT over the same period.

•         Greers Road north of Langdons Road: a 5% increase, from 17,120
ADT in September 2019 to 17,967 ADT in August 2022.

A full Scheme Assessment (Attachment C to the Community Boards report for
approval) was carried out as part of the design process, evaluating
multiple options including do-nothing, do-minimum, full signalisation of
both intersections, and several variants of the Greers/Langdons
signalisation with varying treatments at the Reynolds Avenue junction. A
Safe System Assessment was also completed as part of this work.

With respect to the specific question about travel time impacts on local
residents: the analysis acknowledged that restricting turning movements at
Reynolds Avenue (the preferred Option 1 – left in/left out) would require
some residents to use alternative routes. The cul-de-sac alternative
(Option 2) was assessed as potentially requiring residents at the end of
Reynolds Avenue to travel an additional 1.6 kilometres per trip. Option 1
was ultimately preferred as it better balanced traffic management
objectives with maintaining reasonable access for the approximately 268
dwelling units served by the residential area west of Greers Road.

2. Climate change, emissions, or environmental assessments

No standalone climate change or emissions assessment was prepared for this
project. Climate change considerations were, however, addressed in Section
7 of the Community Board report (4 December 2023, Policy Framework
Implications). The project was assessed as likely to:

•         Contribute positively to adaptation to the impacts of climate
change; and

•         Contribute positively to emissions reductions.

The rationale was that the project includes measures to encourage walking
and cycling – through new signal-controlled pedestrian crossings,
dedicated cycle lanes on both sides of Greers Road between Harewood Road
and Reynolds Avenue, and cycle lanes on both sides of Langdons Road
approaching the intersection – thereby offering an alternative to private
vehicle use and reducing vehicle emissions. No quantitative emissions
modelling was undertaken.

3. Policy or strategic documents used to justify the changes

The project was assessed as being aligned with the following Council plans
and strategies, as referenced in the Board report:

•         Christchurch Transport Strategic Plan 2012 (in the link below)

•         Draft Christchurch Transport Plan 2022 (in the link below)

•         [5]Christchurch District Plan

•         [6]Council’s Long Term Plan 2021–2031, specifically the
Transportation activity and the following Levels of Service: 10.5.2
(Improve the perception that Christchurch is a cycling friendly city –
target ≥55%) and 16.0.10 (Improve the perception that Christchurch is a
walking friendly city – target ≥85%).

The legal authority for the traffic control changes derives from the
Christchurch City Council [7]Traffic and Parking Bylaw 2017, the [8]Land
Transport Rule: Traffic Control Devices 2004, and [9]Part 21 of the Local
Government Act (LGA) 1974.

Please follow this link to view the two Transport Plans:
[10]https://christchurchcitycouncil.sharefil...

Please note this link will expire after 14 calendar days. We recommend you
download all information you wish to keep, otherwise it will drop off the
system.

 

4. Post-implementation monitoring or evaluation

A Post-Construction Stage Safe System Audit (SSA) was commissioned by
Council and completed in December 2024. The audit was carried out by WSP
in accordance with the NZTA Safe System Audit Procedures for Transport
Projects – Road to Zero Addition 2022. Site inspections were conducted on
20 November 2024 (daytime) and 27 November 2024 (night-time).

The audit identified 12 issues in total, rated as follows:

·         Serious/Significant: 3 items – left-turning cyclist conflict at
the Langdons/Greers intersection; redundant line markings remaining
visible on Greers Road, Bainton Street, and Hoani Street; and a missing
cycle symbol on Greers Road.

·         Moderate: 1 item – a utility service box narrowing the shared
path width near the intersection.

·         Minor: 5 items – missing bi-directional arrows on the shared
path, footpath cleanliness on Langdons Road, an exposed fence base on
Greers Road, cycle lane surface condition at the Langdons Road tie-in, and
missing kerb top markers at Reynolds Avenue.

·         Comment: 3 items – an unfixed sign post, a kerb protrusion
marker at Hoani Street, and cycle ramp coloured surfacing treatment.

All identified issues were responded to by the design team (GHD) and
reviewed by a Safety Engineer. The Designer’s Statement confirming that
all directed actions had been carried out, and the audit was formally
closed out on the same date. The majority of items were addressed through
the contractor’s Defects List works, with the remaining items referred to
Council’s Maintenance team.

5. Internal reports, briefing papers, or decision documents explaining the
rationale for restricting entry/exit movements

The primary decision document is the report to the Joint Community Board
dated 4 December 2023, together with the meeting minutes, both of which
are publicly available via the links above.

In summary, the rationale for restricting turning movements at Reynolds
Avenue was as follows:

•         The opening of Northlink Retail Park in May 2020 caused a
significant and measured increase in traffic on Langdons Road and Greers
Road, leading to increased delays, safety risks for pedestrians and
cyclists, and rat-running through residential streets including Reynolds
Avenue.

•         Multiple options were evaluated. The Reynolds Avenue cul-de-sac
was identified in the Safe System Assessment as the safest option and the
original staff preference, but was assessed as creating resilience and
accessibility concerns for the residential area it serves (approximately
268 dwellings with three access points).

•         Following public consultation (11–31 October 2023, with 156
submissions received), staff revised their recommendation from cul-de-sac
to the left in/left out option in response to community feedback
prioritising maintained access for local residents.

•         The left in/left out restriction on Reynolds Avenue was designed
to discourage through-traffic rat-running while maintaining left turn
access to and from the residential area, and to improve the safety and
operation of the nearby signalised Greers/Langdons intersection.

You have the right to ask the Ombudsman to investigate and review our
decision. Complaints can be sent by email to
[11][email address].

 

Publication of responses to LGOIMA requests

Please note: our LGOIMA responses may be published on the Christchurch
City Council website a week after they have been responded to, with
requesters’ personal details withheld. If you have any concerns about
this, please contact the Official Information team on
[12][Christchurch City Council request email].

 

Nāku noa iti, nā

 

Jess Griffin
Official Information Advisor
Te Ratonga Ture me te Manapori - Legal & Democratic Services

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

 

This electronic email and any files transmitted with it are intended
solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed.
The views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender and
may not necessarily reflect the views of the Christchurch City Council.
If you are not the correct recipient of this email please advise the
sender and delete the email.

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