Tuesday 7 January 2014

Honouring notable personalities, culture and heritage are emerging as themes asCanterbury people suggest names for each of the 13 key cycleway routes to be built in the city over the next five years.

“From world leaders to local cycling identities, founding forefathers, notable landmarks, nature and history, there has been a wide range of ideas among the about 100 entries received to date,“ says Councillor Phil Clearwater, chairman of Christchurch City Council’s Environmental Committee.

“It is pleasing to see a number of suggestions using Te Reo Māori, reflecting the role local iwi have had and continue to have in developing Christchurch as a vibrant, resilient city.”

Mr Clearwater reminds people who have yet to enter that their suggestions must be received by 5pm on Sunday 12 January 2014.

“We want people to feel ownership of this important piece of the city’s infrastructure and one of the best and easiest ways to do that is to provide a name for one of the routes.”

Entries will be considered by a judging panel and a public vote will help determine the winning name for each route, with the final decision to be made by the Council.

For terms and conditions and to submit a name, go to www.futurechristchurch.co.nz

Construction of the $68.3 million network is expected to take five years. The Council allocated $34 million to the project in the Christchurch City Three Year Plan 2013-16, with the remainder of funding falling in the following two years.

The network of connected cycleways will link suburbs, education, business and shopping areas as well as popular recreational destinations.

“The development and construction of the cycleways is a significant investment in our city’s transport infrastructure that will shape the way future generations get around our city. As work progresses on the detailed planning for the individual routes, we will be talking to the community and various agencies and stakeholders to get a sense of how they want us to proceed and any issues they identify,” Mr Clearwater says.

Work on some portions of the major cycleways is expected to begin in the first half of this year.

About the cycleways:
The Christchurch Transport Strategic Plan adopted by the Council in 2012 includes 13 connected cycleways as part of the 30-year vision for transport options in Christchurch. The network will connect suburbs, education, shopping and business as well as recreation areas and provide another option for getting around the city.

The cycleways will be built over five years at a cost of $68.3 million, based on 2012 costings.

The Christchurch City Three Year Plan 2013-16 set aside $34 million for the project, with the remainder of funding allocated in the following two years.

The look and feel of the new cycleways is set out in the Cycle Design Guidelines, which were adopted by the Council in April 2013.

Construction is expected to begin as soon as Council staff have completed detailed design work, determined specific routes, discussed options with interested parties and conducted appropriate consultation with affected communities.

ENDS

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