Plans are underway to make pedestrian safety improvements to Rangiora’s busiest road.

The Rangiora-Ashley Community Board supported a series of recommendations from staff at their meeting on Wednesday, one of which will consider traffic signals for the Torlesse Street intersection, subject to further consultation.

Over the years a lot of feedback has been received by Council about the safety of pedestrians crossing Southbrook Road as well as traffic congestion issues. Waka Kotahi, NZ Transport Agency also noted that the amount of traffic on the road put the current Kea Crossing well outside safe operating guidelines.

Community Board Chair Jim Gerard acknowledged that there are challenges with developing Southbrook Road, with three schools in close proximity; it is also incredibly busy with traffic.

“There are certainly challenges for improving the road capacity as there is only so much road space available to cater to everyone’s needs. We are certainly focussed on meeting those challenges, and firstly we will be looking to improve the pedestrian safety in the area. Before we finalise any solutions, we’ll be talking with local schools, businesses, residents and the Police, to look at how to best address safety concerns in this area.”

As a result of the Board resolution, staff will be consulting with those most affected via letters, drop-in sessions, and web-based information. Feedback received will be presented back to the Board at its October meeting, who will then make a final recommendation to Council on the way forward. Once the council has agreed with a solution, the Council will apply for funding for future years, from NZTA.

The Board then heard from Council’s Road Safety Coordinator/Journey Planner about new bus stops. They approved a recommendation to install and reinstate various Metro bus stops across Rangiora to cater for a new bus service starting in January.

In May this year, Environment Canterbury consulted with the Waimakariri community on changes to existing bus services. Following this, both the Blue Line (Rangiora to Kaiapoi to City) and the 95 Route (Pegasus to city) were modified, and a new service, Rangiora to Pegasus, was introduced.

To cater for the updated Blue Line route, new stops will be installed, or stops that are currently servicing school bus routes will be reinstated on West Belt, Kingsbury Avenue and Lineside Road.

The new Rangiora to Pegasus service will see new stops installed on Acacia Avenue, Oxford Road, High Street, Kippenberger Avenue and Rangiora Woodend Road.

The next Rangiora-Ashley Community Board meeting will be held at 7pm on Wednesday 9 September at the Rangiora Town Hall. All are welcome to attend.