One theme that emerged strongly at our community meeting for a Mt Pleasant Vision was traffic. Sadly, it wasn’t very positive. There was a general feeling that traffic on the hill is too fast, that main road is dangerous for cyclists (and motorists who might accidentally hit them while trying to merge), that the impending 3-laning project will cut our suburb in half (making right turn from mt pleasant rd to maccormacks bay more difficult) and that it will make the road wider and busier, further threatening our already tenuous connection to the estuary. People mentioned that they feel they need to use their cars because the alternatives aren’t viable, for example there are not enough footpaths, buses are infrequent, and that the area isn’t safe enough for children (or many adults!) to ride bikes on the road. I know many families who drive across town to MacLeans Island for safe bike paths for children!

Because this is such a big issue for our community, we’ve been thinking hard about options.

One opportunity that seems to be glaringly obvious right now is that of a boardwalk/pathway around the estuary edge. It could be dual carriageway, and separated from traffic both in height and by planting. It could be a cycleway for children and recreational bikers (some will always prefer to be tar-babies), it could be a lovely path for a stroll, it could be a beautiful place to take your wheelchair for a spin, to rollerblade, to sit, to jog, to perform….  Now is a really great time to build such a pathway, because the estuary edge needs rebuilding anyway, and there are a few spare rocks around that would otherwise require transportation far away. The same consents will be required whether a pathway is built or not.

This isn’t a novel idea, most NZ cities have already made their water edges not only accessable but also inspiring (Wellington and New Plymouth are recent examples). We think that such a path, stretching from Sumner to Ferrymead, and then continuing on to town via the towpath/Linwood Canal/Avon river (or all of them!) and on around the edge to Southshore/Brighton, would be a good thing. It would be good for Mt Pleasant, because not only would we have a lovely place to walk and ride, we would have a much better connection to our estuary. Same for Redcliffs and Sumner. We think that the wider city would benefit too, because the beaches would become more accessable. Mountain bikers and runners could more easily reach the hills. Local shops, cafes and bars would benefit from hungry and thirsty visitors. Our roads would be quieter. We would have a beautiful waterfront edge, a more appealing way to get to the beach, and a whole series of new places to bump into our neighbours.

And best of all, we would have something to boost our morale, to celebrate this world-class envivonment we’ve chosen as our home, and another great reason to get out amongst it.

The tricky part  is to convince those who can make it happen that it is a good idea. This is where you guys have an opportunity to contribute. The council are currently designing a masterplan for Ferry Road to Sumner, but stage 1 currently stops at the Ferrymead Bridge. There are open sessions on Thur and Fri in Woolston, details below, where you can drop in and suggest to them that they include not only an estuary edge pathway, but that it continues along the heathcote river and into town. Please also convince them not to stop the plan at the Ferrymead bridge!! And be sure to tell them about any other issues that you would like to see improved, this is our once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get a great link to the CBD and to address the traffic issues and the lack of public spaces along the route. http://www.ccc.govt.nz/thecouncil/policiesreportsstrategies/SuburbsRejuvenationProgramme/FerryRoadMainRoadCorridorWork.aspx. You may also have heard about CERA’s draft recovery strategy – online submissions close oct 30th – it’s crucial to tell cera the same things. Not only do they have overall responsibility for the recovery in our area, they may have better access to funding to make it happen more quickly. http://cera.govt.nz/recovery-strategy

The ONLY way these visions can become a reality is if we all get in behind these ideas and make our voices really loud!!