13th Nov 2007

Not having had to join the city rat race to work for nearly four years it was a bit of a shock to drive Angela from Port Robinson to Christchurch City yesterday morning, a distance of about 115km.
Leaving at 6.45am and travelling at a steady 100kmh we covered the first 100km in about 85 minutes with a couple of road works along the way slowing us to 30kmh and one or two tourist camperwagons dawdling along near Woodend..
The last 15km took 30 minutes with almost gridlock traffic movement from Northwood to lower Cranford St.

Goodness only knows what it will be like once Pegasus town comes on stream in a year or two's time. With several thousand new houses coming on stream all of which will have a commuter vehicle associated with them, some serious planning and action needs to be set in train now. Land Transport are obsessed with putting a Woodend by-pass in place, but that is not where the problem lies. It is the other end of the motorway where the real problem is, Main North Rd, Cranford St and Papanui Rd.

The City Council and Land Transport need to get off their collective chuffs, pull finger out and come up with a solution real soon. Woe is the day when the northern corridor was canned, again through Council intertia and petty politicking. The chickens have come home to roost now with that option gone and the land being sold for housing which has contributed even more to the gridlock. As usual, it will be only once total chaos ocurrs that the authorities will react which will be too late.

TC