Urban street design

Healthy cities and towns that provide safe and comfortable places to live, work, enjoy and connect ask for a street network that supports this. So, this means streets that service all users of various modes, and streets that stimulate the adoption of sustainable transport. But how do you organise the competing demands for space on our urban road corridors? How do you make streets more accessible to everyone?

Since 1998, the Christchurch practice has been to apply red coloured surfacing in selected sections of cycle facilities to heighten the awareness of motorists and cyclists regarding the presence of these facilities, particularly at conflict points. However, apart from Waimakariri District, the rest of New Zealand uses green coloured surfacing for cycle facilities, as well as for bus lanes.

NZTA commissioned ViaStrada to update more MOTSAM (Manual of Traffic Signs and Markings) material. Gone are all the old double limit lines, for example. Some of the more noteworthy amendments are:

Christchurch City Council has an extensive Construction Standards Specification (CSS) document. ViaStrada staff were engaged to lead a team of Council officers through the development of a new standard detail for intersection thresholds.

A little bit of effort invested into these standard details will subsequently save valuable time on individual intersection designs. The CCC team was impressed and the next standard will be tackled soon.

Christchurch City Council commissioned ViaStrada to undertake a queue and delay study on the Lowther Street approach to Main South Road (SH73A), where the main road is subject to queuing back from the Sockburn Roundabout.