A Queen St resident hopes that presenting a petition to council will help her and others feel heard and affect change in her neighbourhood.
Maree McNabb presented a petition to Tasman District Council’s operations committee meeting as part of the public forum asking council to halt the installation of future cycleways and reverse existing Richmond ones.
She has lived in her Queen St home for more than two decades but says the installation of cycleways and the consequent removal of on-street carparking has prompted her to consider selling her home.
Carparks were removed from Richmond’s upper Queen St and Champion Rd – between Salisbury Rd and Hill St – in December and replaced with cycleways as Tasman District Council continues with its government-funded Streets for People programme.
Upper Queen St lost 128 carparks. On average, only 19 were occupied at any one time, according to council-led surveys.
Champion Rd also lost 98 carparks, of which only an average of four were occupied at any one time.
Maree says the removal of the carparks has had a big effect on the residents and on Monday the removal of more carparks on Hill St between Champion Rd and William St would exacerbate the problem.
On Thursday, she told councillors of elderly residents whose caregivers can no longer park outside.
She spoke of a resident who was forced to spend $1000 on tree removal to make room for a car park so their mobility-impaired mother could visit, and another elderly neighbour who sells plants at a roadside stand to keep busy, but there is now nowhere for people to pullover to buy them.
Along with her own, Maree collected 135 signatures on the paper petition with a further 709 adding their signatures online. She says she spent five nights door-knocking along Queen St and Champion Rd, with all but five households she spoke with signing the petition.
She says the 844 people represent a strong voice that do not feel like they are being heard.
“My main concerns would be for the values of people’s houses, the elderly, and also for women walking home at night.”
She has heard of a health worker who finishes shift work at 11pm and now needs to park on a side road, so rings her husband to wake up and come and meet her to walk home with her.
Maree also says bikes are still using the footpath despite the cycleway.
She displayed a photograph to councillors of this as part of her presentation.
However, not all are against the installation of the cycleways.
Garin College principal John Maguire told Waimea Weekly in February that about 10 per cent of his students cycle to school and he hopes the new cycleways will encourage more to get on their bikes.
Champion Rd has gotten busier as the area has seen the construction of a supermarket and more housing.
“With that, is probably that increased risk,” John says.
“I think that cycleways, and the changes that have yet to be completed too… ultimately will improve road safety.”
Tasman District Council is seeking feedback on the upper Queen St and Champion Rd cycleways with surveys available here or physical copies can also be filled out at the Richmond Service Centre.
