Cycle Lanes And Shade Trees For Seymour Street And Maxwell Road
Monday 21 November 2011, 2:19PM
By Marlborough District Council
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Tree planting will begin in Seymour Street this week as work starts on the first section of cycleway through Blenheim’s CBD.
It’s also the first project to get underway from the Urban Design Strategy prepared for Blenheim’s town centre in the Council’s long-term planning exercise led by UrbanismPlus.
Eleven Liquidambar trees will be planted along Seymour Street and green and white cycle lanes will be painted along sections of Seymour Street and Maxwell Road. The work should be finished by early December.
Councillor Terry Sloan, the councillor with responsibility for the CBD, says it’s great to be able to get cracking on the recommendations for the CBD.
“The stretch of road where the cycle lanes are being marked out does carry high volumes of traffic so clearly identified lanes which keep cyclists separated from vehicles should increase cyclists’ safety.”
Councillor Sloan says Seymour Street was chosen for more tree planting both to enhance the street view looking south to the Wither Hills and because roadside trees are considered to be a traffic-calming influence.
“Seymour Street can be a bit of a speedway and we hope both these improvements will encourage motorists to slow down.”
Councillor Sloan said all the businesses along the route seemed to appreciate the thinking behind the measures being taken and parking loss would be minimal as "No Parking" yellow lines currently occupy much of the space that will be given over to the cycle lane and tree planting areas.
Chamber of Commerce general manager Brian Dawson says it’s good to see the CBD plan starting to be rolled out.
“It’s critical for the future of the CBD that it is attractive and user-friendly,” he said.
Further improvements identified in the CBD plan will be introduced as details are approved and funding permits, said Councillor Sloan.
Public submissions were received after the publication of the planning document, Blenheim Town Centre "A Vision for the Future" 2009. This plan was adopted by the Council last year. Since then, consultation with local businesses has taken place and feedback has been supportive.
The cycle lanes are also identified within Marlborough's Walking and Cycling Strategy 2010 and fit with the district’s Regional Land Transport Strategy.