Trial of Changes to Manchester Street Welcomed

After at least a dozen emails and numerous requests to look at traffic flow and lights on Manchester Street, Papanui Innes Central Community Board member Ali Jones is pleased at last something is being done with a trial starting today (May 12th).

“It is one of the worst streets in the city for traffic flow,” she says.

Manchester Street cost a reported $20m and was one way for two years before it opened to two way traffic again in July 2018.

More than two years ago, Jones first raised the issue of bus traffic lights on Manchester Street between Hereford Street and Worcester Street, after they appeared to be stopping vehicles for buses that weren’t there.

“Traffic had to stop for significant periods of time with no buses in sight so about a year ago I raised the issue with staff and eventually was told that it was because they had been installed incorrectly by Ōtākaro but it was too expensive to take them out. These lights had been operating wrongly for several years; it was a head shaking moment,” she says.

Ali Jones then raised the issue again in October last year and suggested that perhaps using bags over the lights would be a cost-effective way to correct the problem but she never heard back.

“To see the memo last week, sent to councillors and senior staff members saying a trial that will see bags placed over these useless lights is starting soon, is excellent news,” she says. “I thank the Mayor and others who must have pushed for this.”

The memo dated April 28 (which was not sent to the Papanui Innes Central Community board until Jones requested it), says “an upcoming trial to remove (bag) the bus gates at the super stops on Manchester Street (between Hereford Street and Worcester Street, and Worcester Street and Gloucester Street)”  will run for four weeks starting today, May 12th.

Jones says there is still plenty of work to do on Manchester Street.

“This is a great start to getting the roadway working effectively for all vehicles and pedestrians,” she said. “Next we need to sort the light phasing out because stopping at each block is ridiculous and has also been happening for years,” she says.

-Ends-

Video of the lights on Manchester Street and poor phasing - click here