Submissions

To: Christchurch City Council
Date: May 2025

Purpose

This submission’s primary purpose is to support the project's aim of making the street safer for all users, including disabled pedestrians, while providing specific recommendations to enhance accessibility from a disability perspective. DPA seeks to ensure that design choices, such as parking provisions and kerb cuts, do not inadvertently create new barriers for disabled individuals.

Summary of DPA submission

DPA supports the Stourbridge Street renewal project, as its objective is to enhance safety for all users, including drivers, cyclists, wheelchair/mobility aid users, micromobility users, and walking pedestrians. DPA emphasizes that disabled pedestrians, particularly disabled children, face a higher risk of death or injury on roads, making any improvements to pedestrian safety highly welcome.

However, DPA raises concerns that require "fine tuning" of the project. One main concern is that the proposed narrowing of Stourbridge Street could lead to fewer car parks. This would compel people, especially disabled individuals (such as wheelchair users and those with mobility impairments), to park further away, requiring greater effort to reach their destinations on Stourbridge Street. DPA recommends that street parking be preserved, particularly in areas where disabled residents live and have identified a need for it.

DPA specifically recommends the creation of a mobility parking space at the Lyttleton Street shops, which would provide disabled drivers and passengers with more convenient access for parking and shopping. Additionally, DPA notes that the existing kerb cuts on Stourbridge Street are currently too high, posing significant accessibility challenges for wheelchair users, mobility aid users, and those with children’s strollers. Therefore, DPA strongly recommends that all mobility kerb cuts along Stourbridge Street be lowered to ensure easier access for everyone, including disabled pedestrians. DPA also approves of the proposals to improve the street's landscape, including the planting of more trees.

Key Recommendation/Finding:

DPA recommends that all mobility kerb cuts are lowered along Stourbridge Street to enable easier access for everyone, including disabled pedestrians.

Supporting Statement 1:

DPA specifically notes that the existing kerb cuts on Stourbridge Street are currently too high, which presents a direct barrier for individuals using wheelchairs, mobility aids, and even children's strollers.

Supporting Statement 2:

Ensuring lowered kerb cuts is crucial for improving pedestrian safety and the overall usability of the street, making it genuinely accessible for a wide range of users, which aligns with the project's broader goal of making the street safer for everyone.