Partly-sealed Christchurch cycle lane 'ridiculous'

The partly-sealed cycle lane has been labelled as "ridiculous". Photo / Jo Zervos

A new, partly sealed, pot-hole-ridden cycle lane in eastern Christchurch is being labelled as "ridiculous".

Coastal Ward Community Board member Jo Zervos told the Herald parts of New Brighton Rd, which was "very well used", had recently been resealed.

The edge of the road had been finished in some areas. Photo / Jo Zervos

However, she said she was told by council staff it was not in the scope of works to finish the edge on some parts of the road as there was not enough funding.

"They've resealed the centre of the road but left the edge on that section," she said.

"I thought it would have been quite common sense to do that wee bit at the same time."

The area in question covered about 200 metres, she said.

Instead, a cycle lane had been painted over the edge. Zervos said the new cycle lane covered the edge of the new seal, the old seal, had several potholes in it as well as large cracks.

The partly-sealed cycle lane has been labelled as "ridiculous". Photo / Jo Zervos

She thought it was a bit "ridiculous" when she first saw it.

Zervos said at some points cyclists would be forced to dodge obstacles in the cycle lane by veering out into the traffic.

The area Jo Zervos is concerned about covers about 200 meters. Photo / Jo Zervos

"They probably would have been better to not put a cycle lane there, just leave it without."

The community board had been working on long-term options for that road, which was also prone to flooding.

The Christchurch City Council's head of transport, Richard Osborne, says the cycleway markings will be covered over and the area coned off in the interim until it was fixed.

"These reseal works on New Brighton Road are not the completion of the project," he said.

"While the smoothing work was largely completed last week, the final surface which is a chip surface will cover kerb to kerb - not just the section currently repaired."

That work was planned to be completed in early November.

"The delay between the current works and the final coat is to allow the repairs to harden. Footpath and tidying work will continue this week and we are pushing to complete the works to the road edge this week as well."