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Traffic in the gateway to the country's top tourist destinations could grind to a halt as authorities warn of severe congestion ahead.
Auckland's traffic woes are well-documented, but Christchurch is now facing similar problems as the population grows, and councils are looking to public transport to beat congestion.
Environment Canterbury (Ecan), has revealed that Christchurch's traffic volume is projected to grow by 20 per cent, and congestion by 160 per cent, over the next 15 years. Commuting will take 26 per cent longer.
"I think we should be very concerned about it. This means we won't be going anywhere very fast unless we address current trends," said Ecan councillor Nicky Wagner.
Christchurch has the highest car ownership rate in New Zealand, with 77 per cent of its residents travelling to work by car.
About a million tourists fly into Christchurch each year to access favourite destinations such as Queenstown, Fiordland and the West Coast.
Christchurch and Canterbury Tourism chief executive Ian Bougen says conditions are better at Christchurch than most international cities.
"People think the traffic here flows very freely and that's a great asset to have. We probably have the greatest experience of arrival at the airport and getting into the central city, and we want to make sure as we go forward we don't lose that."
A major push is under way to improve bus and cycling facilities in the city to get more people out of cars.
Ecan wants 25 million passenger trips by bus per year by 2015-2016. At present patronage is around 16 million trips per year. Ecan and the Christchurch City Council will lobby the Government for a law to make motorists let the bus go first in urban areas.
Ms Wagner said: "We are trying to get a change in peoples' attitudes to public transport and for people to see the bigger picture.
"In the past we only went on the bus when we didn't have any other choice. If we only take the bus one or two times a week, it will make a huge difference."
