The Christchurch road with nine traffic lights all within 1.6km

Friday, 26 July 2024

Main North Rd is one of the busiest streets in Christchurch and has nine traffic lights all within a 1.6km stretch.

The traffic lights are in locations where there is more traffic and is driven by the layout of the road network, Christchurch City Council manager said.

Along the 1.6km stretch is a popular mall that is well utilised.

A Christchurch road is home to nine sets of traffic lights within a 1.6km stretch, with one set of lights only 90 metres from another.

Main North Rd is known to be one of the busiest streets in Christchurch and carries a large number of cars and buses commuting people to the city centre and the northern suburbs - but one stint of it seems to be have a never ending cycle of traffic lights.

Along thatstretch of road is Northlands mall a main contributor to traffic congestion. It is also the home of several popular fast food outlets, Woolworths, The Warehouse and retail stores.

While the number of lights and their proximity to each other may seem odd, Christchurch City Council Transport operations manager Stephen Wright says the traffic lights are in locations where there is more traffic and is 'driven by the layout of the road network”.

1. Let’s start at the Harewood and Main North Rd intersection

Quite a few vendors sit in this first block including vape stores, an art gallery, gyms and a liquor store.

Charmaine MacGregor from Artworks Picture Framing Gallery said traffic “use to be worse” when Pak’NSave was at Northlands Mall and was surprised by the total number of traffic lights down the road.

Nigel MacPherson from neighbouring vape store Hoopers said they witness traffic build up at peak times, particularly in the afternoon.

“Like from 3pm there’s always standing traffic out the front,” he said.

2. Just 270m further we hit traffic light number two - at the intersecting streets of Langdons, Mary and Main North Rd.

This is the beginning of Northlands Mall mixed in with the bus lanes and the bus ‘superstop’ (basically a really long bus stop with a shelter).

3. Another 150m is the signalised midblock crossing.

Wright told Stuff these midblock crossings were provided in two locations to support pedestrian access “to a major public transport hub” and to help cyclists “safely cross a busy arterial road”.

This is a popular spot for kids taking the bus to and from school.

Commuter Stephanie Hurst-Bishop suggested a pedestrian zebra crossing may be more beneficial.

“Cars will stop for them at a pedestrian crossing.”

4. 130m later is the more understandable set of traffic lights - the entrance and exit to one of Northlands Mall’s car parks.

While Woolworths sits on the Main North Rd side of the mall the car park does quickly fill during peak times like the afternoon and Halliwell Ave is directly opposite.

Wright said this set of lights was installed to “support access to Northlands Mall”.

5. Approximately 120m further is another signalised midblock crossing.

Despite commuter Jewel Whimp’s lucky strike with lights she said it was “very congested” at this spot.

“This one doesn’t affect me to much because I’ve been very very lucky with the lights but I could see why it would (be an) inconvenience to people going that way often,” she said.

Whimp said these sets of lights were “unnecessary”, in her opinion.

But as Wright pointed out this is important for pedestrians to get across a busy Main North Rd safely and for cyclists on the Papanui Parallel Major Cycle Route.

6. Just 90m further we hit the Sawyers Arms Rd and Main North Rd intersection.

Begs the question - does Main North Rd rally need the previous set of lights?

Owner of Sheilds Pharmacy, located on the corner of the intersection, Steve Thompson said after school traffic on the road can be “quite chocka block”.

Thompson was aware that there is a build up of traffic lights on Main North Rd but when he found out there are nine he was caught off guard.

“I didn’t know how many exactly but it’s a lot,” he said.

7. Travel 400m and yourself at the Cranford St and Main North Rd lights.

The two major road intersection - pretty self explanatory.

8. A further 290m and you see, yes you guessed it - another set of traffic lights

As Pak’NSave relocated from Northlands Mall this year to be next door to it’s father company FoodStuffs a new set of lights were put in as well.

Wright said this was installed to help support access to the new supermarket.

9. And finally at the end of our 1.6km stretch we hit the ninth set of lights at Main North Rd, Northcote Rd and QEII Drive intersection.

The lucky last of the nine sets gets a magnitude of traffic each day as the connector to Christchurch’s Northern Corridor (SH74).

Hurst-Bishop said the nine traffic lights can get frustrating “especially if you’re getting one after the other you’re just stopping and stopping and stopping”.

”A lot of the time cars will keep going but there’s this big gap because cars are still stuck at the traffic lights.“

CORRECTION: This article incorrectly referred to Main North Road as State Highway 1.