Canterbury is the fastest-growing region in the country, with the satellite towns of Rangiora and Rolleston at the centre of much of that growth. If congestion carnage is to be avoided, there’s got to be an option other than cars – but what?
Every day, the traffic update on Morning Report names the same spot: “In Christchurch, it’s slow going around Addington,” says the presenter. Addington is the exit of State Highway 75, going off the motorway.
Look at a map of where in Canterbury houses are being built and it’s not hard to figure out why. Canterbury is the fastest-growing region in the country; more than 42,000 people have moved from the North Island to Christchurch since 2018. The average house price in the city is $750,000, below the national mean. Suburbs around the “four avenues” of the inner city have been approved for medium-density housing (three three-storey buildings per section) – although other suburbs have been “protected”, with the government signing off on a council alternative to blanket intensification.
Neighbouring satellite towns Rangiora and Rolleston, in the Waimakariri and Selwyn districts, are growing rapidly too, mostly in large subdivisions of standalone houses, rather than in medium-density housing. “People really have that dream of a quarter-acre block and a few cars in the garage,” says Joe Davies, an Environment Canterbury councillor who is the public transport core service lead at the regional council.
The city of Christchurch, seen from above, with only a few taller buildings (Photo: Getty Images)
Selwyn is the fastest-growing district in the country; the 80,000 people who live there are expected to become 153,000 by 2055. Many of those people drive into Christchurch for work every day – contributing to the predictable traffic on motorway exits and certain roundabouts.
The traffic problems will get worse if current growth puts more people in cars, but terminal traffic jams are already happening, says M Grace-Stent, a spokesperson for urbanist group Greater Ōtautahi. “These issues are already here,” they say. Christchurch has nearly twice as many carparks per worker in the central city than Auckland; it also has the slowest 10km driving distance of anywhere in the country, which is increasing by 20 seconds each year.
As more people move to Christchurch, the city will need a clearer plan to make transportation easier, whether the population growth is in satellite towns, outer suburbs or the central city. A range of options have been proposed for a mass rapid transit (MRT) system – a combination of light rail and bus corridors – and heavy rail on the existing rail lines, creating a “triangle” between Christchurch, Rolleston to the south-west and Rangiora to the north. A range of business cases have been explored for these developments. The MRT proposal is estimated to cost between $3bn and $4bn and has been named on NZTA’s draft National Infrastructure Plan. Meanwhile, Environment Canterbury approved another business case for heavy rail upgrades, working with Kiwirail to hammer out the details.
At peak hours, biking into central Christchurch is faster than driving – but it’s harder for people living in outer urban areas to bike. (Image: Shanti Mathias)
Outside of commuting, one big pull to come into central Christchurch will be Te Kaha stadium, due to be finished in April next year. Mainland Rail, a private company, is proposing an “events express” to get people to events at the stadium. “They’re confident they’ll get people on it,” says Davies. “That will open the conversation for a stronger place for truly public transport.”
Currently, Davies says Metro (the Environment Canterbury transport provider) is nearly “maxed out” on buses from Rolleston at peak hours; Bentley Coachlines, a private company, has started offering commuter services too. To him, that shows the demand is there – even if the vast majority of people still use private vehicles to get into the city.
There are advantages and disadvantages to each proposal for Canterbury’s future. Extending existing express bus services to make rapid bus corridors wouldn’t require as much infrastructure as any form of rail, but it couldn’t fit as many people, either. The MRT proposal only goes from Hornby to Belfast, not all the way to Rolleston and Rangiora where the growing population has the longest distance to travel into Christchurch.
M Grace-Stent is Greater Ōtautahi’s chairperson (Image: Shanti Mathias)
Greater Ōtautahi supports the mass rapid transit proposal. “It’s the best first step towards mitigating traffic and making the city more liveable,” Grace-Stent says. “It has the greatest opportunity to expand towards Rangiora and Rolleston.”
Heavy rail is expensive, Davies acknowledges. “Trains really ignite the public, I get contacted all the time about it.” But the fact that the rail lines largely exist already is hopeful – even if it’s currently a single line not made for passenger trains passing each other. “It is feasible, it’s not pie in the sky – but it will affect your rates.” As a point of comparison, Te Huia train between Hamilton and Auckland costs $84 per trip in transport subsidies, similar to the amount per trip of subsidies on a road.
But exurban housing growth on the far fringes of the city and the cars and traffic it creates have a cost, too – air pollution, carbon emissions and lost productivity. “Getting between Rolleston and Christchurch in 30 minutes can be as fast as a car, and faster in peak traffic,” says Davies. Developing trains is expensive; Davies thinks that “trains will never make money without a subsidy – it doesn’t pay for itself”. But the social and environmental benefits of getting Canterbury’s growing population out of their private vehicles has to be taken into account, too.
While cost is a barrier, Grace-Stent says that preparatory work like business cases are worth doing. “We can do a lot to set the groundwork for future mass rapid transit, we don’t have to be led by Wellington,” they say. “We want to see councils say ‘we have this project, it makes community and financial sense’ and not just wait for funding.” The more detailed existing plans are, the easier it will be to get external funding – whether that’s from the central government or elsewhere.
No matter what investments Canterbury makes in its transport future, Patrick Rooney, spokesperson for The Future is Rail, says, “It’s not an either/or situation, it’s an integrated system.” Auckland and Wellington already have commuter rail services operating along with ferries, buses, bike lanes, private e-scooter and e-bike hire, and regional rail services to Palmerston North and Hamilton. Other parts of Aotearoa have more creative solutions, like on-demand buses in South Canterbury and parts of Otago.
While the recently proposed abolition of regional councillors has some fearing for local democracy, Grace-Stent says that savvy public transport investment needs to happen no matter who is making the decisions. “There’s an opportunity for a dedicated transport authority in Waitaha Canterbury, to look at the system as a whole network – and to get investment happening before traffic gets even worse.”