Garry Moore on the Christchurch Northern Corridor

Last night we held the first CHAT club meet – advertised here. Former mayor Garry Moore spoke on the history behind the under-construction Christchurch Northern Corridor, ably supported by Axel Wilke and MC’d by Glen Koorey.

For anyone who missed it, Axel has done a write-up here and made his slides available here. If you like history his slides are definitely worth a look – he traced a fascinating tale of mad 1960s elevated motorways over the central city, how close we came to having a motorway through Hagley Park, through to the southern and northern motorways now being built, and the little-known history behind the Moa Reserve.

Garry then spoke on his role in opposing the Christchurch Northern Corridor. My main takeaway was how transport engineering is only one cog in a much bigger machine when it comes to city-shaping transport infrastructure. If we’re to get the right outcomes we need to have one eye on the bigger picture; the political battles playing out, the personal dynamics of the different decision-makers, the different perspectives people from different backgrounds have (urban designers, landscape architects, ecologists, economists, small business owners, residents, public health professionals, etc etc). Garry’s talk was followed by some animated discussion between locals and City Councillors Sara Templeton and Mike Davison who had generously given up their evenings to be present.

All up it was an entertaining and informative evening. Our next event is on Monday 29 October, where Councillor Sara Templeton will speak on Bikelash. Same place (Bailies Bar, Edgeware), same time (6pm). Facebook event here https://www.facebook.com/events/723356804695435/ and feel free to join the CHAT Club group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/248229305886431/.