8 November 2016 | SOUTHERN REGION

Waimakariri commuters: Tell us about your daily drive, win $100

The NZ Transport Agency and Waimakariri District Council are working together to look at ways to tackle morning peak congestion and make the journey between Waimakariri and Christchurch safer and easier.

People who regularly travel between North Canterbury and Christchurch during peak periods are being asked to take part in an annual research survey and share their experiences.

Participants will go into the draw to win one of 10 restaurant vouchers worth $100 each.

The Transport Agency’s Southern Regional Director, Jim Harland says the information gathered will provide further insight into people’s journey experiences on the northern corridor and help identify issues and possible solutions on the network.

Last year almost 400 people who travel on the route were surveyed. Results showed that 90 per cent drove, however around 80 per cent indicated that they would be open to carpooling or already carpool.

“Carpooling or taking public transport, even a few days a week would make a big difference to congestion heading towards Christchurch,” Jim Harland says.

“As the population of Waimakariri continues to grow we want to find out if people’s experiences and expectations have changed so we can tailor what we are doing to best suit their needs and address identified problems.”

The online research survey goes live on Friday 18 November. People keen to take part can register online at waimakariri.govt.nz

Waimakariri District Council Mayor, David Ayers says: “We want as many people as possible to participate in the survey to share their views on their journey into Christchurch. Council will continue to work closely with the NZ Transport Agency on solutions to improve journey times.”

Those registered will be sent a link to questions once a week for a month, with each completed survey earning an entry into the competition.

The survey, carried out by Christchurch market research company, Research First, has been split into four sections to make it easier for respondents to participate with four short five minute surveys rather than one large survey.

The research survey is part of a collection of measures designed to address congestion between Waimakariri and Christchurch. Others include the promotion of car-pooling, park-and-ride schemes, changes to bus service routes and frequency, the introduction of variable speed limits before the city end of the motorway and, longer term, the construction of the Western Belfast Bypass and the Christchurch Northern Corridor.

The results of the 2015 survey can be found here.

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