"However, the truth will be in the pudding - planning is all good and well but I wouldn't declare we've succeeded before my family and neighbours can actually drive, walk and cycle Vogel St safely."
Cr Brent Barrett said the petition raised a broad range of concerns.
"The overall clear message that we got through that petition is that Vogel St isn't working, that it is unsafe, that it's a barrier to people crossing and especially challenging for people walking, people on bikes, and that it's taken quite a hammering as we all know when we go and visit that area."
Cr Lorna Johnson said it was important when the community raised an issue with the council, elected members took it seriously.
"It's a good signal to the community that when they bring issues to our attention we are prepared to look into them and see what needs to be done."
Cr Rachel Bowen said the community was finding Vogel St a barrier to the life they wanted to live and the life the council advocated for residents.
"I have grandchildren who have to cross from Rangiora and Vogel St and have to guess at what speed cars, trucks and motorbikes are travelling as nine out of 10 vehicles are speeding," one signatory wrote.
"I travel this road every day to and from work. I have seen many near misses with children and cars. Something needs to change," another signatory wrote.
The following are also comments from signatories.
"We witness near misses every day. Vogel St is a major problem to cross at most times of the day."
"Vogel St surface is in terrible condition. It is normal to see drivers swerving to avoid the dips and potholes."
"Vogel St is a child's death waiting to happen."
Under already-budgeted funding, the pedestrian crossing at the Vogel St shopping centre is planned to be upgraded to a raised platform in the 2022-23 financial year.
The council also agreed to increase the annual footpath renewal/maintenance budget by $150,000.
Cr Susan Baty said about 50 per cent of the city's footpaths were fair or poor, according to a recent report. She would have liked to put $500,000 more into the footpath budget, but knew that wouldn't get through. Baty thought $150,000 was reasonable.
Mayor Grant Smith said it was not a budget issue but a completion issue. "Are we going to ever complete the budget? I'm yet to see it."
Sinclair said while road maintenance contractor Fulton Hogan had taken a while to resource up, and that had led to some programming challenges compounded by the pandemic, it was now adequately resourced.
Fulton Hogan were not the only people who could deliver the footpath programme; the council had some capability in house as well as external providers.
Cr Leonie Hapeta said she heard from the community regularly about the state of footpaths.
Cr Lew Findlay said he hoped to see footpaths in areas where they were really bad given priority over areas where they were not.
The council has 565.3km of footpaths. The infrastructure committee last month heard nearly all the grade 4 poor and grade 5 very poor footpaths were in Awapuni, West End, Takaro and Roslyn.
