Why ‘wayfinding’ is Taupo¯ ’s new buzz
New layouts will make navigation easier for everyone
The focus is on Titiraupenga St as plans unfold for a major revamp of the Taupo¯ town centre. The Taupo¯ Town Centre Transformation project includes developing pedestrian malls, linking the waterfront to public spaces and the town, completely rethinking car parking, and a second Waikato River crossing.
Titiraupenga St is set to become the new arterial route past the town centre. It will have traffic lights at Spa Rd, Horomatangi St, and Heuheu St. There will be compulsory stops at all other intersections, including Tamamutu St where there will be a change in priority.
All the $20.6 million funding for the change is from the government’s shovel-ready fund.
Final design details are still being hammered out, however Titiraupenga St upgrade project manager Izelda Cruz shared the design so far with the Taupo¯ & Tu¯rangi Weekender. She said the new road will have to accommodate heavy traffic, pedestrians, visitors and those with accessibility needs.
Traffic from the north will come along Spa Rd, and be encouraged on to Titiraupenga St from where vehicles can peel off to access the CBD or continue on to Lake Terrace. Traffic lights at the Spa Rd/ Titiraupenga St intersection will provide for pedestrians and cyclists.
Izelda said important considerations were enabling students from Taupo¯ -nui-a-Tia College to access the town, and providing a safe crossing point for walkers. Going the other way, there will be a dedicated lefthand turn from Titiraupenga St into Spa Rd.
Scannell St has a compulsory stop and no right turn because of the close proximity to the Spa Rd intersection.
The Paora Hapi St intersection is a compulsory stop and will feature improved pedestrian access to the town, with pedestrian refuges and tactile strips at crossing points.
Drivers on Tamamutu St will come to a halt at a compulsory stop when they get to Titiraupenga St. Pedestrian islands will be at each leg of the intersection.
Izelda said drivers using Tamamutu St to access the CBD may decide to use another street instead.
To help with access to and from Taupo¯ Primary School, a pedestrian mall is already planned for Horomatangi St where it joins Titiraupenga St. Traffic lights and a signalised pedestrian crossing at this intersection will enable school children to safely walk from home to school and back again. There will be no right-hand turn from Horomatangi St onto Titiraupenga St. Izelda said this crossing was quite a challenge to design, with the crossing giving priority to pedestrians at peak school drop off and pick up times.
A second pedestrian crossing is planned to provide a safe crossing for lunchtime play in the community park diagonally across the road from the school.
The Heuheu St intersection will have traffic lights and pedestrian crossings at all four legs. The existing cycle lane into the CBD will be maintained and Izelda said wayfinding signs will show that this street is a gateway to the CBD.
“We have parents telling us that they feel very unsafe crossing the road here, and that they will welcome a safe pedestrian crossing,” said Izelda.
The Tuwharetoa St and Roberts St intersections with Titiraupenga St will have pedestrian crossing points with pedestrian refuges.
“Visitors to our town will feel safe crossing at these intersections. It is what you already see in other town and residents in the adjoining apartments have told us they can’t wait for this to happen as it will improve their safety.”
There will be a compulsory stop at Northcroft St where it meets Titiraupenga St, and no right turn from Northcroft St into Titiraupenga St as the intersection is too close to the bigger intersection at Lake Terrace.
Traffic will be encouraged to turn left from Lake Terrace into Titiraupenga St, and there will be no right turn from Titiraupenga St into Lake Terrace.
“Drivers will have had multiple opportunities to turn right before they get to Lake Terrace.”
Izelda said wayfinding will play a big part in the success of Titiraupenga St as an arterial road, and plenty of signs will help drivers get into the town centre or continue onto the lakefront.
“The network design is very forgiving. If you miss a turn on your car’s GPS, then never mind, you can turn at the next street.”
She said local drivers will find this network far more efficient because getting through intersections will be easier, and in turn this will take more traffic off the other streets.
The pedestrian mall and the signalised crossing is being constructed now on Horomatangi St, at the Titiraupenga St intersection.
This work is expected to take six weeks, and to provide the least amount of disruption to Taupo¯ Primary School. This portion of Titiraupenga St will be partly or fully closed for five days during next month’s school holidays.