Pedestrian-friendly trials afoot in Gore
It will be the biggest change to Gore’s streets since the infamous centre parks were removed from Main St.
More than 400 planters, pocket parks and a ‘‘jellybean roundabout’’ will transform the streets of Gore this month as the Gore District Council rolls out its Streets Alive project.
Throughout March, a series of initiatives designed to make Gore’s streets safer and more accessible will appear in the town as part of a three-month trial.
The council has spent $100,000 on the project, with a further $900,000 coming from Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency’s Innovative Streets fund.
Street art has already been painted on walls around town as part of the project, and this had been popular with residents.
However, district council roading asset manager and project lead Peter Standring said the council appreciated that some of the next trials would be challenging for people, and even frustrating.
‘‘At first glance people may wonder how temporarily blocking off one end of Broughton and Eccles streets could help ease speed and congestion. It’s important to look at the big picture – they are about calming traffic in areas where speed and traffic are becoming an issue.’’
In November last year, councillor Doug Grant blasted the council about a lack of consultation after he learnt from reading it in the newspaper that the council planned to trial the closure of Irk St.
After consultation with retailers, parklets with cafe-style seating would be introduced on Irk St, and it would remain open to traffic.
‘‘Retailers’ biggest concern was about parking, but this project is also about making it a more desirable area to shop,’’ Standring said.
Some of the biggest changes for motorists would be in residential streets. In five locations, a pocket park would be used to partially or fully block off a street, and 45 courtesy crossings would be introduced.
Seven new roundabouts, including a jellybean-shaped one at the intersection of Broughton, Pomona and Crombie streets, would also be painted onto streets.
A cycleway creating a safe passage through town would be introduced, and a play trail would be established with the help of Sport Southland.
Standring said safety was paramount and if any initiative proved to be unsafe for road users then it would be removed. Signage warning motorists that there was a new traffic layout would be put up.
Gore District mayor Tracy Hicks said change was the one constant in life, but it was something that people struggled with.
‘‘When the council proposed to remove the centre parks from Main St, there was some staunch opposition from within and outside of council – myself included. I was on the wrong side of that argument and I believe what we have now is [better] than what we ever had before in terms of doing business,’’ Hicks said.
‘‘Not all of this will be unanimously endorsed and not all of it will be successful. But if we don’t try, we don’t know.’’
It was important residents gave feedback during the three months so the council could decide which trials would become permanent.