Innovating Streets for People update

The Innovating Streets for People programme, established by New Zealand Transort Agency, NZTA continues to make our towns and cities more people friendly and accessible with a range of different projects being trialled over the summer. Councils have been working with their communities to co-design solutions that can be tested on the ground. Recent projects include: • Safer school streets, Tākaka - Tasman District Council has been busy putting in improvements outside Golden Bay High School at a high-risk intersection to support safer journeys to school • West Quay, Napier – improvements to the hospitality quarter have been introduced turning the area into a more people friendly precinct • Pop-up parklets, Wellington - Wellington City Council launched three parklets in Newtown, Allen Street and Te Aro (which has a garden-watering bike), creating more space for people outside local businesses • Eat, drink and play spaces, New Plymouth - two eat, meet and play spaces on Devon Street East are being trialled in the space of nine car parks. The spaces have a great level of community support from local business owners whose customers have new places to sit and eat • ‘Streets for People’, Cambridge - Waipā District Council is rolling out multiple changes to the town centre, including a pop-up cycleway and improvements to intersections which will help kids get to school safely • ‘Streets Alive’, Gore – Gore District Council will soon be rolling out a number of initiatives including street art, wayfinding signage and pocket parks, making the town more inviting and safer for all users. Kathryn King, Urban Mobility Manager says: “The Innovating Streets programme is trialling around 70 projects all over the country. It’s fantastic to see how the projects are helping make streets safer and more accessible and so far, feedback has been positive.” Top photo: West Quay, Napier, photos below: Pop-up parklets in Wellington.