Councillors Give Streets Alive Trials the Go Ahead

Streets Alive trials will get underway next month after the Gore District Council approved the activation phase of the project at its meeting today (9 February).

Gore District Council Roading Manager and Streets Alive project lead Peter Standring said the project team was looking forward to delivering initiatives identified from community workshops held last year.

“We’re excited to be trialling key interventions and activities, and getting feedback from the community on their success or otherwise.”

The trial initiatives link back to the six themes that came out of the community workshops. The themes were:

• Creative street spaces

• Consideration of a pedestrian-friendly area

• Easing congestion and enhancing safety

• Opportunities for safer road crossings and connecting spaces and wayfinding.

• Connecting spaces and places

• Wayfinding

The trials will start in March and run for three months.

Street art will be the first activity to be rolled out under the Streets Alive banner. Eleven street artists will be in Gore in late February to paint vibrant street art on the blank walls of selected commercial buildings. The murals will form an art walking trail.

“We’ve had some incredible support from commercial property owners and are grateful they’ve made their properties available,” Mr Standring said.

Other Streets Alive initiatives include roading adjustments to ease congestion and improve safety such as courtesy crossings, signage and information boards, parklets and landscaping.

There will also be five pocket parks where one end of a street is partially or fully temporarily blocked to through traffic.

A key feature of Streets Alive has been the community `co-design’ of the project and the flexibility to incorporate community feedback throughout the development stage.

“Our close relationship with the community will be maintained throughout the trial. We will be seeking feedback on whether people think a specific initiative is working or not, or what could be different.

“In streets where residents may be more closely impacted by an initiative, we will be letting them know in advance about the trial specific to their area so they are aware of what’s coming,” Mr Standring said.

From late March people will be able to provide feedback through the project page on Let’s Talk, through a survey, and at caravan drop-in sessions that will be held close to trial locations.

It was important to remember these are trials for three months, Mr Standring said.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for Gore to test out changes that potentially could make the town more people-friendly, safer and more accessible for everyone, now and in the future - no matter how people get around.

“All we ask is for people to have an open mind, be patient and recognise the possibilities.”

The Council secured $900,000 funding from NZTA’s Innovative Streets programme for Streets Alive, with another $100,000 contributed by Council.