Roundabout, courtesy crossing and pocket park trials begin this week in Gore

This week, the Gore District Council begins to trial courtesy crossings and roundabouts to improve safety and traffic flow in Gore as part of its Streets Alive programme.

The temporary roundabouts will be located at six of Gore’s busiest intersections, including the town’s first jellybean roundabout, an extended version of the traditional roundabout. The roundabouts are designed to ease congestion.

Roundabouts will be placed at the following intersections:

• Irk and Fairfield streets,

• Irwell and Fairfield streets,

• Kitchener and Broughton streets,

• Coutts Road and Broughton Street, and

• Ardwick and Crewe streets.

The jellybean roundabout will be located where Broughton Street intersects with Crombie and Pomona Streets. The Council has worked closely with emergency services on this roundabout to ensure their vehicles can navigate over it when responding to an incident.

The roundabouts will differ from the traditional larger, raised roundabouts, but the same road rules apply.

Roading Asset Manager Peter Standring said the roundabouts were a simple way to slow all traffic coming into the intersection, rather than allowing one direction to travel straight through.

‘‘Roundabouts are generally safer for drivers and pedestrians crossing near the intersection,’’ Mr Standring said.

The roundabouts will be painted on the road, and standard roundabout give way signs and markings will be installed on each approach to the intersection.

The trial roundabouts will be monitored for safety and ease of use, and tweaked if necessary.

“It is important to remember when approaching a roundabout that drivers should slow and give way to the right while using indicators to show which way you are travelling.”

Temporary courtesy crossings are also being rolled out throughout Gore this week.

These will create more safe crossing opportunities throughout Gore as well as encourage motorists to reduce speed, Mr Standring said.

The crossings include a central refuge, as Gore’s wide streets sometimes make it difficult for people to cross safely.

“Unlike zebra crossings, where pedestrians have the right of way, vehicles have the right of way approaching a courtesy crossing.

“Pedestrians must wait until no vehicles are coming before crossing. However, vehicles must stop at a courtesy crossing if someone is already on it.”

Courtesy crossings will be located on Robertson Street, Broughton Street, Wayland Street, Ardwick Street, Ordsal Street, Trafford Street, Wigan Street, Crewe Street, Richmond Street and Coutts Road.

Larger crossings will be located at the intersections of Wigan and Bury streets, Eccles and Elsie streets, Ardwick, William and Irk streets, and Crewe and Ardwick streets.

Next week, the Council will be creating five temporary pocket parks. A pocket park is a park-like space where one end of a street is partially or entirely blocked.

These alter traffic flow in the local area, reducing congestion and improving safety for all road users. These temporary changes in the area around Gore High School, St Peter’s College and West Gore School are designed to make it easier and safer for school students getting to and from school.

These initiatives are on trial for three months. Community feedback will be a significant factor in helping the Council decide what initiatives may become permanent.

A survey will be coming out in the next few weeks. If you have any comments, feel free to go to Let’s Talk project page to join the conversation www.lets.talk.goredc.govt.nz/streets-alive or email streetsalives@goredc.govt.nz.