NZTA's Innovative Streets 'tactical urbanism' coming to a town near you

Sunday, 18 April 2021

Planters are appearing on streets all over the country as councils receive funding from Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency’s $28 million Innovating Streets for People pilot fund. These ones are in Gore.

Dots painted on Dunedin's George Street proved to be controversial when they appeared overnight, and now have to be removed.

In Gore, concrete planters have been upended and rolled down streets and plants have been strewn across roads.

In Mosgiel, residents renamed planters “road weed troughs” and signed a petition to have them removed, and in Nelson, an intersection with four stop signs confused motorists.

All over the country Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency’s $28 million Innovating Streets for People pilot fund is rolling out pocket parks, cycle lanes and courtesy crossings to help councils create more people-friendly spaces in towns and cities, and while some have been a success, the trials don’t always work.

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The Gore District Council has installed a 'pocket park' at the end of Eccles Street at the intersection with State Highway 1, which has prompted concerns about ambulances travelling to Gore Hospital, which is further down the street.

That's the whole idea. The fund allows councils to trial new traffic layouts, before spending big money to make them permanent.

Waka Kotahi urban mobility manager Kathryn King said the Innovative Streets programme aimed to make it faster and easier to transition streets to safer and more liveable spaces, using a technique called tactical urbanism, which allowed faster delivery of ‘people-friendly’ street changes in urban areas where space is a premium.

“There are over 60 Innovating Streets pilots taking place around the country. They include safe streets around schools, so children can get some exercise and out into nature on their way to school, ‘low traffic neighbourhoods’ where streets are made much quieter by reducing rat-running, and town centre revitalisations to make business districts more vibrant,'’ King said.

But people don’t always deal well with change, and the trials aren't always well-received.

The dots on George St, Dunedin, have started to fade.

In Gore, where the $1 million Streets Alive project is underway, the council has twice had to call on residents to stop vandalising concrete planters on streets, and assured residents that it was working with emergency services after a street that accessed the town’s hospital was closed to traffic.

But there have also been positives – street art painted on some buildings in the central business area has been popular with residents, as had seating outside cafés on Irk St.

Council roading asset manager Peter Standring said the trial had resulted in less speeding and less heavy traffic on some streets.

”Has it added some vibrancy to the town centre? Yes it has. Has slowed down traffic? Yes it has. Has it made crossings safer for people to get across roads? Yes it has.

“The objectives for this project were set by the community and at the end of the three-month trial we’ll take their feedback on board and go from there.’’

The opening of the Thames Coromandel District Council's ‘Create the Vibe Thames’ project.

A Dunedin City councillor rubbished his own council after it painted dots on George St in the central city, which aimed to promote social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic. The NZ Tranport Agency has now asked the council to remove them, but the council said they will be left to fade.

It also received Innovative Streets funding for the Mosgiel-Taieri Safer School Streets project.

But planter boxes installed in residential streets weren't popular and after a petition was circulated, they were removed.

DCC group manager transport Jeanine Benson said: ”Following community feedback, we made changes to the trial infrastructure and have asked for further feedback.'’

The funding was used to test trial crossing points and intersection improvements near schools and on routes to schools in the Mosgiel-Taieri area, and aimed to improve safety in the area.

Other trials around the country

Auckland (suburb of Henderson) temporary changes are being trialled to direct traffic around the Henderson ‘ring road’ on Alderman Drive. Bus lanes, artwork, trial crossings, shared paths and a parklet are in place until the end of June.
Whanganui plans are in place to make Drews Avenue more vibrant, people-friendly and responsive to climate change.

But the NZ Transport Agency points to the Create the Vibe Thames project as a bit more of a success story.

The Thames Coromandel District Council created a new public space by closing part of the town centre to traffic, and used seating and tables, shade, greenery, lighting, bike racks, road art and designs from Thames artists on concrete planters.

It has hosted community events in the space.

Council landscape architect and project manager Hannah-Rose White said so far the trial was going ‘’really well'’.

“The fact that it was used by students mounting a climate change awareness march as their start/finish point shows that people are viewing the civic hub space we’ve created as a de facto town square – which was the intention,’’ she said.

”We’ve had a great deal of feedback, both positive and negative.’’

As a result of the feedback, changes would be made, including adding murals, and shifting the Create the Vibe HQ container that is bookable for community groups, she said.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency contributed $320,125.50 to the project, while the Thames Community Board paid $35,569.50.

King said the Innovative Streets fund allowed communities across the country to be directly involved in shaping the way a project was created and delivered.

Whether any of the current trials will become permanent will depend on the feedback the respective councils get.

“Now the community is getting to experience that design in real life, to see if it works and provide feedback on what they like and what they don’t.

“For this process to be successful, feedback throughout the trial period is vital, along with clear outcomes such as reduced speeds around schools. This allows the project team to evolve the trial and continually learn what’s working and what might need adjusting.”