Gore's Streets Alive trials to be rolled out in March

Friday, 18 December 2020

The Gore District Council will trial a range of initiatives in Gore as part of its Streets Alive programme.

Pavement marking, street art, and pocket parks will all be trialled in Gore as part of the council’s Streets Alive project in 2021.

The trials, which are initiatives aimed at making Gore’s streets safer, more accessible for everyone and the town more people-friendly, will begin in March.

The council received $900,000 funding from Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency, for the project earlier this year.

Gore district council roading asset manager and project lead Peter Standring said the team has been working really hard to line up projects throughout the town.

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“We are looking at trialling adjustments to a few key roads to calm traffic and improve safety for everyone.”

“On some roads we will look to make crossing the traffic safer by introducing pavement marking and planters to narrow the travelling carriageway. This will not only reduce the crossing distance for pedestrians and cyclists but also lower the average traffic speeds.

“We’ll also be organising more creative interventions such as street art, a play trial area and pocket parks – spaces in urban areas where people can sit and relax, or children can enjoy an activity such as hopscotch.”

Standring said community engagement in the latter half of this year gave the team six key themes to work with.

“This is a great opportunity for the Gore community to trial adjustments to our roading network and other lively community initiatives aimed at improving our quality of life.”

“The important word to remember here is ‘trial’. The initiatives are three-month trials. Community feedback will determine whether the initiatives become long-term,” Standring said.

Detailed information about the proposed trials will be publicised in late February and early March to let the community know what’s happening before the trials get under way.

“Alongside the community feedback we will be monitoring the initiatives to measure how effective and efficient they are, before any long-term change and investment decisions are made,” Standring said.

In November, Gore district councillor Doug Grant blasted the council about a perceived lack of consultation after he learnt that Irk Street, the street his business was on, could be closed to traffic as part of a Streets Alive trial, by reading about it in the newspaper.