Rachael Kelly13:39, Jun 30 2021
Robyn Edie/Stuff
The Gore District Council’s Streets Alive road safety project has ended after a three-month trial. (File photo)
The Gore District Councils controversial ‘Streets Alive’ road safety project has come to an end after a three-month trial, and it says there have been some positive outcomes. Motorists were travelling at slower speeds around schools, there was better traffic flow at problem intersections, and temporary furniture in Irk Street had proved popular with the majority of businesses in the area. Roading asset manager Peter Standring said the temporary furniture was likely to stay short-term, while the council worked with businesses to develop a permanent solution, and roundabouts and intersection changes would remain in place until it was able to analyse feedback.
The shortfall would mean some bridges would likely need to close in the short-to-medium term and for longer, and some roads would require long-term speed restrictions to manage deterioration as the work to maintain the roads and bridges to the standard they were now would be spread out longer, Tong said. “Waka Kotahi provides 52 per cent of our roading budget, and we were informed last week it would fund only 85 per cent of what we requested – $15 million less to work on our bridges and roading over the next three years. That means to do the same amount of work council would need to find another $7.5 million from rates or reserves.”
Rachael Kelly/Stuff
The Gore District Council has spent $18,000 on fairy lights, which are being put up in the town before the Tussock Country Music Festival begins on Saturday.
The Gore District Council has spent $18,000 on fairy lights for the town’s central business area. They will be up in time for the inaugural Tussock Country Music Festival, which begins on Saturday, but Gore district roading asset manager Peter Standring said the lights would become a permanent fixture. During the next week about 700m high quality icicle fairy lights will be put up on both sides of the Main St, between the Mersey S/Main St roundabout and Hokonui Dr/Medway St/Main St roundabout.
He could not say how many planters would be removed, but they would be gone before the end of the week, he said. The council has repeatedly asked for vandalism of the concrete troughs, which are being used as planters, to stop. The planters are part of a three-month trial of its Streets Alive project, which has changed some layouts for traffic around the town, by adding pocket parks, planters, roundabouts and courtesy crossings. The $1 million trial is mainly funded by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency s Innovative Streets fund, and it aims to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety, and reduce speeding and congestion.
Six weeks - that s how long Gore District Council has left to make peace with residents upset over a roading project trial in their Southland town.
Gore District Council roading asset manager Peter Standring squats next to a vandalised planter box.
Photo: LDR / Sandy Eggleston
Discontent has bubbled over following the rollout of a Streets Alive project two months ago. Street calming planter boxes have been repeatedly vandalised, more than 1000 people have signed a petition and a council meeting this week burst at the seams with vocal locals.
The nearly $1 million roading project aimed to make Gore s streets both safer and more accessible.