Gisborne's Grey Street revamp set for November

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A new-look Grey Street will be vibrant, colourful, safer for foot and cycle traffic and will connect the city to the sea by early November,

That is when a Tairāwhiti Adventure Trust-driven Grey Street Streets for People project is scheduled to be “installed” over four days.

The project extends from the Childers Road intersection to Kahutia Street in an area referred to as Midtown, and from Kahutia Street to the i-Site complex in an area called Downtown.

The project is government-funded and being delivered by Tairāwhiti Adventure Trust (TAT) in partnership with Gisborne District Council and Waka Kotahi.

TAT chair Haimona Ngata and secretary Amy Spence made a presentation of the design to the council’s operations committee.

The design features planter boxes, dual-way cycleways, bollards, active and pop-up play zones, pedestrian crossings, speed chicanes, and areas for food trucks and nearby seating. Pop-up events can also be held in the area and a bike recycling station will operate next to Alfred Cox Park.

A number of car parks will be lost while others will become parallel parks because they are safer for cyclists. Planter boxes will be located in the middle of the road in painted areas to slow down motorists.

Ms Spence said the Kahutia Street intersection was busy and dangerous and would become one-way only.

Mr Ngata said it was expected Kahutia Street would become “a hot topic” but the beauty of a project which used temporary infrastructure was that changes could be made a month or two after an assessment.

Ms Spence said the drop-off/pick-up zone in Grey Street had resulted in “carnage and huge complaints” for six weeks. But from the seventh week the public had developed an understanding of its purpose, and feedback since had only been positive.

The trust was ready for “a lot of kickback” because of the planned changes.

But public feedback in several months time was expected to be of a similar nature with some possible changes sought.

Councillors were told public consultation was carried out at the Grey Street food festival, attended by 7000 people, and also at a pizzeria. Parking and traffic surveys were also carried out.

Questioned by councillor Andy Cranston, Mr Ngata said some design details were being finalised and would be followed by kanohi ki te kanohi (face to face) consultation with the public.

The trust would “take on board” any calls for changes.

The design was at a 3D stage and was “very malleable”.

Mayor Rehette Stoltz thanked the trust for its work. Some people would be excited by the project although change could be tough, she said.

“We look forward to seeing whatever comes out of your consultation.”

The Grey Street project is one of two projects successful in getting Streets for People funding.

The purpose of Streets for People is to use temporary infrastructure to create and trial safer, easier and more attractive streets for communities to walk, bike or use public transport as an alternative to a car.

Mr Ngata told councillors Ūawa had been awarded similar funding.