From Monday 29 April, temporary changes to Grey Street get underway to make a portion of it more people-friendly and vibrant.

The Gisborne District Council is in partnership with Tairāwhiti Adventure Trust (TAT), which is delivering the project, supported financially by Waka Kotahi through their Streets for People programme.

TAT Chair Haimona Ngata says they’re “over the moon excited” to finally see all the hard work come to fruition.

“As a volunteer community organisation, we have worked nonstop on this project for the past year.

“There has been huge national and international interest in this project from some of the world’s most renowned mode shift experts, due to the unique narrative of this project and the collaborative approach between TAT, Council, and Waka Kotahi.”

Work is expected to take four weeks with detours and traffic management in place.

The Streets for People Project covers the area from the Childers Road roundabout to the pedestrian crossing by the Skate Park.

The temporary interventions will include planter boxes and pedestrian crossings to slow traffic and make the area a safer space for everyone to enjoy.

“The Skate Park is a very popular place in our city for children and adults of all ages,” says Council Community Lifelines Director Tim Barry.

“This work will transform this area of Grey Street to encourage more people to use different modes of transport and get an idea of how we can make roads work better for those not travelling around in cars.

“For those who do drive through the area, these changes will add less than a minute to your travel time.

“These installations will be in place for two years to give our community the look and feel of them before permanent decisions are made.

“We hope people will head to this area or pass through it on their way to the central city or the beach and see how small changes can bring big benefits.

“We’d also appreciate your feedback on the design. Please, have your say on our website.”

The total cost of the project has risen to $900,000 due to increased construction costs and to ensure the designs met community aspirations.

Waka Kotahi is funding 90 percent of these costs with Council contributing 10 percent.

The Streets for People programme, Hei Huarahi Oranga, is funded by $30m from the National Land Transport Fund.

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