As part of our Streets for People trial, we’ve recently made some changes to central Guyton Street and lower St Hill Street – and we’re keen to hear your thoughts on them.
The changes on Guyton Street include:
- a new roundabout at the intersection with Wicksteed Street
- raised platforms crossing the street to reduce vehicle speeds and improve pedestrian safety
- remarked carpark spaces to ensure parking spaces are consistent in size (meaning we avoid any net carpark loss)
- a new community space at 94 Guyton Street, now known as Corwen Park
- new street furniture along Guyton Street, made from recycled or repurposed timber
- a range of native plantings in planter boxes
- a range of community art installations - including art lightboxes, decal art on vacant shop windows, pavement art, and a mural in Corwen Park
- a new water fountain
- advanced stop boxes for cyclists at the Victoria Avenue traffic lights.
The changes on St Hill Street include:
- new and improved bus shelter facilities
- new street furniture made from recycled timber
- special bus shelter decals celebrating the journey of the kūaka (bar-tailed godwit)
- a range of native plantings
Give us feedback
Background
In September 2022, the council secured $1.27M of central government funding through Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency's 'Streets for People' programme for two town centre projects - streetscape improvements on central Guyton Street and a new public transport hub on lower St Hill Street.
The funding has enabled council to work in partnership with the community to co-design streetscape improvements to:
- improve public transport connections
- enhance safety and convenience for pedestrians and cyclists
- make our streets more inviting, people-friendly spaces.
The infrastructure used for these projects is all semi-permanent so that elements can changed or removed if we hear feedback that things aren’t quite working. Depending on community feedback over the course of the trial, some of the elements could eventually become permanent.
Funding from Waka Kotahi will cover 90 percent of the project costs, with the council covering the remaining 10 percent (largely from our business-as-usual road maintenance budget).
You can read more about Whanganui's Streets for People projects here.