Phase one of work to undo changes made in the controversial Streets for People trial in Grey St, Gisborne, is scheduled to start on February 3. Photo / Gisborne Herald
Phase one of work to undo changes made in the controversial Streets for People trial in Grey St, Gisborne, is scheduled to start on February 3. Photo / Gisborne Herald
Work to reverse changes to Gisborne’s Grey St following a controversial trial will begin next week and could take up to four months to fully complete.
Grey St was redesigned as part of a Streets for People trial, funded 90% by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi and delivered by GisborneDistrict Council in partnership with Tairāwhiti Adventure Trust, which aimed to make Grey St safer and more accessible for all users.
Nearly 90% of 1116 submitters in community consultation between August 2024 and October 2025 felt that the street design had not met its objective.
The trial concluded on July 31 last year, and Gisborne District councillors decided, in a meeting in November, to adopt a hybrid option of reinstating the pre-trial layout between Childers Rd and Kahutia St, and maintaining pedestrian and safety features.
After the Gisborne Herald inquired about the status of Grey St on January 15, the council confirmed in a statement today that phase one of the restoration work will begin on Tuesday next week.
Removal of the green-painted cycle lane and installation of a formal pedestrian crossing on Childers Rd (near Business Applications).
Removal of several speed humps (outside Tyre General and its service lane, and Walter Findlay’s entrance).
Decluttering of signage and traffic-calming elements.
“Council will monitor the street over a two-week period before progressing further removal work to relocate the streetlight from the crossing near to [the] Cosmopolitan Club. Once that is complete, angle parking can be reinstated where the blue cycleway is located,” the council statement said.
The work could take up to four months to fully implement, according to the council.
The project tested a range of temporary street treatments such as traffic calming, pedestrian crossings and a bi-directional cycleway.
The council said an independent review had “confirmed the trial successfully reduced vehicle speeds and improved crossing safety, but also highlighted key issues – particularly around parking access, confusing layouts and usability for larger vehicles".
The council met on-site with representatives from Tairāwhiti Adventure Trust and the Grey St Restoration Group, who had held weekly protests against the street for more than a year, to confirm the next steps late last year.
In a statement, council director for community lifelines Tim Barry said it was important to bring both groups together and work through what was practical and cost-effective.
“There was general agreement to focus on the section between Childers Rd and Kahutia St first, while retaining key pedestrian safety improvements,” Barry said.
The council said the parties came to “general approval” regarding removing elements from Childers Rd to Kahutia St and keeping the crossing points.
“All parties agreed that costs needed to be kept down, so reinstatement will be phased and integrated with contractor maintenance programmes where possible,” Barry said.
“We know the project has sparked strong views across the community. We’re now taking a managed, phased approach that balances road user safety, affordability and practicality.
“There won’t be further public consultation at this stage – we’re working directly with the main groups involved and focusing on making the street work better for everyone.”
Removal of the green-painted cycle lane and installation of a formal pedestrian crossing on Childers Rd, removal of several speed humps and de-cluttering of signage and traffic-calming elements will take place in phase one of the restoration work. Photo / Gisborne Herald
Grey St Restoration Group spokeswoman Trish Atkins said it was great to see movement with the street, but she was disappointed by how long it had taken.
“I understand some of the constraints of council but, even so, the community has been waiting a long time for something to happen and it seems like they are just dragging it out again,” Atkins said.
“It is good that the council have listened to the public, I just wish they had done something a little bit sooner and a little bit more definitive.”
The work will be done by local contractors, with many elements to be reused or repurposed elsewhere.
