A spokeswoman for the protesters, Trish Atkins, told Local Democracy Reporting she was “pleased” to get her Wednesday afternoons back.
She was “pretty happy” with the outcome but also “a little bit concerned” as many details were still “up in the air”.
Atkins said she hoped the council followed through and that there would be “a wide community feedback as to what should stay, what should go, what’s working and what’s not”.
At the meeting, Atkins raised several concerns from the “Wednesday Grey Street Restoration Group”.
The street had gone “from a nice, wide, straight commercial-friendly road to a windy go-kart track that had introduced daily dangers”.
Among the concerns, Atkins noted that new crossings included a mixture of pedestrian and courtesy crossings.
Most road users “liked consistency”, she said.
The group wanted a full reversal of the project, but if any of the crossings were to stay, the group suggested courtesy crossings except for the skatepark’s pedestrian crossing, which could be retained for “additional safety”.
Amy Spence and Haimona Ngata – spokespeople for Tairāwhiti Adventure Trust, which delivered the project in partnership with the council – said the project’s “passive transport” initiatives had been in development for over a decade.
After completing the Alfred Cox Skatepark and pump track in 2022/23, the trust realised there were “heaps of kids” in the area and they needed to slow traffic down, Ngata said.
Spence said there had been three near-misses reported as children “had to leg it across the road”.
After a few incident reports, it became evident traffic needed to be slowed down and there needed to be a safe crossing, Spence said.
This led the trust and the Gisborne District Council to apply to the NZ Transport Agency for funding through the Streets for People initiative.
For the initial phase, a safe crossing was constructed across Grey St by the skatepark, with a five-minute drop-off zone.
“A big stumbling block” was communications for the project, which was led by the council, said Spence.
In November 2024, councillors voted to return the Grey St and Kahutia intersection to its former state, after a report found “unintended” safety issues.
Spence said she understood people did not like the original design, and parts had been adjusted, but if you reverted the project, “someone will be killed – not if, but when”.
“And that’s not through the death threats that I have received on this either,” she said.
“Tairāwhiti Adventure Trust remains in the opinion that we need to slow traffic down and protect users of Alfred Cox hub, and we will remain advocating for an active community.”
Councillors considered four options put forward after an independent review, along with the possibility of modifying or hybridising options.
The council’s director for community lifelines, Tim Barry, said that concerns raised, which included road width and straightness, amenity for bus usage, street furniture and parking, were elements that could be adequately addressed.
Option 1 was to “do nothing”, while Option 2 was “a full reversal”.
Option 3 was “pedestrian priority” – the removal of the cycleway markings, separators and signage, but keeping the pedestrian facilities, such as the zebra and raised crossings, and reinstating angle parking. There would also be a full reseal of the carriageway to remove the surface artwork.
Option 4 was the “pedestrian and cyclist shared path”, which would retain the pedestrian and safety aspects of the trial, reinstate car parks and create a shared facility for pedestrians and cyclists.
Councillor Aubrey Ria said initially she was in favour of Option 4, because she wanted to consider the cyclist aspect and the health and well-being indicators for future generations.
“But given that Option 4 comes with no NZTA funding, I do feel it is unfair for that full costing to fall back on the ratepayer.”
She believed the street design should be a combination of Option 2 (full removal) and Option 3 (pedestrian priority).
“I absolutely agree that the pedestrian crossing that is right outside the skatepark is very necessary.”
Mayor Rehette Stoltz said it “piqued her interest” when Atkins mentioned the different crossings on the street.
She also leaned towards a mix of Options 2 and 3, while definitely keeping the crossing at the skatepark.
“One of the aims of this trial was to try and slow traffic down in the area, but also keep it functional for ambulances and businesses, which this layout did not do.”
Chief executive Nedine Thatcher Swann said another option to slow traffic could be to reduce the speed limit in the area to 40km/h.
Councillors voted on a hybrid of Options 2 and 3 – a full reversal, but retaining prioritised areas that were working, such as the raised crossing area by the skatepark. There would be further consultation with the community.
The option was moved by councillor Colin Alder and seconded by Ria.
