Community feedback
These safety improvements have been shared with the community, first in 2017, and again in 2021 once funding was confirmed and we had updated our detailed designs.
We appreciated the feedback we received from the community, it has helped us to refine the designs for the safety improvements.
During our recent engagement, we heard some community members were concerned about the proposed removal of some of the trees on High Street.
We have further reviewed our designs and we will keep five trees that were going to be removed.
We will still need to remove some trees to provide space for the new traffic signals. These trees are in the road reserve and we need this space for the turning lanes at the intersections, to help drivers turn right.
Removing trees is not something we ever do lightly, and we have given this a lot of careful thought. Unfortunately, without removing some of the trees, we cannot make the intersections any safer for people walking and driving, nor enable people to easily access the High Street from the side streets.
As part of the project, we will plant nine new trees in planter boxes, and several low-level native planting beds in various locations along High Street and at the intersections. We are also investigating planting a Titoki tree in a new tree pit near the vicinity of Bowater Toyota on High Street. The Titoki tree has been selected as it suits the urban environment.
We will plant Pohutukawa - Metrosideros excelsa cultivars and Titoki - Alectryon excelsus in the planter boxes. It’s important to note, we may need to substitute the species of tree in the planter box if the Pohutukawa or Titoki species are not available. We will let you know if this happens. Alternative species that could be selected are: Broadleaf lime tree - Tilia platyphyllos; Hornbeam - Carpinus betulus; or Golden Elm - Ulmus glabra ‘Lutescens’
In addition to the safety improvements, the Tasman District Council will be progressing a wider plan to improve the urban form of Motueka township in the coming few years. It is expected this work will consider a range of urban design and liveability aspects around the town centre including planting, parking, active travel, public transport, open spaces. This is a longer-term project, which the Council will work with the community on.
For further information, click on the links below:
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