Rolleston town centre roading and public spaces - what do you think?

Traffic engineers Stantec and project landscape architects have completed the detailed design of the Rolleston town centre public realm and roading design for Tennyson Street upgrades, and the Wordsworth Street extension.

These detailed designs are based on community feedback gathered through prior consultation, along with input from Council staff and expert designers’ vision.

Tennyson Street upgrades

It is proposed that Tennyson Street has a 30km/h speed limit with 3.2m-wide traffic lanes, regular kerb extensions and raised platforms.

This design creates a safe environment for cyclists when sharing the road with motor vehicles, so cycle lanes have not been proposed. While vehicle speeds will be low, the road will still have capacity for the forecast peak hour traffic volume of 500 to 600 vehicles per hour.

The footpaths on each side of the road have been made as wide as possible, while still providing space for traffic lanes and parking. The paths on each side of the street have been shown as shared, as it has been recognised that some cyclists may prefer to ride on the pavement rather than the carriageway.

Wordsworth Street

The slow speed environment is also proposed in the Wordsworth Street extension. The Outline Development Plan (ODP), as set out in the District Plan, includes a cross-roads intersection at Markham Way. The proposed plans are consistent with the ODP.

The street cross-section provides space to accommodate two-way vehicle movement and on-street parking.

Regular raised platforms ensure that vehicle movement will be at slow speed. As with Tennyson Street, the design provides footpaths that are a minimum of 3.5m wide. This is more than the typical footpath width adjacent to a road for a town centre. The design provides some designated space for vehicles and in keeping with a shared space environment, it is expected that pedestrians and cyclists will be free to travel anywhere.

The proposed configuration for the southern section of Wordsworth Street has a 6m wide road with kerb and channel, a 1.8m wide footpath on one side of the road and 2.5m wide shared path on the reserve side of the road. This should service the current Playcentre and Scouts facilities well.

A total of 33 parking spaces is for users of the tennis courts, reserve and Scout den will be provided along the road in a mix of parallel parking bays and right-angle bays. A separate off-road car park with 12 spaces is proposed for near the Playcentre.

The configuration of the road has been designed to encourage slow vehicle speeds and incorporates a narrow carriageway and raised platforms at the primary pedestrian crossing points. The cul-de-sac turning head will be removed because the road will ultimately connect to the town centre and also to the existing Rolleston Community Centre car park.

Te Ara Ātea Library and Community Centre will open onto a spacious town square which will provide areas for civic and community gatherings, markets, events, performances and informal community interaction.

It is proposed that there will be a number of distinctive features of the town square. This includes a suspended overhead lighting system to create a unique night-time environment, raised gardens with seating, shade sails and water features. There are also spaces for tables and chairs outside the proposed hospitality and retail premises which are adjacent to Te Ara Ātea Library and Community Centre.

There are also proposed laneways with each having a special character, providing niche space retail and food and beverage offerings.

These laneways include:

A main promenade will run between the Tennyson Street entrance and the Wordsworth Street extension.

Pedestrians will enjoy a leisurely walk through landscaped gardens, comfortable seating areas, grassy ‘urban islands’, outdoor kids’ educational zones as well as a vege garden.

The promenade provides the transition between the town center/square and the reserve. This will be a highly attractive link for pedestrians and cyclists as they travel in to both of these areas.

The Promenade is intended to be used as a shared-space environment where pedestrians, cyclists and service or emergency motor vehicles can move at slow speed. Electronic bollards will be installed at either end of the promenade to ensure that only approved service and emergency vehicles can gain access.

In this type of environment, pedestrians and cyclists should not hinder the movement of vehicles and drivers are expected to be more accommodating of the movement of pedestrians and cyclists. Initially part of the promenade and laneways will be constructed with asphalt, with permanent decorative paving installed when later stages of building construction are completed.

Some proposed key features include:

• flexible spaces for sitting, play music, enjoying a coffee or reading
• the promenade will have variable width to encourage and accommodate a wide range of activities. There is a minimum width of 4m throughout, with additional paved zone adjacent to the town square and Te Ara Ātea Library and Community Centre.

Creating a pedestrian-friendly environment in Rolleston is part of the vision for the town centre.

The design of the carriageway and pavement/sidewalk is focused on making a stroll through the town centre a pleasant experience. In this type of environment, children, the elderly and other pedestrians will be safe to cross the road and travel throughout the town centre.

Quality materials and interesting pavement design will enhance the main high street. Street furniture is proposed to be placed at regular intervals, while trees have been prioritised in the main street as well as the surrounding infrastructure.

Lighting has been carefully considered to ensure the level is safe for cars and people during the day and night. Where possible, significantly wider spaces have been proposed so that a number of people can gather and enjoy the streetscape.

Some proposed key features include:

• planting and trees across the town centre which are a mixture of exotics and natives.This includes over 185 trees and 4000 plants

• five or more seats along the Tennyson Street high street

• a community garden with edible plants alongside the promenade

• modern street lighting to enhance light levels

• water fountains and other street furniture

• rubbish bins across the development will be regularly serviced.

Detail on lighting design levels

An outline of the lighting design has been provided by the consulting engineer as follows:

The road lighting has been designed to achieve the following road lighting categories, in accordance with AS/NZS 1158:

• Tennyson Street (from Moore Street to Rolleston Drive) is a collector road and is categorised as pedestrian with sub category 3 (P3). There will be a mix of vehicle, pedestrian and cycle traffic.

• Wordsworth Street (from More Street to Stage 2b development) is a local road and is be categorised as pedestrian with sub category 3 (P3). There will be a mix of vehicle, pedestrian and cycle traffic.

• Wordsworth Street (from Stage 2b development to Tennyson Street) is a mixed pedestrian and vehicle movement and is categorised as pedestrian with sub category 6 (P6).

• The pedestrian Promenade is primarily for pedestrian use and is categorised as pedestrian with sub category 6 (P6).

• Carparks are categorised as pedestrian with sub category 11b (P11b).

• The town centre and surrounding pedestrian spaces is designed to at least category P6 for public activity areas.

We have considered the CPTED guidelines in the lighting design for the town square and surrounding areas as follows:

• Lighting has been designed to support visibility for pedestrians and for motorists.

• The light fittings are out of reach of vandals or are vandal resistant.

• Glare is kept to a minimum and uniformity of lighting will reduce shadows.

• We have coordinated the light fittings with vegetation, trees etc to avoid loss of light.

• The design has also allowed for staging of the project with lighting provided for the spaces that will initial be empty.

There are a number of loading and car parks areas being proposed across the town centre.

The car parks have been deliberately located around the periphery of the town centre to encourage visitors to move through the town centre by foot. Accessible parking is proposed in multiple locations across the town centre to minimise travel distances for physically impaired drivers.

Car parks

There is a main car park south of the development which will provide the majority of parking amenity for the town centre.

Car park two is located off Tennyson Street to the rear of the upcoming shops. This will provide 44 car parks. Car park three is located on the south of the site, just off Tennyson Street. It will provide 130 to140 parking spaces with the final number being dependent upon the number of accessible parks and parent parks that are provided.

Bus stops

There is also a bus stop on Tennyson Street which will be directly across from the new Te Ara Ātea Library and Community Centre. The indented bus bays and loading bays are 2.5m wide with lengths of 13.5m and 12m respectively. The loading bays will service the retail and commercial operators.

On-street, right angled parking bays are proposed in all areas. The bays are designed to be 2.6m wide and 5.0m deep in accordance with District Plan standard.