Disappointment with Russell group’s actions on The Strand

In July, the council decided that much of the iconic waterfront road in Kororāreka / Russell would be transformed into a shared pedestrian zone. That decision was endorsed by the Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board.

It followed a six-month trial of a pedestrian-friendly space along The Strand and Cass Street that allowed locals and visitors to experience for themselves the impacts of reduced traffic along the foreshore. A survey on the proposal attracted 383 submissions, with 65.7 per cent of respondents supporting pedestrian priority on some or all of The Strand and Cass Street.

Despite majority community support for the shared pedestrian areas, on Sunday (5 October) members of the Russell Community removed several features along Cass Street. These were part of temporary traffic calming fixtures to be retained until an updated plan for The Strand and Cass Street could be created. The intention is for the plan to be informed by community feedback and co-designed alongside a community working group.

Group Manager for Planning and Policy, Roger Ackers says it was disappointing that members of the Russell Community took matters into their own hands and did not first talk to the council about their concerns.

“Despite the group’s actions last Sunday, the council is committed to upholding the decision made in July and will be focusing on next steps. These are to create a final design and share that with the community before the end of the year.”

The council is also exploring what an appropriate response is to the actions taken on Sunday.

In the meantime, the focus will be on getting the signage reinstalled. Consideration will also be given to whether other items should be reinstated prior to implementation of the final design.