Kindergarten welcomes road safety upgrades

Rochelle says the raised table will be “great”.

Richmond Kindergarten is welcoming the installation of a raised table to the intersection of Elizabeth and Florence Streets that hopes to increase safety for pedestrians and slow traffic.

The kindergarten is located on the corner of the two streets in a residential neighbourhood, away from most of the larger schools.

“Because of where we are, people don’t realise there’s a kindergarten here a lot of the time,” says head teacher Rochelle Steer. “They’re not aware that there could be children who bolt.”

A lot of drivers use Florence and Elizabeth Streets to avoid the traffic lights on Salisbury Road and she says, at times, their speed can be quite concerning.

The kindergarten hasn’t had any accidents regarding the safety of their children, but

The table provides an elevated crossing for pedestrians but also act like a speed bump for drivers, slowing down traffic.

“Most of our streets currently work fine if you are driving a vehicle, but no so well if you are on foot, scooter, pram or cycle,” says Tasman District Council’s transportation manager Jamie McPherson. “It will take a lot of work and a long time to make these streets safer so this will be an ongoing programme.”

Rain gardens will also be installed where the planter boxes are currently located on Elizabeth Street to narrow the road and slow traffic, while also providing more greenery in the street in a permanent manner.

They’re usually filled with native plants and soil engineered to absorb rainwater. The water flows into the garden and is absorbed by the plants and soil which also help filter out pol- lutants and contaminants. The project is part of a suite of road improvements that will begin this month including an additional raised table at the intersection of Elizabeth and Talbot Streets, and two at Crescent Street’s intersections with Wensley Road and Blair Terrace, and a widening of the footpath linking Talbot Street and Linden Place.

“We currently have a large programme of street improvements being delivered over the next 12-18 months, thanks to a large amount of Waka Kotahi and Government funding,” Jamie says. “While this will be disruptive during construction, the end result will be well worth it.

These projects will cost just under $310,000, 51 per cent of which is funded by Waka Kotahi.