Activating our green links

Pukekura green link (Liardet Street)

Pukekura Park is one of New Plymouth’s major attractions for visitors and is beloved by locals as a place for recreation and connecting to the natural environment. It is envisioned that the enhancement of Liardet Street will encourage people to walk and cycle from the park to the city. It will be a backbone of pedestrian movement for people using the park for events, sports (including the proposed sports hub) and recreation. A well-designated pedestrian link will help draw Pukekura Park and Bowl of Brooklands visitors and users into the city to add vibrancy and activity.

An upgrade to Liardet Street as a green link will mean targeted and deliberate moves to support greening of the city, improving accessibility, wayfinding, safety and pedestrian prioritisation, along with a shift to active modes of transport. A direct connection to Pukekura Park and the coast via the city centre is currently missing due to barriers such as Vivian and Powderham streets, crossing points and inconsistent footpath quality that are holding back the potential of Liardet Street to become a popular walking and cycling link.

Various crossing point upgrades, footpath widening, street-tree planting and wayfinding initiatives along Liardet Street will support it as an important link. Recommended upgrades include:

  • Improvement to the crossing to the coast at Molesworth Street, with a potential Barnes dance crossing (intersection where pedestrians can cross in all directions at the same time while all traffic must stop) in the longer term, and increased phasing priority for pedestrians in the short term.
  • Planting of street-trees and footpath improvements between Devon and Molesworth streets to frame views and create a sense of quality as an important link.
  • Crossing upgrades at the intersection with Gill Street, keeping in mind the potential move of the bus terminus to the western end of Gill Street to support east and west pedestrian movement.
  • The removal of left-turn lanes in and out of Devon Street to form kerb build-outs and tighten the carriageways to free up space for wider footpaths and street trees on both sides of Liardet Street between Devon and Vivian streets.
  • The upgrade of intersections at Powderham and Vivian streets to give higher pedestrian and cycle priority.
  • Building out kerbs between Vivian Street and Pukekura Park to reduce lane widths, widen footpaths and allow for regular street tree centres on both sides of the road to cumulatively calm traffic speeds.
  • Provide power supply at regular centres built into light poles or similar to support the Festival of Lights trail down Liardet Street and into the city.

Impact compass

Pukekura Green Link (Liardet Street)

Click to see a bigger image

Working together

  • Ngāti Te Whiti
  • Waka Kotahi
  • Local land owners and businesses
  • Power providers

Next steps

Step 1

Identify early-win crossing point upgrades along the length of Liardet Street and undertake upgrades in the short term.

Step 2

Work with service providers and potential sponsors to provide power supply points to support festival lights.

Step 3 

Work with partners and collaborators to prepare a conceptual Masterplan for Liardet Street that can be rolled out in stages that align with other projects such as the Coastal Boulevard and the potential moving of the bus terminal.

Page last updated: 09:10AM Wed 10 November 2021

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