Te Puke Main Street Upgrade

I would prefer options Two or three, while they are reducing to one lane at least there would be room to back out with out backing into traffic.There are still to many big trucks coming through town (Not sure why, is it to save a toll certainly not saving time) Any thing that can be done to discourage these vehicles has got to be good. More roundabouts and pedestrian crossings. Sure there will be a busy period during the Kiwi fruit season, that is only for brief time.

The Puriri trees must stay and more planted, as some of the other exotic trees are removed.We do not need any more Flaxes there are to many planted around now (TEL Motor way) Any thing we can do to encourage people either biking or walking has got to be good every one

Option 1, Do not reduce to 1 lane.

I like the aesthetics of Option 3 but still have major concerns about traffic build up and long queues. If the through lane becomes full then traffic from the parking lane will be unable to merge.
Could we please have roundabouts that are large enough and robust enough to take the large kiwifruit trucks that will still need to negotiate them. I am concerned that cobble surfaces will not stand up to heavy traffic.
We must remember that economically Te Puke is a rural service town and it is important that the surrounding rural area has easy access to the town to do their business.
Take a look at Pahiatua where the inside lane is designated for parking and turning only by marking it in stripes.
Could we please have uplights to shine on at least one Puriri tree.

Option 1 is the only option! The other two plans making one lane through Te Puke hasn't been thought out, the lane made for safer parking will cause accidents as people can not merg at all! Leave it two lanes please

Strongly support Option 3, need to make Jellicoe Street a safer and more enjoyable environment. yes remove the exotic trees and plant more natives. the Puriri are great. Also need to start planning a relief road to take all through traffic out of the town centre. Need to think long term as the motorway is only a tollroad for about 10 years, we need to encourage people to use it, This is a one off opportunity to get NZTA to fund a major improvement in the town centre. Go for it.

Prefer the third option both for slowing traffic to legal limit which is seldom adhered to and providing or future roading options.
Query doule lanes for such a short distance from station to proposed roundabout and likewise the eastern end approach to the roundabout - both converging to one lane.
Young Puriri trees planted to be future replacement of existing trees which will age.
Kiwifruit vine in centre to promote area great.
Please can we not have grasses , cabbage trees and flaxes which in a short time become tatty. These are plant and forget plants .
Please can we have multiple colourfull flower beds which add so much to a small town and give so much texture and pleasure.
Like the hard walls, seats, rubbish bins etc.

I would prefer options Two or three, while they are reducing to one lane at least there would be room to back out with out backing into traffic.There are still to many big trucks coming through town (Not sure why, is it to save a toll certainly not saving time) Any thing that can be done to discourage these vehicles has got to be good. More roundabouts and pedestrian crossings. Sure there will be a busy period during the Kiwi fruit season, that is only for brief time.
The Puriri trees must stay and more planted, as some of the other exotic trees are removed.We do not need any more Flaxes there are to many planted around now (TEL Motor way) Any thing we can do to encourage people either biking or walking has got to be good every one

well , I believe you have totally forgotten about traffic through te puke . first ,too many pedestrian crossings which stop traffic completely which will backup traffic for kilometres in the kiwifruit season .with traffic backed up how do you get from parking into the traffic flow on the inside lane ,eg to turn right at the next roundabout ?how does a vehicle from out of town get through a roundabout if he is in the outside lane by mistake .why does transit nz block all the passing lanes north of Auckland on a holiday weekend ? answer ; because of the problem of merging traffic at the end of the passing lane. with slow interrupted trucks to the pack houses kiwifruit growers should only expect to send 3 loads of bins to the shed per day as travelling time is now going to increase dramatically , is this acceptable ? option 3 will cause traffic chaos . leave the two lanes with over head signs informing traffic which lane to use for shopping ,which lane to use for through traffic

As a retired civil engineer I question the sanity of option 2 and 3 from the point of view of traffic safety. Te Puke will always have through traffic and until an entry to the TEL from East Papamoa is constructed most East Papamoa Residents and a considerable number from Papamoa Beach will continue to use the Te Puke route. The alternative for those near or East of Parton Rd is to drive the length of Tara Rd to access the TEL negating any time saving and adding considerably to the cost of the $2 toll. Traffic originating from between the ends of the TEL will also most likely transit Te Puke. I have always felt that the left lane through Te Puke should be designated for local traffic/parking. It has always been difficult to reverse out of the angle parking with through traffic using that lane. This can be achieved simply by having large overhead signs at each end of Jellicoe St designating the right lane for through traffic and the left lane for local traffic/parking ONLY. Option 2 creates a hazard at each roundabout where cars looking for parking are forced to merge with through traffic to move from one parking precinct to another. Option 3 takes this to insane proportions by dividing the parking precincts and forcing merging with through traffic at a much larger number of locations and would be likely to earn Te Puke the name of 'NZ's accident town'. It also creates a great inconvenience for cars leaving a parking place to join the traffic which will still be busy at times. As a Papamoa Beach resident I often have occasion to transit Te Puke or use it as a destination. Te Puke is a friendly pleasant place and I would hate to see Jellicoe St turned into a worse hazard for motorists than it is at present by thoughtless traffic engineering.
Like the letter writer in last week's Te Puke times I would also like to know the legality of the Western Bay being lumbered with the upkeep of what was highway 2. Transit NZ is by law required to provide and presumably maintain an alternative to any toll road and while some cost must fall on the Te Puke residents for roading within the town, providing this alternative should be at the government's expense.

**Toi Te Ora Public Health Service (Toi Te Ora) is funded by the Ministry of Health and is the public health unit for the Bay of Plenty and Lakes District Health Boards. The purpose of Toi Te Ora is to improve and protect the health of the Bay of Plenty and Lakes population and reduce health inequalities, bearing in mind that health starts, long before illness, where people live, learn, work and play.**

Health begins, long before illness, in the places where we live, learn, work and play. Any upgrade to the Te Puke mainstreet should promote healthy environments for all people, regardless of age, income or ability.
Based on our analysis, Te Puke will be a more vibrant people friendly place if option 3 proceeds. However, we understand that in the future there is potential for an oversized vehicle bypass to be created allowing for further redevelopment of the Mainstreet area. Te Puke could be become iconic if the central block of Jellicoe Street (ie between Jocelyn and Oxford Streets) were opened up to people and completely closed to all motorised traffic. Jellicoe Street should become the central meeting place for Te Puke where people sit and linger, spend time to catch up with each other, and children play. We recommend that Council incorporate this longer term vision into option 3 of their proposed design to ensure an easier enhancement of features as well as minimising future redevelopment costs when the opportunity arises.
The key positive health effects of separating people from cars and other vehicles are increased walkability and pedestrian safety (which promotes physical activity), improved opportunities for social connection (which promotes mental wellbeing and a sense of community) and improved road safety for car users (preventing injury).
The current reduction in traffic volumes created by the TEL, plans to reduce speed limits down the main street and the provision of cycle storage will also benefit bicycle users. However, there will still be potential for conflict between cars and people on bikes in the parking aisle. This needs to be addressed. Ensuring Jellicoe Street is safe and attractive for pedestrians and people on bikes is important (more so than catering for cars) and we recommend solutions be developed in consultation with local residents, particularly those who ride bikes. The NZTA Cycle Network and Route Planning Guide is a good reference document.

The potential for walking and cycling in urban Te Puke:
With convenient, attractive and safe improvements, there is good potential for walking and biking around urban Te Puke as a large proportion of residents in the urban area live within 10-15 minutes’ walk from the main street and an even greater proportion within 10-15 minutes cycle.
Walking and cycling is a low cost mode of transport and leisure activity making it an attractive option for people on low incomes. Both Te Puke East and West are high deprivation (level 9) communities making this a significant group within Te Puke.
Walking and cycling is also attractive to retirees who do not have the same time constraints as their working counterparts. Te Puke, whilst more youthful than the rest of the Western Bay district, is aging and can expect an increasing number of retirees residing in the area.
Te Puke is also home to children and people with disabilities who are non-driving groups that need access to shops, services and employment in the main street.
Te Puke already has a higher than national number of adults walking/jogging to work (approx. 8% in Te Puke, compared to 5.5% nationally - 2013 census).

Benefits of creating a walkable and bikeable Te Puke:
Currently 44% of adults (over 15) in the Bay of Plenty are not physically active and 63% of adults are overweight or obese (NZ Health Survey). Research suggests that making built environment more walkable and bikeable are associated with increased physical activity levels and healthier body weights. This is an essential contribution to population health against a backdrop of population ageing and rising (soon to be unaffordable) healthcare costs.
Aside from the above, communities that are walkable and bikeable have better social wellbeing, lower rates of traffic injuries and deaths, better access for people of all abilities, better air quality and less greenhouse gas emissions. Growing evidence also suggests that providing great places to walk and cycle is a successful strategy for maintaining or restoring economic vitality.

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I am in favour of the status quo. Traffic flows & parking & exiting is no problem. Reducing it to one lane would be diabolic especially through the kiwifruit season. One lane towns are not pleasant to drive through.

You would be better of spending the money of a ganry across the road with a sign saying "Through traffic use right hand lane" Single lane a failed exercise in Matamata as traffic pulling out of the parking has to join the same single lane leading to traffic hold ups.

For Option 2 Page 4 and Option 3 Page 5 the drawing show the intersection of Oxford St and Jellicoe St. Three is a truck drawn in the left hand lane in Jellicoe St heading west right where the turning road marking should be. Can you get rid of the truck and show what the road marking are. I suspect that the left hand lane is left turn only.

I like the idea of Option 3 but I am concerned about the effect it will have on traffic flow during kiwifruit season.
I have also been visiting Matamata alot recently and seen how the traffic is often banked up with only one lane through town.

we prefer it stays as it is as we have tried single lanes before and there is a build up of traffic during kiwifruit season in fact all year around as alot of trucks from all feeder roads through the town , anyone living here would know that, all we need is a pedestrian crossing with lights trees shape and height brough.t
down and get rid of flax bushes and reinga reinga daisies
it is imperritive that we do not take over te puke...highway from the nz transport. it is a major arterial road. and their has to be a.n alternative route to a toll road. we have gone to government about this

none of the above. stop wasting my money. people cant pat their rates as it it.