Create the Vibe
Thames’ Mary Street is set to reopen to two-way vehicular traffic on 18 August after a unanimous decision by Thames Community Board on 2 August 2023 to remove the Create the Vibe pedestrianised space.
The vote followed community research by consultants WSP in June 2023 which netted nearly 1,500 responses from the public – through an online survey and one-to-one interviews in the street. WSP concluded that the community response showed that there was not sufficient community support to keep the space in place.
Create the Vibe opened on 1 March 2021 as a trial 'Street Intervention' with the aim of increasing community vibrancy and to provide a safe and accessible town centre. The project was funded 90 per cent by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, with the remaining 10 per cent from the Thames Community Board.
Community Board members described how COVID-19 restrictions and the extreme weather events over the last few years meant the space wasn’t as well used or supported as it may have been.
In voting to remove the space, Community Board members also asked our Council to investigate a number of initiatives for the surrounding area including: traffic-calming measures, reduced speed limits and improved crossings for pedestrians over Pollen Street and Mary Street.
Planter boxes will be donated to a local school. And a community purpose will be found for the container and mural that were part of the Vibe.
What was Create the Vibe about?
It was a shared civic hub space for people to gather on Mary Street at the corner with Pollen Street - right in the middle of things where most people already are and where a good town square should be. It was a trial project that was adjusted as time passed and organisers saw what worked, based on the feedback from users. The materials were temporary and can be shifted or removed easily.
The space included:
- seating and wheelchair accessible picnic tables
- shade
- greenery
- lighting
- bike racks and a bike repair station
- road art and designs from Thames artists on concrete planters
- rurals, two of them by Thames artists
It was 90 per cent funded by Waka Kotahi/NZTA ($320,125.50) as part of its Innovating Streets pilot programme, and 10 per cent ($35,569.50) from Thames Ward ratepayers.
To create this shared pedestrian/cyclist space, Mary Street had been temporarily closed to vehicles at the intersection with Pollen Street for the half block running west to the service lanes towards Queen St. Access to the ANZ car park is from Mary St.
Improved road marking and signage at the Pollen and Queen St intersections had been put in place to improve everyone’s safety around the new layout.
Courtesy crossings at Mary/Pollen streets
The red strips painted across Mary and Pollen streets by the pedestrian area are courtesy crossings.
Courtesy crossings are recognised in the Road Code and their use is common across New Zealand and other countries. They have formed part of the driving test for New Zealand for a number of years.
Pedestrians should stop, look and wait until it’s safe to cross. Drivers should allow pedestrians already on the street to continue their crossing, and if it’s safe to stop may allow people waiting on the kerb to cross the street.
Mary Street - Best Street in NZ
The Create the Vibe Thames pedestrian area on Mary Street in Thames was declared the Best Street at the Keep New Zealand Beautiful Awards in Wellington on 17 February 2022.
The award, sponsored by Resene, recognises and celebrates a street in New Zealand that clearly stands out for its beauty, cleanliness, plantings and sense of community pride. See the Keep New Zealand Beautiful website for more information on the award.
Events held in the Create the Vibe civic space
Launch event
Beach Hop cruise to Thames
Planter painting day
Steampunk Festival
ANZAC Day Parade
Matariki display from St Francis School
Matariki event, with a hangi fundraising event for Thames High School
Buskers periodically
Traffic changes:
A close up look at the new layout:
Click to expand.
Case studies of similar trial projects in other places
Auckland - High Street
Yarraville, Melbourne Pop up Park – Similar project of closing a Street and using astroturf
Lower Tory St, Wellington
Bondi Junction 'pop-up' initiatives - 60% of retailers increased business
Waka Kotahi has more case studies which you can view here – they are all local and part of the ‘Innovating Streets’ programme.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: When did construction begin?
A: Monday 22 February 7pm 2021, partially closing Mary Street for construction.
Q: Can I still drive down Mary St?
A: Yes, from Queen Street to access the Thames Civic Centre, Mobil Service Station, Thames Valley Insurance, Villager cafe, Computer Geeks & the ANZ carpark as Mary Street is only closed between the Villager café and Pollen Street. However, cars will not be able to access Pollen Street through Mary Street.
Q: What is Stage 1 and Stage 2?
A: Stage 1 will involve closing off Mary Street and about 70 per cent of the work will be completed including; AstroTurf, planters, the HQ container moved, modular seating, and new road lines. Stage 2 began in April 2021, and saw two new murals go in, wheelchair accessible picnic tables, bike racks and a bike repair station, and a public painting day for some of the concrete planters.
Q: Will there be any signage to help cars get onto our main street and town centre?
A: Yes, there will be new ‘Town Centre’ signage to help direct cars on our main street and adjacent streets.
Q: Will there be any evaluation and monitoring of this trial?
A: Yes, traffic and pedestrian counts will be carried out both before and after the changes are put in place in order to evaluate how traffic flow is affected and how people use the space. We will also have a link for the general public to give us feedback on the space.
FAQ - Project background
Q: Who is funding this project?
A: Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is funding 90 per cent ($320,125.50), with the remaining 10 per cent ($35,569.50) from Thames Community Board.
Q: What consultation has been undertaken?
A: Nearly 500 people came into our Create the Vibe – Thames container HQ in September 2020 to have a chat with our staff about their ideas on how we can improve Thames town centre. We also held two co-design community workshops and visited two local schools.
The thoughts and ideas from these events were distilled into two concept designs. Our team went back to the Create the Vibe – Thames container HQ and asked the general public to vote on their preferred option. Of 251 voters, 74 per cent preferred the partial closure design, while 26 per cent voted to keep Mary Street one-way vehicle traffic.
Q: How long will this trial be for?
A: This will depend on public feedback and how well the space is used.
Q: What is Innovating streets?
A: Innovating Streets is a pilot programme is funding projects across New Zealand cities and towns aimed at creating people-friendly spaces.
Q: Why are the changes temporary installations?
A: This project is about working with the community and trialing positive changes to our streets. The improvements can be tested and refined before being made permanent if they’re found suitable. The benefit of a temporary change is that we can adjust or take it away if it doesn’t work without spending millions of dollars on a permanent solution.
Background information
The Thames+ Urban Development Strategy was drawn up in 2013 with the close involvement of the Thames community. A key finding of the strategy is that Thames currently lacks a "heart" - a space for community to gather, to hold events and invoke a sense of togetherness.
The Design Factory NZ at Wintec sent two groups of students to investigate the question 'How might the Thames CBD be reimagined into a safe, inviting and thriving area?'
Both groups interviewed Council staff and elected members, people in the business community and residents and visitors. Both groups found that people think the Thames main street is "tired and unkempt" and "empty and outdated".
One group advocated better lighting to make the CBD more attractive and the other suggested a "little big space" in the CBD where Council, business, youth and community could interact and collaborate. You can watch the students present their ideas on this video on the Design Factory NZ Facebook page and you can download their final concepts on the right side of this page.
Location
Thames CBD, Thames View Map
-37.1383356,175.5405213
Thames CBD ,
Thames
Create the Vibe