Kilbirnie connections

• Most respondents lived in the area or had kids at the school (80%)
• For people dropping kids to school, more people felt it was safer with the changes in place (63%), with 30% disagreeing
• Overall, slightly more people felt the changes had made it safer for pedestrians and people who ride bikes in the area (53%), while others disagreed (37%).

People that didn’t like the changes were concerned about traffic speeds and volumes on Queens Drive.

We also interviewed people around the school during drop-off and pick up times.

The positive themes we heard through these interviews included:

• More walking and biking for school kids
• Increased safety around school pick up
• The mural and blue zone being a place to spend time with the community
• Freyberg Street becoming a quieter street.

“Really supportive. I'm more likely to let my son (9yo) scooter to school alone, and feel much safer scootering or walking with him and his younger brother (4yo). I can see it's improved safety a lot and there appear to be a lot more kids walking, biking, rollerblading or scootering to school”.

“It is fabulous, what’s been done here. It’s clearly a place where kids can come across and it’s been nicely done its attractive…... Absolutely a safer street as it is slowing people down…... I think it does make the place more connected to the school and make it a hub for the community…... Also, I think people can save a bit of money by not driving their kids to school. They can walk”.      

“I've really liked it, I think it has created a safe space for the kids and the road does seem quieter. Cars used to just use it as a passageway and it feels more like a school community area now...the kids really like it.... I love this and I really hope it stays”.

The negative themes from the interviews included:

• Inconvenience
• Traffic volumes moving to Queens Drive
• Loss of parking/poor parking habits near the school

“All it's done is force traffic to Queens Drive and I’ve heard near misses of kids not using the crossing getting out of cars and running straight across the road because mum and dad are in a hurry to get to work. This was a drop-off point and a through street where they can do that was way safer.”  

“I find it quite inconvenient. When driving through you have to find a different street to drive through and this used to be a main thoroughfare fare to pick up and drop as well as other activities in the area……It was always a fight to get a park here at this time of day and this has made it worse actually because there is even less parking.” 

Positive themes included:

• Feeling safer and more independent when commuting to school
• Seeing the ‘blue zones’ as safe areas
• The marine streetscape and seating making the area inviting and playful
• At the Wha/Freyberg streets intersection, shorter crossing distance and pedestrian islands made them feel safer and encouraged slower vehicle speeds
• On Queens Drive, students liked the raised pedestrian crossing slowed cars down, and relocating the road patrol to this crossing increased feelings of safety.

"I like everything but especially the seats because school doesn't open until 8.30 and you can sit there."

"I like the animals and sea creatures, because it makes me feel like it's real."

"Safer, because there's a place to stop in the middle, it gives you a faster way to cross." (Wha Street)

Negative themes included:

• Inconvenience for multi-trip car journeys – particularly if their parents feel this way
• Mopeds still getting through the street closure
• Increased traffic on Queens Drive

"More safe, you need another speed bump, a bigger speed bump, they still go too fast." (Queens Drive)

"Heaps of adults hate it if they're driving." (Freyberg Street)

"Because there's more traffic [on Queens Drive] you have to wait for a long time to cross."

"I don't like motorbikes and cyclists going through there." (Freyberg Street)

Students also provided design suggestions, including:

• A wall of seating to prevent moped riders going through
• Interactive/fun elements like hopscotch and obstacles to attract kids to play
• An additional pedestrian island across Freyberg Street by Wha Street intersection
• Installing more speed bumps on Queens Drive and turning it into a rainbow crossing.