‘Design jam’ encourages kids to improve Hone Heke Road
Creative ideas from students about how to improve road safety and footpath access along their school road is being incorporated into concept designs to be shared with the wider community.
Unleashing the creativity of local school children to overcome obstacles they face travelling to and from school was the aim of a ‘design jam’ held recently at Kerikeri Primary School. Year 6 students buzzed with solutions to issues they identified that discourage them from walking, cycling or using scooters to get to school on Hone Heke Road.
The design jams held in mid-May are the beginning of local community collaboration with Northland Transportation Alliance (NTA), council contractors and council staff to improve safety on a road link that is also home to Kerikeri High School and several pre-schools.
After identifying barriers on the roads and pathways leading to schools during the first workshop, the nine and 10-year-olds were then asked how the issues affected them and to brain-storm possible solutions during a second workshop held the next day.
One big takeaway was the importance of incorporating street art and colour to create vibrant environments. Adding street art in low-speed areas to combat a “sea of grey” was a popular solution, as was using colour to highlight courtesy crossings where full pedestrian crossings aren’t possible. Moving motorists’ give way lines back from an intersection edge, to allow for ‘continuous footpaths’ on side roads was another idea.
The children’s feedback will be incorporated into concept designs that are now in development. Once completed, the concept designs will be shared with the wider community. Community feedback will help to inform more detailed design solutions, as well as ways to involve school children in creating street art. It is hoped that construction of the final safety measures will start in about a year’s time.
Below - blank fences along access ways could feature murals by local artists in collaboration with the students.
Below - motorists’ give way lines could be moved back to allow for ‘continuous footpaths’.
Below - the Kerikeri Primary School children had plenty of creative ideas to improve road safety and footpath access.
