Actions responding to movement through landscape. Enhance water transport and disadvantage road transport.
44) Enhance water transport in the Hokianga. Water transport is primary in the Hokianga. It is impossible to understand the urban form of the Hokianga without first traversing the harbour by water.
45) Always give priority to water transport over road transport. The ferry-bridge debate was actually a debate about Heritage Precincts. If roads are free then the ferry must also be free. It is part of the State Highway network. The Wiseman Ferry in Sydney is free. Canadian ferries are free. A free ferry would result in increased demand, which would result in improved service, which would result in a more extensive ferry network. Backwaters are created by infrastructure decisions. Horeke has been marginalised although it is very close to Kohukohu.
46) Through traffic needs to be slowed down to walking pace. The road network needs to be designed so Kohukohu becomes a destination, not a through route.
47) The design of the road needs to avoid any lineal emphasis or the formation of a channel through the Heritage Precinct. Thus, for example, standard kerbing and channelling is totally inappropriate and should be avoided. A soft visual edge to the road, such as might be found in the Waipoa forest, is appropriate.
48) A generous promenade on the harbour side of the road would emphasise the one-sided urban design characteristic of the road. A soft edge between this promenade and the road would emphasise that the road is a pedestrian space too.
49) Standardised road design is to be avoided. Roads have become placeless, taking away identity. There is no more reason why a road should be like every other road than there is reason for every person to be like every other person. A Kohukohu road needs to be a Kohukohu road. If this means that a different engineering approach is required this would seem to be a modest request to make.
50) The curved entrance and exit roads need to not only be retained but also emphasised. Straightening any road is to be avoided. Landforms should not be destroyed by roadworks.
51) Angry, aggressive, boring roads which generate both high-speed expectations and road rage are to be avoided. Roads need to achieve traffic calming through design, not angry speed bumps. Getting the design right at the beginning is always preferable to trying to patch up bad and inappropriate design.
52) A friendly process is essential if a friendly road is to be achieved. Friendship is not a technical issue.
Make Kohukohu a walking pace township.
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