7.8 IMPROVEMENT OF ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE AND PROMOTE PEDESTRIAN MOVEMENT

Closure and upgrade of New and Union Street

The proposal includes the closure of a portion of New Street with limited Vehicular access from 7.00-9.00 am Monday- Saturday. This can then be utilized as a pedestrian walkway to promote a Cafe Culture in the area and will also tie in with the linear park concept.

Annexures E and G indicates the proposed closure and also shows that the closure of these streets will not have any negative impact on access to individual properties or access to the lagoon. Emergency vehicle movement can still be realized on the closed road (New Street) in emergency situations. The proposal also includes the upgrade and landscaping of Union Street which will include designated car spaces, resurfacing, public lighting, planting, street furniture and a turning facility on the east end. This area will become pedestrianised to provide a boulevard, which will have a Café culture where you will be able to sit out and enjoy refreshments while overlooking a wellequipped public park. The Knysna Lagoon would become much more accessible to the people of Knysna. It is proposed that these streets remain in the ownership of the Knysna Municipality, and that the developers fund the development of the boulevard.

Upgrading of Tide Street

The developer envisages that Tide Street be upgraded to ensure adequate footpaths, planting, designated car parking, traffic calming and street lighting of the area. The Developer also see the boulevard equipped with adequate street lighting so that its usage can be maximized in the evenings. The Developer will provide funding to upgrade Tide Street and associate infrastructure. It is proposed that these new car spaces provided in this portion will be unmetered for a period of 10 years.