Let's drive buses off the Golden Mile

OPINION: Chamber of Commerce chief wexecutive Charles Finny, while sympathising with the Golden Mile pedestrianisation programme which a group of citizens - "Vibrant Wellington" will be placing before electors next year, nevertheless suggests that banning cars "could" be overkill. Not so.

First, it is not the cars that are the main concern. In fact very few cars traverse the Golden Mile during the day, a response to the Wellington City Council's wise initiatives intended to deter them.

They have worked. Rather, it is the abrasive buses which are the principal problem. Buses and pedestrians are a terrible mix.

The present council's policy seems geared to making the city friendly towards buses rather than to its citizens and it's both wrong and unnecessary.

Dozens of other cities with the same transportation issues have managed central city pedestrianisation and so can we.

Mr Finny rightly observes that, for this plan to succeed, we would need a "population density typical of European cities".

Oddly enough, we have that, far more indeed than any single European city where pedestrianisation has been introduced.

Not a single European city which has been pedestrianised can compare to Wellington in respect of office worker density.

Lambton Quay, lower Willis St and Manners St are lined with high-rise buildings.

That is not the case in any European city which has been pedestrianised, yet all are roaring successes. Some examples at random are Stockholm, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Budapest, Vienna, Lisbon and Scotland's Perth.

Mr Finny also argues that parts of the Golden Mile are so wide that the danger exists of a "dead look".

In fact the wide sections, notably the end of Lambton Quay and Courtenay Place, will provide opportunity to pay for the proposal.

In the case of Lambton Quay, exactly as with all the pedestrianised cities, the spacious parts can be used for (partially) outdoor cafes, florists, newsagents and the like.

With Courtenay Place, apartment building sites with ground-level retail can be created in a plaza setting. Other options include a skating rink, fountains and other visual and recreational features.

As for goods delivery, in fact all of the office buildings along the route are serviced from the rear, off streets such as The Terrace etc.

Mr Finny's observation that safety at night might be compromised is simply silly. Why walking down a wide mall rather than a pavement will incite thugs he does not explain, while obviously vehicular traffic can still move through the city, but simply not via the Golden Mile.

NEXT year, Vibrant Wellington will outline its proposal in detail, including the economics of a free tram service and also free bicycles to be stacked at 100-metre intervals, which can be picked up and dropped off at any of these stands.

In respect of cycles we will, if successful, seek an amendment to the helmet law from central government to apply to the central city. New Zealand is one of only a handful of countries with such a law.

We will additionally detail our proposal to establish a Saturday Lambton Quay street market, as exists in all European cities and which, without exception, draws thousands of folk, regardless of the weather. Our proposal is not new.

Consultants engaged by the council from Europe and America have recommended exactly this to previous councils but they have lacked the initiative to act.

There is one irony about the hesitation to this proposal coming from Mr Finny, given his Chamber of Commerce hat.

As will be seen next year, the founding promoters of this scheme include (among many others) the major city building owners. Arguably, they more than anyone stand to lose if this plan is ill-conceived, yet all are wildly enthusiastic.

Next year's election will be quite unique. Citizens will be offered a choice from candidates tendering the standard single message of "Vote for me", against the Vibrant Wellington team saying, "Vote for this".

This proposal will make the capital the nation's major ambience city and will attract tourists in droves, plus new businesses that will be drawn to the city as a desirable place to live.

But they are supplementary benefits. The real value will accrue to our existing citizenry.