Photo: 123RF
Retailers in the capital want a rethink of plans to stop people from driving and parking their cars on Wellington's golden mile. Buses would still be able run between Parliament and Courtenay Place.
Wellington City Council will vote on a motion calling for the organisation to step back from the capital's expansive transport project Let's Get Wellington Moving today.
Wholesale and groceries supplier Moore Wilson's has been around for four generations, helping serve Wellington's cafes and restaurants.
The business is one of many retailers who have joined forces to oppose the plan to remove cars from the golden mile.
Moore Wilson's managing director Julie Moore said the scheme will make accessibility more difficult for her customers.
"Being able to come to our store with a vehicle to pick up bulk supplies of goodies and as a business even though we're not directly on the Golden Mile, we need our customers to be able to get from one end of the city to the other," Moore said.
The Let's Get Wellington Moving plan would pedestrianise the road from Parliament to the Embassy Theatre past Courtenay Place, and would only allow buses to travel through.
Wellington buses would be exempt from the council's no vehicles plan. Photo: RNZ / Richard Tindiller
It would also close most side streets, turning them into cul-de-sacs and the footpaths would be widened.
Wellingtonians RNZ spoke to had mixed views on whether they would still visit the golden mile.
"No, wouldn't be able to park the car specially on the weekends, wouldn't be able to bring the car in doing shopping. If they're [visitors] going to come here, very few people drive."
"Probably not no, it's just so much more convenient to be within parking distance. The added walkability of the CBD would definitely make it more attractive to a lot more people."
The aim of the project is to bring more people into the CBD, and help create a low carbon capital city.
Thomas Nash Photo: Thomas Nash
Greater Wellington regional councillor Thomas Nash said he was in favour of the proposal because more people would visit stores and bring life back into the area.
"Most successful cities in Australasia that are the size of Wellington, bit smaller or a bit bigger, they all have these kind of super high quality public spaces along their main shopping areas and [it's] what we need to do if we want to actually attract the talent and the businesses and the investment that we need in Wellington," Nash said.
Johnson Street homeware store owner Nicola Cranfield said it would make things difficult for customers with mobility issues.
She believed it would hurt CBD shops.
"People tell us now it's easier for them to drive out of town. They're going to North City or Queensgate to do their shopping rather than a 10-minute quick trip into the city because they think they might be driving around for so long looking for a car park," Cranfield said.
Retail NZ's public affairs and advice manager Amie Hines said businesses believed their concerns have been pushed to the side.
"Retailers don't believe that the impacts on them have been measured or any benefits about any economic uplift so as a result about 25 percent of them are saying they may close as a result of the changes," Hines said.
In a statement, Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau said while the change would be difficult she could not shy away from backing progressive and transformational action for the city.
