Auckland Council asleep at wheel with AT plans
Unacceptable challenges for business – city centre should be accessible for everyone
Gutted at the news Smith & Caughey has announced it will be closing its doors at the end of July, Heart of the City expects Auckland Council to step up and challenge the lack of economic analysis, common sense and timing of Auckland Transport plans. Ideology must be replaced with practical decisions that meet the realistic needs of all Aucklanders and visitors.
Previous calls for Auckland Council and AT to reduce the barriers to coming to the city centre have largely fallen on deaf ears. Enough is enough and this time, we must see action. “After a decade of construction and the worst covid impacts in the country, we need more people here and we can’t be choosy about how they get here. We are not New York or London, with millions of people – the city centre must be accessible for everyone,” says Viv Beck, Chief Executive of Heart of the City.
There is still no confirmed date for the CRL opening, which creates ongoing challenge and uncertainty for street trading businesses, along with incessant road works.
The CRL will make access easier and faster for many Aucklanders, but travel patterns have changed significantly since train and bus patronage forecasts were made for the CRL and other projects. Since 2015, a 44%* reduction in cars coming to the city centre in the week-day morning peak has not been replaced by a comparable increase in public transport, cycling and walking. To the contrary, whilst cars have dropped by more than 18,000, when all modes of transport are taken into account, the reduction is nearly 31,000 (a drop of 39%).
Furthermore, AT has refused to properly assess the economic, functional and user impacts of the Authorised Vehicle Only (AVO) area in Queen Street. They have ignored all the people who have been pinged by the $150 fine, despite the confusion and frustration that AT is well aware of. Instead, they appear to be using a reduction in traffic and infringements as a sign of success, with $20M raised in revenue as of April.
“This is ridiculous – there has been no consideration of user needs, including people with mobility disabilities, access to our night-time entertainment area, and significantly reduced foot traffic and spending in this area, not to mention people who have simply been put off coming here.
“Our top priority is to attract more people here to enjoy all the great things that are on, which will only get better as a decade of major construction comes to an end. City centre businesses deserve well-considered decision making from Auckland Council and AT, and confidence in what they are doing so we realise the tremendous potential ahead,” says Ms Beck.
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*Source: AT Data
