In April 2020, cones and Day-Glo plastic sticks were placed on Queen St to encourage physical distancing as New Zealand battled its outbreak of COVID-19. But much to the dismay of local businesses, Auckland Council decided to retain the cones as makeshift traffic barriers to advance its plans for the pedestrianisation trial - exacerbating businesses economic woes amid the ongoing pandemic.
This April, the council unveiled its plans to replace the plastic sticks, stone blocks and temporary footpaths with wide boardwalks, seating and native plants - changes that would be trialled before undertaking a permanent revamp.
Parts of the main drag will also be closed off to private vehicles with expanded bus lanes, with more public transport expected to be routed through Queen St. It s understood cyclists will be expected to share the lanes.
Viv Beck: Vision is one thing - delivering an absurd mess is another
28 Apr, 2021 05:00 PM
6 minutes to read
What has already happened to Queen St is nothing compared to what is planned next, says Heart of the City chief executive Viv Beck. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
What has already happened to Queen St is nothing compared to what is planned next, says Heart of the City chief executive Viv Beck. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
NZ Herald
OPINION:
When a much-loved organisation heard that their customers would no longer be able to be dropped off at the Town Hall under Auckland Transport s plans for Queen St, they were gobsmacked.
Auckland Council/Supplied
An artist’s impression of how the lower end of Auckland s Queen Street would look once upgraded. Mayor Phil Goff has praised the changes, but members of Auckland CBD business association Heart of the City were not impressed. Now, its chief executive Viv Beck said the business association had joined forces with campaign group Save Queen Street in persuading Auckland Council to engage in further discussions about the proposed changes. While it was supportive of the notion of transforming the city, it needed to be done once and done right, she said.
Auckland Transport/Supplied
Proposed changes to Auckland s Queen Street will alter traffic flows and create bus-only sections from mid-2021.
Simon Wilson: Queen St s good new plan and its bad old enemies
22 Apr, 2021 05:00 PM
7 minutes to read
The new plan for lower Queen St. Will some people never be happy? Image / supplied
OPINION: The O Connell St Bistro, small and perfectly formed, and very near Queen St, closed forever the other day. Owner Chris Upton gave the usual Covid-era explanations and also mentioned what his rent had been: $230,000 a year.
How does a small restaurant survive paying that? Upton was a very good restaurateur and his contribution to this city will be sorely missed.
I think about him every time I read landlords complaining that the council isn t helping them bring customers back to the shops of Queen St. I think of him every time I walk past the empty shops on that street, especially when there are several in the same building.