Monday, 11 November 2019
George St facelift set to fly or flop?
An urban designer says the plan to pedestrianise Dunedin's main street needs to be bolder. Some retailers say any change would be disastrous. But who really knows? Will the $28 million George St upgrade kill the heart of the city or breathe more life in to it? Bruce Munro takes a look.
"The feel of an urban city is the sound of cars going past. People walking don't generate much energy," [Margi Robertson] says.
"At the moment it's not a bad area for retailers. So, if it ain't broken, you don't need to fix it."
What is broken and what isn't, what needs to be improved and whether it will be an improvement, whether it is a bold step or a step into oblivion are now burning questions.
Since early June, when the draft design for the $28 million, new-look George St was unveiled, opinion on the plan has become increasingly divided......
https://www.odt.co.nz/lifestyle/magazine/george-st-facelift-set-fly-or-flop
___Cartoon by Kleinefeldmaus__
Commnts on ODT site:
Dougal
Mon, 11/11/2019 - 8:19am #
The
key is free public transport that is easy to use and reliable. Dunedin
had trams... a modern version such as the glorified golf carts that are
hop on hop off and free to use would be great.
If George St is to remain the heart of the city it.s planning must be synchronous with other parts of the city. Stopping big box development and car accessed retail in areas such as Crawford St will be necessary.
If George St is to remain the heart of the city it.s planning must be synchronous with other parts of the city. Stopping big box development and car accessed retail in areas such as Crawford St will be necessary.
Coker
Mon, 11/11/2019 - 8:55am #
It's
fashionable to argue that having a little less car traffic in order to
have a little more foot traffic is a desirable tradeoff. The more
likely reality is that we'll actually have less of both.
It's astounding that no cost-benefit analysis has been undertaken. But beware of one commissioned by those pushing for change as the outcome will then be pre-ordained — that happened in Chch and as a result they've got unused and unusable cycleways running through their CBD.
It's astounding that no cost-benefit analysis has been undertaken. But beware of one commissioned by those pushing for change as the outcome will then be pre-ordained — that happened in Chch and as a result they've got unused and unusable cycleways running through their CBD.
Dunedinite
Mon, 11/11/2019 - 10:44am #
Also
need to balance new/revitalised commercial areas with population growth
– Vogel St, Harbour Basin, South Dunedin…I think the horse may have
already bolted!
nightimejohn
Mon, 11/11/2019 - 12:46pm #
1930:
"A pedestrian who holds up a motorcar and gets out of the way
nonchalantly at the very last minute is by no means an infrequent
phenomenon. Whether or not it is that they resent other people having
motorcars I don't know, but a great many pedestrians simply will not get
out of the way until the last minute."
2019: Lime put swift moving scooters on the pavements.....
2019: Lime put swift moving scooters on the pavements.....
KeithMcC
Mon, 11/11/2019 - 12:48pm #
Someone
is being a little disingenuous suggesting Dunedin is even remotely
comparable to the four cities listed. Even Ljubljana is 3 times the
population of Dunedin and is largely a flat terrain.
The DCC are simply anti car. DCC staff, the mayor and some others fervently believe the world will be better without cars and Dunedin is a good place to begin the process. If a few mistakes are made on the way and a few (or most) businesses go broke then that is a small price to pay. These myopic fools won't be risking or spending their own money, so there is nothing to lose.
All hail the end of personal cars! The mayor is so hypocritical he doesn't even use his own car, he just sponges off everyone else.
The winners of closing George St will be skateboarding Students. People with money to spend will simply shop elsewhere.
In my memory Dunedins main street spread from before the exchange to Knox Church. If in 5 years time the main street is vacant and shopping is only in the suburbs where people can still drive to, then so be it.
The DCC are simply anti car. DCC staff, the mayor and some others fervently believe the world will be better without cars and Dunedin is a good place to begin the process. If a few mistakes are made on the way and a few (or most) businesses go broke then that is a small price to pay. These myopic fools won't be risking or spending their own money, so there is nothing to lose.
All hail the end of personal cars! The mayor is so hypocritical he doesn't even use his own car, he just sponges off everyone else.
The winners of closing George St will be skateboarding Students. People with money to spend will simply shop elsewhere.
In my memory Dunedins main street spread from before the exchange to Knox Church. If in 5 years time the main street is vacant and shopping is only in the suburbs where people can still drive to, then so be it.
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The following article makes no mention of whether the parking spaces taken for relocated parklets will be lost, or parking replaced at the bus stops where the parklets were first placed.
Monday, 11 November 2019
Parklets moved to safer spots
Three parklets have been moved following a safety review sparked by a city centre bus crash.
Dunedin City Council transport engineering and road safety team leader Hjarne Poulsen said the two parklets located on George St were moved because they were located too close to intersections.
At the time, council city services general manager Sandy Graham said safety was a key consideration when the council was designing the parklets.
"They meet safety standards and allow sufficient space for vehicles, and while this is an isolated incident, we will be reviewing the parklets so that they are as safe as possible.".......
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/dcc/parklets-moved-safer-spots
Comments on ODT site are unenthusiastic:
Fitzroy
Mon, 11/11/2019 - 6:22am #
So who at the council failed to do their job on the initial placement of these things?
More rework at the ratepayer expense...
More rework at the ratepayer expense...
Snozzman
Mon, 11/11/2019 - 6:33am #
The cost WAS $167,000, but let's not forget the cost of relocation!
Never mind DCC, it's only ratepayer money. Plenty more where that come from, right?!
Never mind DCC, it's only ratepayer money. Plenty more where that come from, right?!
nivaman
Mon, 11/11/2019 - 11:27am #
Hey dcc just throw some more ratepayers money at it, that will fix it ....... right? ..........
It's easy to be wide after the event -but but but - aren't the traffic engineers supposed to be able to sort such things as these BEFORE hand.
ReplyDeleteSo much for the forward planing – where were the traffic engineers