Golden Mile carfree: phew!
In a month of extreme weirdness, Let’s Get Wellington Moving have got something 100% RIGHT
Last night Let’s Get Wellington Moving announced that they are definitely going to carfree our Golden Mile.
It’s the rebirth of the Golden Mile – and interestingly this option got the lion’s share of support from the public.
Amongst quite a lot of LGWM weirdness this year (forgetting what they’re there for and then remembering some, don’t-even-get-us-started-on-it governance, a weird long tunnel cameo (??)), it’s a huge relief that they’re getting it roughly right on something as big and important as the Golden Mile.
The gist is all the good stuff you’ll remember from that time we all submitted for the “Transform” option:
Golden Mile revamp
- Remove all general traffic
- One bus lane in each direction
- Close most side streets to motor vehicles / open them to people, creating more footpath/plaza areas
- Convert 100-200 car parks
- Relocate loading and taxi zones
- Increase footpath space by 75 per cent
- A five-minute walk to any bus sto
- Dedicated bike and/or scooter lanes
What does it get us? The spine of a city centre fit for a grownup city – that’s good for us all to live, work, move, play, hang out, socialise on.
What’s not to like?
Much is being made of those who are less than delighted at the prospect. Too much, you could say.
Delivery companies used to parking wherever should take a deep breath and remember there’s a new world coming they can make dollars and cents in.
Some Golden Mile retailers have existential fear, others (who are probably keeping their heads down given vociferous nature of some neighbours’ opposition) may be quietly optimistic – it’s hard to know because they don’t jump up and down and start petitions.
They’d all do well to talk to retailers in Auckland around places like High Street, O’Connell and Fort streets who’ve seen pro-people street retrofits make the punters far happier to come and “stick, stop, stay and spend”.
Wellington now needs to do this fast and definitively.
For all of our sakes DON’T keep endlessly re-consulting – you have a mandate several times over.
And Wellington needs to do it proper.
We’ll cover this in another post – there’s a few simple rules, including some out of Auckland.
So, Wellington:
Read more:
- Carfreeing on BBC Worklife (very quick read)
- Carfree city centres – the Guardian
- Carfreeing initaitives to reduce traffic and pollution – The Economist
- Deliveries and logistics solutions for the last mile
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