The transformation of Dunedin's John Wilson Ocean Dr into a
shared space for walkers, cyclists and motorists is likely to
cost less than $1 million, but the results could be "quite
magnificent", Dunedin City Council staff say.
Plans to separate motorists from cyclists and pedestrians on
Dunedin's scenic John Wilson Ocean Dr should be trialled
before money is spent on a permanent solution, a Dunedin city
councillor says.
Dunedin city councillors have backed plans to reopen John
Wilson Ocean Dr to vehicles, despite a warning they might
have to revisit the controversial debate again.
It seems extraordinary that by the time the future of
Dunedin's John Wilson Ocean Dr is secure, years will have
passed from the moment in 2006 when the road was closed
"temporarily" to allow unimpeded construction of the city's
extended sewage outfall.
Dunedin's scenic John Wilson Ocean Dr will reopen to vehicles
for restricted hours each day, but not until a new shared
pathway for cyclists and pedestrians is added next year.
The Dunedin City Council's hearings
committee faces a difficult decision, after passionate
arguments on both sides about the future use of John Wilson
Ocean Dr, committee chairman Cr Colin Weatherall says.
John Wilson Promenaders organised a gala day to celebrate the
use of temporary bollards, rather than gates, to stop cars
from driving on the stretch of road.
Vandalism to gates on John Wilson Ocean Dr, in Dunedin, has
ranged from people using bolt cutters to break padlocks to
others attaching chains between the gate and their car,
tearing it from its hinges.
