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No trucks on State Highway 88 is the future Port Otago imagines for the harbour.
This vision was proposed by the company's marine and infrastructure general manager, Sean Bolt, at the Reimagining Otago Harbour panel discussion at the Dunedin Public Library's Dunningham Room last night.
Mr Bolt said to get trucks off that road the city would need to embrace rail as a way to transport goods to the harbour.
"The thing we have to do is recreate Dunedin as a port more cargo can go through.''
State Highway 88 connects Port Chalmers to the city and is used by about 15 freight companies to transport goods.
Last week, Port Otago said the majority of those companies agreed to a 30kmh speed limit on the Port Chalmers stretch of the 50kmh road following protests by locals.
The port's future also involved electric and hybrid equipment, including its straddle carriers and tugs, which it could have within 10 years.
"Also in the future, and I think this will be beyond my time, is unmanned ships.''
Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull said a cycleway was desperately needed to Port Chalmers as the highway was "one of the most dangerous roads in the country'' for cyclists.
He supported "sympathetic development'' on the harbour south of the city, including visitor accommodation, restaurants and recreation opportunities.
"Other cities which have harbours have done pretty special things with them.''
University of Otago marine science department Associate Prof Chris Hepburn said the community could not let the harbour go into incremental decline.
"I hope we can get away from the older ways of top-down management and really move to real bottom-up community engagement.''
He hoped to one day see right whales calving in the harbour.
A full house of about 150 people attended the event, part of the Dunedin Heritage Festival.
Other speakers were Otago Regional Council chief executive Peter Bodeker, Otakou runanga kaumatua Edward Ellison and Graeme Wall, of New Zealand Yachting.