A 1.8km section of Queens Dr and Braid Rd will close for three months from January while a shared pathway connecting Roslyn, Mornington and City Rise is tested.
If successful, the road closure could be made permanent.
Councillors voted 10-4 to approve the proposal at last week’s Dunedin City Council meeting.
Speaking in opposition, Cr Jules Radich said a shared pathway made the road inaccessible.
Parks and recreation planner Katie Eglesfield’s report to councillors "waxes lyrical" about benefits, but was incorrect to say the trial’s effect was minimal, Cr Radich said.
"There’s no mention of the inconvenience to the locals, the people that use the road regularly," Cr Radich said.
He read from the report: "[Dunedin’s Town Belt’s] recreational potential is currently undermined by roads that prioritise vehicles".
"Roads are built for vehicles," Cr Radich said.
"This was built for the Queen to drive on 100 years ago and has been used continuously for that."
In reply, Cr Steve Walker said he was sorry, but he "literally couldn’t understand much of what you said".
"Although, just to be clear, it was not built for the Queen to drive on."
The reserve management plan, adopted by councillors in August, directed staff to improve transport safety and investigate shared pathway options in the area.
Signs and black bollards would mark road closure points during the trial, although vehicle access for residents and essential services would continue.
A plan accompanying the report indicates four "activation zones" along the proposed pathway, including areas for food trucks and nature play.
Cr Walker said the purpose of the trial was to measure the impact of closure.
Cr Walker urged councillors to "take a punt on something visionary".
Cr Radich later told the Otago Daily Times he assumed the roadway was named for Queen Elizabeth II and while he accepted he was incorrect, the point stood.
"Whilst I may have got the queens wrong, the name of the road is a drive, so it is a place to drive. And they did drive, whether it was a horse and cart or a car," he said.
"It’s inappropriate to change the designated use."
Parks and Recreation group manager Heath Ellis said the council understood the drive was named for Queen Victoria and records showed it was laid through the Town Belt in 1876.
Cr Mickey Treadwell said the shared pathway would provide free outdoor activities, particularly welcomed by young families.
Cr Brent Weatherall supported a trial, but said if it was successful the council needed to investigate adding shared-use tracks and minimising impact to commuters and residents.
The trial will run from January 26 to April 19 and is expected to cost $15,100 — including $3100 from parks and recreations budgets to establish seven planter boxes along the pathway.
The remainder would be funded through the council’s transport budgets.
The vote
To approve the Town Belt trial
For (10): Mayor Sophie Barker, Crs John Chambers, Christine Garey, Doug Hall, Cherry Lucas, Mandy Mayhem, Benedict Ong, Mickey Treadwell, Steve Walker, Brent Weatherall.
Against (4): Crs Russell Lund, Jules Radich, Andrew Simms, Lee Vandervis.
Absent: Cr Marie Laufiso.
