Eighteen months ago, as part of the Reserve Management Plan review of the Town Belt, it was proposed that a horizontal cycle-pedestrian path should be considered to run through the length of the belt.
Cr Lee Vandervis was vocal in his opposition, citing the difficult terrain and affordability of such a project, but staff responded that an investigation had not been carried out and several routes had been reviewed, including building a path beside Queens Dr.
At the council meeting on December 11 staff presented a proposal saying that following public consultation the original idea had now become taking the roadway to form a "shared path" for cyclists and pedestrians. Cars were to be excluded.
The report states: "Council shall consider the adaptation of Queens Dr to enable resident-only access, and to establish a pedestrian cycleway route through the length of the Town Belt, striving to achieve the promotion of transport safety; promotion of non-vehicular transport modes; reduction of illegal carparking; reduction in the ability to illegally dump rubbish; promotion of zero carbon outcomes".
The policy promotes "transport safety" by removing transport, disregarding Dunedin citizens’ unfettered right to traverse the Town Belt and the right of the elderly or infirm to enjoy a drive along the road.
Motor vehicles are now prohibited from the first section of the road built by the council in 1873 to facilitate all forms of travel through the Town Belt. It includes a foot track and is wide enough for both cars and bicycles. It pre-dates introduction of the bicycle and has never excluded any form of transport, including pedestrians, in more than 150 years.
To test public response the DCC has closed Queens Dr from Preston Cres to Braid Rd and part of Braid Rd as it rises toward Ross St.
According to the DCC "we have introduced a bird discovery feature on Braid Rd. Also, the intersection of Braid Rd and Queens Dr will include play infrastructure such as chalk games, table tennis and wheely fun".
However, there is a walking path adjacent to upper Braid Rd that serves as a bird feature, so it is unnecessary to close this road. Dunedin has an abundance of recreational playgrounds and this area is a short walk to Robin Hood Park, or the Arthur St Park where swings and slides are in regular use.
At a cost of $15,000 it is a fraudulent waste of limited funds simply to entice family groups into the closed section in order to claim that the closed road is popular.
The DCC undertook to monitor traffic and usage on the road prior to the closure, indicating that an AI camera system will be installed which will be able to determine the types of movement, whether vehicle or individual walkers and the speed of any vehicle using the road.
Again, the motivation must be questioned. Road usage was assessed during the quiet weeks when schools were closed and holidays in progress. The road is in regular use during school terms as it serves several large schools in the inner-city environment.
Clearly a number of those who supported investigating a shared path had assumed such a path was to be an addition alongside the existing road rather than taking the road.
Two reasons were given for closing the road: speeding motor vehicles, some (according to the report) achieving upwards of 90kmh, and the illegal dumping of rubbish, both enforcement matters.
If speed is a concern, why was the section of Queens Dr between Stuart St and Drivers Rd not considered for closure during the trial? It is there that traffic intensifies.
We cannot support spending to close the road and provide entertainment (including food trucks) for three months. Cleaning the shabby condition of existing footpaths and gutters and drains should be the priority.
An aspect overlooked is that of night-time safety. Having installed furniture previously used in the Octagon and on George St to encourage young people to the area the DCC has failed its obligation to recognise the potential danger when alcohol becomes involved at night in an isolated and dimly-lit environment.
Already some on social media are suggesting birthday parties and the like.
Many councillors do not yet understand that prudence is required. Cr Treadwell: "I just like to commend staff on this thorough and awesome plan ... keeping the cost down to less than four grand a month is honestly amazing".
Deploying disused street furniture and installing barriers should not cost $15,000.
If ratepayers and those counting the cost want needless waste to stop, they should make a submission on the DCC website.
There is no justification for shutting down the roadway. It is a cycleway grab, but there is nothing standing in the way of cyclists who wish to use it.
— Richard Stedman is a retired journalist and an executive member of the Dunedin Area Citizens Association.
