1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:03,680 Speaker 1: Organ Transport wants to let cars back into more of 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:08,000 Speaker 1: Queen Street in central Auckland. Private vehicles were given the boot, 3 00:00:08,039 --> 00:00:10,320 Speaker 1: as you know, of the section of Queen Street between 4 00:00:10,360 --> 00:00:14,160 Speaker 1: Wellesley and Wakefield Street back in twenty twenty two, but 5 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:17,480 Speaker 1: AT has now proposed to the White Matar Local Board 6 00:00:17,480 --> 00:00:21,080 Speaker 1: that general traffic traffic should be allowed in that section 7 00:00:21,239 --> 00:00:25,239 Speaker 1: between seven pm and seven am, basically overnight. The beck 8 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:27,560 Speaker 1: CEO Heart of the city with me now, haveviv. 9 00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:32,280 Speaker 2: Hello thoughts our common sense. I mean, we've had a 10 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:35,920 Speaker 2: nighttime entertainment area that you couldn't get a cab or 11 00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:39,320 Speaker 2: ride chair, you couldn't drop your elderly parents or grandparents 12 00:00:39,360 --> 00:00:44,839 Speaker 2: in there. This will open up. It's a sensible multi 13 00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:46,640 Speaker 2: modal access we're looking for. 14 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:49,360 Speaker 1: Do you think it's sensible. Do you think it's had, 15 00:00:50,040 --> 00:00:53,320 Speaker 1: like seriously had a legitimate impact on nightlife in Auckland 16 00:00:53,520 --> 00:00:54,160 Speaker 1: and safety? 17 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:58,200 Speaker 2: Well, it has had a negative economic impact. We know 18 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:01,360 Speaker 2: they've collected I think, well it's an excess now of 19 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:04,520 Speaker 2: twenty million dollars in fines. And when they came to 20 00:01:04,560 --> 00:01:06,480 Speaker 2: talk to us about it not too long ago, they 21 00:01:06,520 --> 00:01:08,880 Speaker 2: said it had been tremendously successful, And I said, what 22 00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:12,360 Speaker 2: by what measure? And they said, because we're getting fewer fines, 23 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:16,040 Speaker 2: I more cars out And I said yes. But last 24 00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:19,280 Speaker 2: year the foot traffic was down thirty six percent on 25 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:22,000 Speaker 2: twenty nineteen in that area, and the spending was down 26 00:01:22,120 --> 00:01:26,600 Speaker 2: fifty seven percent. So the reality is it hasn't been 27 00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:31,240 Speaker 2: flooded with people and spending. I mean, in an ideal world, 28 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:35,440 Speaker 2: if you had millions of people, you can understand the 29 00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:38,479 Speaker 2: logic potentially, but a lot of these things have been 30 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:42,600 Speaker 2: done before we've had enough people, so it's common sense 31 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:47,120 Speaker 2: people are looking for. Our recent business survey, seventy nine 32 00:01:47,160 --> 00:01:50,680 Speaker 2: percent of respondents in that Queen Street Valley area did 33 00:01:50,720 --> 00:01:53,360 Speaker 2: not agree with eighty finding people one hundred and fifty 34 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:56,920 Speaker 2: dollars for entering that area. It was really confusing and 35 00:01:56,960 --> 00:01:59,680 Speaker 2: it put people off coming here. We know that because 36 00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:03,800 Speaker 2: our research tells us constantly people have been frustrated and 37 00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:05,680 Speaker 2: have found it too hard to come here at a 38 00:02:05,720 --> 00:02:08,440 Speaker 2: time we really need to welcome them back with open arms. 39 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:11,200 Speaker 1: Not fine, So why now? Why have they had this 40 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:12,680 Speaker 1: come to Jesus moment? Do you reckon? 41 00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:15,400 Speaker 2: Oh? Because the buses are coming out, So that we 42 00:02:15,480 --> 00:02:17,720 Speaker 2: few about their logic was that we had so many 43 00:02:17,760 --> 00:02:20,440 Speaker 2: buses in there that you needed to get the cars out, 44 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:23,919 Speaker 2: and now some of the buses are going back into 45 00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:28,280 Speaker 2: Albert Street, so that there's changes and sort of what's 46 00:02:28,320 --> 00:02:31,000 Speaker 2: going where. So what they're saying is at night, at 47 00:02:31,080 --> 00:02:34,239 Speaker 2: night time, the ability for people to get through there 48 00:02:34,480 --> 00:02:38,680 Speaker 2: and access that area I think makes sense, just. 49 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:41,560 Speaker 1: Common sense, common sense, common sense, not very common What 50 00:02:41,639 --> 00:02:44,000 Speaker 1: about Greater Auckland they've had out of this saying the 51 00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:47,160 Speaker 1: change is bad. They say there's lots of support for 52 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:51,120 Speaker 1: pedestrianizing Queen Street and the already pedestrianized bits are getting 53 00:02:51,160 --> 00:02:54,040 Speaker 1: better foot traffic. Is that well one is that true? 54 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:56,800 Speaker 2: And to your react, well, we know we need the 55 00:02:56,800 --> 00:02:59,840 Speaker 2: equivalent of about Coldplay concert a day to get back 56 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:03,800 Speaker 2: overall to the foot traft we used to have. We're 57 00:03:03,840 --> 00:03:07,960 Speaker 2: not averse to the vision, but the execution has been lousy, 58 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:11,799 Speaker 2: and it's been planned on cities with millions of people. 59 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:13,639 Speaker 2: So if you think about we know we're not London 60 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:16,800 Speaker 2: or Manhattan, who had about eighty five percent of the 61 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:20,239 Speaker 2: people already there before they started doing this sort of thing. Now, 62 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:23,320 Speaker 2: whether it was because they have got great public transport 63 00:03:23,639 --> 00:03:25,920 Speaker 2: or because they lived there, the point is some of 64 00:03:25,960 --> 00:03:29,880 Speaker 2: these things have been done before we had enough people. 65 00:03:30,200 --> 00:03:32,720 Speaker 2: That's the issue. That's you know, so we're not saying, 66 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:36,400 Speaker 2: of course people like people friendly places, but we're also 67 00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:40,720 Speaker 2: saying you need to have different modes cohabitating. You go 68 00:03:40,800 --> 00:03:43,400 Speaker 2: to christ Church, they've done a really good job of that. 69 00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:46,280 Speaker 2: I had a rental car there recently. I could get 70 00:03:46,760 --> 00:03:50,680 Speaker 2: very close to their people friendly spaces without being fined, 71 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:54,720 Speaker 2: without feeling unwelcome. I could part close. You know, other 72 00:03:54,800 --> 00:03:57,200 Speaker 2: cities I've been to, they just don't seem to be 73 00:03:57,400 --> 00:04:02,840 Speaker 2: so obsessed with making it difficult for years, and we've 74 00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:06,360 Speaker 2: got to just be able to cohabitate comfortably with different 75 00:04:06,440 --> 00:04:09,280 Speaker 2: modes and by all means, as we get more people 76 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:12,840 Speaker 2: back through public transport, which we support and other modes, 77 00:04:12,880 --> 00:04:16,240 Speaker 2: you start looking at things, then you don't do it 78 00:04:16,400 --> 00:04:18,400 Speaker 2: while we're really down on people. 79 00:04:18,760 --> 00:04:21,320 Speaker 1: Viv appreciate your time, Vive Big Heart of the City CEO. 80 00:04:22,080 --> 00:04:25,240 Speaker 1: For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to 81 00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:25,880 Speaker 1: news talks. 82 00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:29,080 Speaker 2: It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast 83 00:04:29,200 --> 00:04:30,200 Speaker 2: on iHeartRadio.