A trial closure of the Octagon has sparked "grave concerns" for cruise passenger safety, and fears Dunedin could miss out on ships altogether.
Bus company Ritchies and the New Zealand Cruise Association have joined calls for a re-think of a planned trial closure of the Octagon early next year.
They join some Octagon business owners who say their businesses will be significantly impacted, and in some cases may have to close for good, because of the lack of cruise passenger foot traffic.
The Dunedin City Council recently announced trial closures of the Octagon, including a full closure from January 27 to February 16 and partial closures from February 17 to March 23.
The $15,000 trial means cruise ship buses will not be able to park in the Octagon and will instead head to Toitu Otago Settlers Museum or nearby streets.
Ritchies business development manager Malcolm Budd said the company, which is the coach provider for cruise ships, had "grave concerns" about passenger safety regarding the stop in the museum area.
The main issues were passengers having to cross State Highway1, and being so far away from the Octagon.
About 43,000 passengers were expected to visit the city during the closure period.
He was planning to write to the council asking for a meeting to discuss an alternative option.
Ritchies was not consulted about the change, he said.
New Zealand Cruise Association chief executive Kevin O’Sullivan believed the proposed closure "couldn’t happen at a worse time", as it was one of the busiest parts of the cruise season.
"There are significant safety concerns in dropping off so many people in such a location," he said of the museum area.
He was also worried about the impact on Dunedin as a cruise ship destination.
"It rates very highly, but this sort of thing could lower its ranking."
Ratings were based on people’s perceptions of their visit, and a poor experience could flow back to the cruise companies.
"If this isn’t resolved, there could be longer term impacts on whether Dunedin is a good place to go."
But a council spokeswoman was doubtful of the closure affecting the city’s ratings.
She said several options were investigated for the temporary bus stop and the museum area was considered to the best.
"Passenger safety is paramount and because there are pedestrian crossing lights outside Toitu, this was considered to be one of the key factors why Toitu was chosen.
"In addition, there will be a pop-up i-Site inside Toitu while cruise ship shuttles stop outside the museum."
"A good deal of time and planning has gone into this trial closure and we believe the measures we are putting in place will create a vibrancy and atmosphere that will attract visitors to the Octagon and surrounding businesses and of the 75-plus businesses we have engaged with, the general consensus has been positive."
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Quoting: ‘ But a council spokeswoman was doubtful of the closure affecting the city’s ratings. She said several options were investigated for the temporary bus stop and the museum area was considered to the best.’ (ends).
Note the passive tense. Investigated by who?
Considering that staff do not make policy but rather elected reps do, it would be better and more transparent to be clear about which council spokesperson was speaking here and on what basis. The opinion of council staff is not relevant. Ratepayers and residents need to be well-informed about which elected reps are making decisions and on what basis, especially if those decisions are based on ideology about what might work in other cities aiming at sustainability but where good public transport and alternative commercial vehicle access are already in place, unlike Dunedin. Dunedin is unusual in that, constrained between hills and the sea, it has very limited vehicle access to the CBD except for the main street . You can go through but, unlike many larger centrally pedestrianised cities, it is not that easy here to go around.
The dcc seem hell bent on stuffing things up for everybody just to suit their ideological bent.
Was in the Octagon today when the central carriageway was closed to traffic for cruise ship busses to load/unload there. It seemed to be the perfect spot for such a thing, and made the Octagon a very lively place with people walking away in all directions.
If the closure goes ahead, busses still need to use the centre carriageway to drop people off/pick up, end of story. Try listening to the public and businesses for once DCC!
Fact of the matter is that most tourists love to visit the Railway Station. It is without a doubt one of the most photographed buildings in NZ. Let's be honest about this, the walk from the railway station to the Octagon is really a very short walk, 200metres maybe? How many NZ cities have a historic railway station so close to the very centre of their city? Another point, how many tourists currently dropped off at the Octagon, walk down to the Railway Station just for the look? So really, no difference being shuttled to the Toitu Otago Settlers Museum. I think some business owners and public are afraid of change, a change that just may be very lucrative for Dunedin. Many cities around the world have pedestrian only areas in the centre of the city and do VERY well. Let's give this a go. What did you all do before the huge number of cruise ships arriving here? This won't be the end of the world, it may indeed be just what was needed. But let's sort out the parking and the cost of parking while we're at it so we can all do our shopping and enjoy the traffic free atmosphere without being run broke by parking fees. Our city is not just for tourists.
Agree completely.
Unless you try something different, how can you know whether or not it's going to be a success? You can't know 100%.
Buzz,
Yes there are some places around the world where malls and plazas are successful. There are also a large number of abject failures - Swanston St in Melbourne being a prime example.
Where malls do work the cities are many time bigger than Dunedin and have topography conducive to non motorised travel.
The reality is Dunedin council has had an anti car agenda for several years. DCC staff has been stacked with like minded anti car people. And now we have a greens mayor who is so blinkered he doesn't drive a car, he just bludges off other people.
You mentioned council need to sort out parking places and costs - please read the rest of the ODT. Council is still hell bent on selling off the Moray Place car park. So good luck getting to any event at the town hall in future.
There is no balance in DCC's approach. It is simply relentless, steady anti vehicle and who cares about the impact.
Hi Keith, I understand your comments regarding population and topography, however, the point I was making is that having the Octagon a traffic free space for shopping, dining and entertainment coupled with the close proximity of the Railway Station, sets the scene for a very unique and attractive city centre. In regard to your comment about population, that population is 'hand delivered' almost daily by the cruise ships and reinforced by road travelling tourists and local residents. They're not going to just stand around at the Toitu until the bus takes them back to the Port later in the day. You may have missed interpreted my comment regarding parking. A plan for affordable parking close to the centre of the city needs to be developed in conjunction with the closure of the Octagon, so yes, selling off parking space is crazy. And yes, the car free agenda by the DCC does seem frustrating. But in reality, we can't have a growing city that attracts ever more residents trying to navigate increasingly crowded and narrow streets. We don't and will never have the space for all the traffic because of the 'Topography' you mention. So, reducing cars is really the only option.