Mayoralty candidate Jules Radich said fears about a one-way George St were based on reality experienced in such places as a pedestrian-focused Cuba St in Wellington.
Some candidates for the Dunedin City Council, including deputy mayor Christine Garey, decried his call for a review mid-project and accused him of fearmongering.
"This is scaremongering of the worst kind, playing to people’s basic fears — the tactics of a sore loser," Cr Garey said.
"The fact is urban design can limit crime ... and encourage quality retail.
"Council made a decision, the contracts are let and the George St project is well under way."
The city council voted 9-5 last year to proceed with a one-way design for the city’s main shopping street and work on the first block is near completion.
Cr Radich said the development was proceeding in a way that might preclude a future call to revert to two-way traffic.
"Given the very high rate of shoplifting, street crime and assaults that happen in Cuba St — which has been held up as a highly vibrant and valuable pedestrianised retail space — I think it is imperative that we keep our options open," he said.
"I believe that the last thing Dunedin shoppers want to see is their precious precinct degraded by criminal behaviour, especially when the street will look so beautiful."
In a Facebook post, Cr Radich referred to a 2020 decision by the council to back a one-way design, but with flexibility to revert to two-way traffic.
In the post, he did not mention a subsequent decision by the council to continue with a one-way design and which did not retain flexibility for a possible return to two-way traffic.
Cr Radich said this was not misleading.
He adjusted his post by one word after contact from the Otago Daily Times, reflecting that the 2020 decision was the "original" resolution.
Dunedin Mayor Aaron Hawkins condemned the way Cr Radich had presented issues connected with George St, among others.
"This is shameful and desperate fearmongering by a man who seems incapable of accepting defeat," Mr Hawkins said.
"More concerning is the councillor’s basic lack of understanding of council decisions, either that or a comfort in misrepresenting them.
"Cr Radich likes to talk about the public’s low levels of confidence in elected members.
"It might be worth reflecting on whether this sort of behaviour is contributing to that."
Another mayoralty candidate, Cr Lee Vandervis, came to Cr Radich’s defence.
"Cr Radich is rightly highlighting real fears, not fearmongering," he said.
Cr Radich said it was the ideal time to review what was being done, "when the first block is still emerging from the dust".
Cr Carmen Houlahan, also standing for the mayoralty, said she supported the situation being reassessed after the election.
Another mayoralty candidate, Cr Sophie Barker, said Cr Radich’s post was unfortunate and alarmist.
Dunedin did not have the same issues as Wellington, and councillors had a wealth of information before they made their decisions, she said.
She reiterated the council’s final call was unequivocally to go one-way.
"The resolution he’s quoting is an old one before the final resolution was made."
City council candidate Cr Steve Walker said Cr Radich was fearmongering in "deplorable" fashion and this was a quality "none of us want to see in a mayoral aspirant".
