A trial banning vehicles from the Dunedin Railway Station forecourt had tails wagging yesterday.
The Dunedin City Council positioned planter boxes and road signs at either end of the through-road, signalling the start of a four-day trial closure.
Buses which used the area to drop off and collect tourists were given temporary new parks, to the north and south of the station, to use during the trial.
And among the tourists and locals strolling along the vehicle-free space at lunchtime yesterday was Anja Klinkert and her Staffordshire bull terrier, Martin.
The pair were on a break from their Moray Pl office and opted for a quick walk along Dunedin’s newest pedestrian-friendly space.
And, with no buses to dodge, Ms Klinkert, a Dunedin lawyer, said the change was welcome.
"It’s just so much more relaxed. You don’t have to look over your shoulder all the time."
Ms Klinkert said she brought her pet to work each day and took him for walks at lunchtime, but could struggle to find pedestrian-friendly spaces in the city.
The change should become a permanent one, copied in other parts of the city, to accommodate rising numbers of tourists choosing to visit Dunedin, she believed.
"It’s just going to be accidents waiting to happen if they don’t do more of this.
"You have to have designated walking areas. The more they close off Dunedin to traffic, the better."
Another who agreed was Christine Weir, of Richmond, near Nelson, who was enjoying a chance to stretch her legs while on a three-month camper van tour of Otago and Southland.
Stopping buses from parking in front of the station made for better photographs and also improved safety, she believed.
"Anything they do like that is really good.
"It’s a much nicer experience," she said.
The temporary closure to vehicles would coincide with the reopening today of the refurbished Dunedin Courthouse, as well as the visit of cruise ship Sea Princess.
The trial would conclude on Sunday, but, if feedback was positive, could become a permanent feature by the middle of this year, council transport group manager Richard Saunders said last week.
