Ferry trial for Wynyard Quarter’s bridge to nowhere
A ferry service will be put to the test this month on Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour following the closure of a vital pedestrian bridge and business lifeline.
In a statement yesterday, Auckland Council’s development agency Eke Panuku said the trial will test if a temporary small ferry service would be viable.
Eke Panuku has closed the Wynyard Quarter crossing bridge for up to nine months to fix a wide range of mechanical and structural problems — sparking anger from local hospitality operators who are frustrated over the timeframe, a big drop in customers and what they perceive to be a lack of urgency and empathy and few proper alternative solutions being offered by the council agency.
A spokesperson said the trial will provide Eke Panuku with valuable information on issues such as health and safety, ease of use, public uptake, logistics and cost.
“It will be aimed at facilitating the casual foot traffic demand. More info, including the trial dates and hours of operation, will be released shortly.”
The spokesperson acknowledged that logistically the ferry will not be able to replicate the bridge’s capacity to bring the same number of people across the water, and Eke Panuku will continue to promote the alternative routes to Wynyard Quarter, such as the existing City Link Bus service which runs every seven minutes seven days a week.
Yesterday, deputy mayor Desley Simpson said the closure of the bridge is becoming a “reputational issue” for the city.
Hospitality operators — including The Conservatory Bar and Restaurant owner Tricky Hartley, James Gardiner from Rushworth Cafe, Alex Pearson from Wynyard Pavilion and Fraser Shenton from The Good Luck Coconut — told the Herald on Saturday that the long timeframe to repair the bridge was unacceptable and catastrophic.
Eke Panuku is defending its previous maintenance of the bridge and the need to close it down properly until next summer, while a full programme of work is under way.
It says it is doing everything possible to have the bridge reopened quickly, an assertion that has been rejected by the bar, cafe and restaurant owners and dozens of Herald readers since Saturday’s article.
Eke Panuku chief executive David Rankin said: “Legally when the bridge has a technical issue, it must remain upright (closed to public access) due to the conditions of the bridge resource consent. The resource consent specifically states that marine vessels have the right of way. We are legally required to keep the bridge spans upright and closed to pedestrians because of this.”
A report into other potential alternatives will be released today.