Car parks go under safety plan
A central Wellington link road is set to undergo changes to make it safer.
After much debate on Thursday, Wellington City Council voted to ‘‘improve’’ Whitmore St but the scheme will mean the loss of seven car parks, which has been opposed by businesses.
The street, which is classified as one of the city’s principal routes, connects to Lambton Quay, and links to the waterfront area, the inner city and western suburbs.
The average daily traffic volume along Whitmore St is about 17,800 vehicles and during the morning peak has about 4180 pedestrians crossing the street, in both directions. There have been 25 crashes in the past five years, with most involving right-turning vehicles from Whitmore St into Stout St and Featherston St.
This is the second time councillors have been asked to vote on changes to the road. A proposed traffic resolution was tabled at a city strategy committee meeting in November but as a result of opposition from Living Streets Aotearoa, councillors asked for further work to be undertaken to address concerns.
The revised design is aimed at improving traffic flow and safety, by reconfiguring the traffic lanes. It will separate quays-bound traffic along Whitmore St from drivers turning right into Featherston St and Stout St. The signal phasing will be amended to give full protection to pedestrians crossing at the north end of Stout St.
Councillor Chris Calvi-Freeman, who holds the transport portfolio, said this was a better scheme than the previous option and was safer for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists. The council usually strove for a win-win situation but in this case it was not possible.
Eliminating the car parks on the south side of Whitmore St, between Featherston St and Stout St was the only way the scheme could be achieved, he said. ‘‘A vote for keeping the car parks is a vote for constraining this arterial ... but the downside is that it can’t go into place without losing car parks.’’
Councillor Simon Marsh did not support the removal of the car parks and said the council needed to ask if it was really necessary. He was supported by councillors Simon Woolf, Nicola Young, Malcolm Sparrow and Diane Calvert, who also voted against the changes.
The Wellington Chamber of Commerce opposed the removal of car parks and supported the status quo that featured a clearway during peak hours, which will now be the new turning lane.
Chamber chief executive John Milford said yesterday it was disappointing and believed the case had not been proved.
Ellen Blake, from Living Streets Aotearoa, said the new raft of changes were an improvement but the organisation still had concerns about how pedestrians were treated in the area.