A trial closure of Ōamaru’s Harbour Street to traffic next week, will act as a guideline of what the next move should be, business owner Stacey Pine says.

The trial was approved by Waitaki District Council at a meeting in March, and will be the first time Harbour Street has had vehicular traffic temporarily diverted for an entire week.

Over the two weeks of these school holidays, this week is being used as a “control” week, while from 9am on Saturday (April 20) to 5pm the following Sunday (April 28) the road will be closed to traffic, similar to when the bollards are up during the weekends in the summer.

Monitoring over both weeks will allow for comparison on the potential effects on businesses on the street, Stacey, who owns The Movement Hub, says.

“We’re seeing if it’s viable to make it more about the place than the road.”

The application for the trial was made by a group of business owners on Harbour Street who, after consulting with other business owners, found a majority supported a trial closure of the street.

There are no costs involved in the trial for the council or ratepayers.

Council roading manager Kushla Tapper said making Harbour Street a more pedestrian and business-friendly zone has been something that has been talked about for some time, especially during holiday periods.

“This is a community-led initiative, and council is happy to support them in this trial,” she says.

“With one week on and one week off, we can get a good picture of what works and what doesn’t, to support good decisions being made in the future, enabling communities to do what works for them.”

Clothing design company Moke said, in a statement, staff are excited for the trial next week.

“It's been so busy down here with tourists for months now, that it can be a bit of a safety hazard to have so many cars coming and going down the street, as pedestrians naturally want to wander onto the street itself to take photos of the streetscape and all our gorgeous buildings.

“Harbour Street deserves to be featured traffic-free in all those photos! In a world of social media, we think the flow-on effect of such publicity is worth having to park a little further away to get from the car to the stairs to our office,” they said.

However, another business owner on the street, who wishes to remain anonymous, disagrees with the decision to close the street. 

They support the idea of it being closed at the weekends, but say during the week they receive packages almost daily.

“Some of them are very large boxes that I wouldn’t want being carried a long way.

“I don’t think they have taken all businesses on the street into account, especially those who rely on the locals popping in and out quickly every day. 

“There is already a shortage of parking around the area, and then taking away the street, locals won’t come down if they struggle to find parking spaces,” they say.

The business owner thought parking should be limited to 30 minutes instead. They had never seen a close call between pedestrians and cars. 

“I have truly seen more close accidents with the out-back parking, which is where everyone will then be going.”

Dawn Brown of Presence on Harbour thinks the trial is a great idea.

“It can be very dangerous on the corner of Harbour Street when it is the school holidays and the period pre-Christmas to Easter," she says.

Stacey has several clients with movement and mobility issues, or who have family members in wheelchairs or on walking frames.

People have voiced concerns about accessibility to businesses on the street if traffic is diverted, but this will actually make things more accessible, she says.

“Having the street closed to traffic means they can utilise the disability parking spaces in the laneway behind Harbour Street, and then use the actual road to get around.

“The footpath and cobblestone area are unsuitable for many people with disabilities to navigate. Many of these clients have expressed positive feedback about being able to enjoy the precinct with their family and friends during the trial of pedestrianisation on Harbour Street.”

There will be opportunities for businesses and the community to provide feedback during and after the trial.

A claim on social media that the trial is illegal, has been dismissed by the council.

“The upcoming trial comes under Schedule 10 Clause 11(d) of the Local Government Act 1974 stating we may temporarily prohibit traffic “when for any reason it is considered desirable that traffic should be temporarily diverted to other roads”,” the council posted on its Facebook page.

One community member who didn’t want to be named, but regularly visits the street, is also against the closure, saying it is catering more for tourists than the locals.

“As a town, do we want this street just targeted at tourists? Or do we want our local, loyal residents using this as well. 

“We have a lot of locally-owned businesses in the street that rely solely on these people and not so much on tourists.”

She also questioned the safety of staff who worked at businesses open late at night, especially in the winter when it is dark, if they had to walk in poorly-lit areas to get to their cars.

“I love the feel of the street. The traffic does not bother me, and is beneficial for the businesses that I know working in the street,” she said.

In making its submission to the council for a two-week trial, the Harbour Street group highlighted that due to heritage restrictions, the Historic Precinct has no modern-day parking signage. This creates confusion for visitors, and allows ad-hoc parking and congestion.

Removing traffic from the area will remove the confusion, while improving safety and enhancing the area for visitors. There is ample parking nearby, which is signposted and easily accessible, the submission said.

“Harbour Street is a key visitor destination within Ōamaru’s Historic Precinct. The presence of vehicles during the day has a negative impact on the visitor experience and the impression of Ōamaru as a visitor-friendly destination.”

The survey of Harbour Street businesses for and against the closure was conducted by those applying for the trial. 

Sixteen were for it, with bollards staying up for the full two weeks; four wanted the bollards to go up every morning (9am or 9.30am) and come down at 4pm each day; one wanted the bollards up for a full one-week trial; and four were against the trial completely.

The bollards will stay up throughout the trial, but businesses will be able to get permits for vehicle access.

It was also decided at the meeting to delegate future decisions on this issue to the council chief executive.  

This reduces some of the administrative burden around the issue and increases flexibility for events and activities, but is only for temporary closures.

Chief executive Alex Parmley has said he would only make those decisions in consultation with councillors.