Slow down in Christchurch CBD - and from rushing to judgment

OPINION: As anyone who has been in Christchurch's CBD recently knows all too well, it takes time and patience to get where you want to go.

It can seem as if around every corner there is a fresh sprinkling of the city's unofficial emblem, the orange road cone.

Some of the central city's key streets – Manchester, Colombo, Durham, Hereford, the list goes on – are clogged with cones and work site fences spilling out onto the street. Around such sites, even the CBD speed limit of 30kmh is barely possible.

So it is little wonder that many of the heavyweights behind the rebuild of the centre city, from business owners to property developers to restaurateurs, were fuming at a "heated" private meeting with the mayor, city council chief executive and Otakaro chief executive on Tuesday. They had gathered to discuss progress on the Accessible City project, which aims to upgrade the travel network for future needs and result in what the council describes as a "compact, people-friendly core".

​Property investor Stephen Collins described An Accessible City as a social experiment that would put retailers out of business. The core objection was that if people were put off from coming into the CBD, they would not return to eat, drink, shop and spend.

Another attendee said there was even talk of seeking an injunction to halt work on the project if the council and Otakaro did not agree to pause it.

The legal threat smacks of short-term thinking. Tying the plan up in court will not make roadworks happen faster nor is it any guarantee the developers will get their own way.

Besides, there has been ample opportunity for consultation, with many stages of the Accessible City plan laid out in snazzy consultation booklets, discussed in drop-in sessions and public meetings, and open to formal submissions. All sectors of the public, not just developers, had many chances to have their say before the plans were finalised.

Brendan Chase from the Central City Business Association made the point that unlike other anchor projects, the Accessible City was one that central city businesses have to live through – it is happening under their noses, as opposed to emerging completed from behind a hoarding. In that sense, meetings such as Tuesday's where business and civic leaders check in on the impacts of the ongoing project, are a sign of constructive engagement.

But the time for suggesting the plan be scrapped or halted has passed. A walk along freshly unveiled wide footpaths along Manchester St, for example, shows that the completed vision will be more inviting to all people, regardless of how they got into the CBD.

Sure, we may drive into the city where plenty of parking buildings are being built. But once here, we will stroll, linger, browse, snack, and shop – in  much the same way we do now in suburban malls.

The debate has too often devolved into a zero-sum game that pits drivers against pedestrians and cyclists. Let's accept that we all, regardless of transportation choice, have a right to safe streets. In a thriving modern city, that may well mean slower and more careful driving. It also means a more attractive environment and a place that is more welcoming to all – surely things that enhance commerce, not detract from it.

But it takes some imagination and patience to see the vision come to fruition, and we need to have confidence that, as in any journey, the destination is worth the hassle of getting there.