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- Phone:
- 04 473 7224
- Email:
- info@wecc.org.nz
- Postal Address
- PO Box 1087
Wellington 6140 - Head Office:
- Level 13, NTT Tower, 157 Lambton Quay, Wellington 6011
Wellington Chamber of Commerce Submission
The Wellington Chamber of Commerce – on behalf of the more than 1,200 businesses and 50,000 employees it represents – does not support the Golden Mile proposals presented by Let’s Get Wellington Moving.
Of the 336 businesses we recently surveyed, an overwhelming 90 per cent of businesses located on, and around, the Golden Mile believe the changes will negatively impact patronage, limit access, or make no positive difference. None of the options have contemplated impacts on access and traffic flow. Removing loading zone availability will debilitate businesses' 2 operations. Nearby car parks are critical for patronage. The message is clear - businesses feel that decision-makers are making business worse in the city, not better.
Wellington has suffered without any real developments for over a decade. Wellington must progress, the Chamber is not here to stand in the way of that - but it must be in the right, not wrong, direction.
We believe that the nearly $80 million proposed could be much better spent on fixing other parts of the network that have a greater Return on Investment and need. The proposed Golden Mile cost is near the $90 million of the original Basin Reserve fix - to widen footpaths and remove vehicles. It doesn't make any sound fiscal sense when funds are limited.
Evidence from the City Council, NZTA, and Let’s Get Wellington Moving’s own information diametrically oppose the ideas put forward in the proposals:
LGWM must demonstrate how the proposals will enhance businesses on the Golden Mile, not exacerbate the challenges they already face. The Golden Mile is a key route in a dense inner-city network, and the proposals will fundamentally change traffic flow and place greater pressure on car park availability and congestion elsewhere in the city...
Download to read the full submission.