Auckland Council hopes its upgrade to Queen St will increase foot traffic after nearly three years of lockdowns and social distancing, but some experts don't think enough has been done.
The year-long redesign saw two traffic lanes be replaced by footpaths, which the council's head of city centre programmes Jenny Larking said is "part of our vision for the city centre, to make it people-focused".
Despite the changes, foot traffic is still down 35% on pre-pandemic levels, and empty storefronts are a common sight.
Smith and Caughey's managing director Edward Caughey welcomed the pedestrian-focused changes but says more needs to be done to accommodate both private and public vehicles.
"[Queen St] has to be complemented with good public transport and good parking facilities nearby," he said.
According to Auckland Council's 20-year plan, there will eventually be no general traffic running through Auckland's main street.
Architecture and planning expert Bill MacKay also supports wider footpaths but thinks they have been done "quite badly" in this instance.
"I think Auckland Transport and Auckland Council have missed that opportunity, they've really just focused on paving," he said.
"There's not much in the way of seating or even shelters that would encourage buskers or other people to set up shop here."
While the upgrade is finished, the Auckland CBD remains largely a construction site as the City Rail Link (CRL) continues to be developed.
Once completed in late 2024, Larkin says the council will then hold more consultations with locals on the street's future.
"Once CRL opens and a lot more people are coming into the city centre, at some point again we'll ask Aucklanders what they want out of their Queen St," she said.
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