NZ Visual Diary - entry 272

gliding on Queen Street

Auckland is working to find the right balance among overlapping, but often competing, interests that make claims to its city centre streets, notably Queen Street. A huge victory for those of us who wish to limit, if not eliminate, car traffic on Queen Street, can be seen in today’s image.

The sidewalks on Queen Street have been widened, by reducing 4 lanes of vehicular traffic to 2, to create dedicated micro-mobility pathways on the east and west sides of the street. It’s a work-in-progress in that people on skateboards, scooters and bicycles continue to ride on the legacy sidewalks reserved for pedestrians and, as can be seen here, pedestrians wander into the micro-mobility spaces. Over time, the separation between people on foot and those using micro-mobility gadgets will take root and thereby improve everyone’s comfort and safety.

My image here features an exuberant skateboarder in his element . . . and proper lane.

The mix of mature trees and large planter boxes along the sidewalks on both sides of Queen Street adds considerably to the charm of the street.