Latest issue

by Jessica Allen

We seem to be in a constant state of construction and closures in Queenstown. I need not mention the nightmare that is whatever’s going on at the BP roundabout, or this year’s Frankton Trail works. There’s always something going on in town. It’s not long ago that there was some pretty major works going on down Rees and Beach Streets, massively disrupting surrounding businesses. When will there be a breather that lets us just enjoy this beautiful town?

With a constant jumping from one project to the next, it’s hard to believe we’ll ever get a breather. The closure of Frankton Trail is demonstrating how the town’s transport infrastructure isn’t really up to scratch. With a small bike lane on one side of the road, the remaining narrow footpath is now overcrowded with bikes and foot traffic. As someone who uses that small bike lane, you’re basically putting your life in the hands of overseas tourists and distracted drivers, who seem to all-too-often veer into it.

Works on Frankton Trail should be finished at the end of this year, but I’m sure there’ll be something else just around the corner. This gondola, which is supposed to fix all of Queenstown’s traffic woes (yeah right), will surely cause more disruption. There are talks of building a new Events Centre, which is desperately needed, wastewater upgrades, more roadworks. Yes, all good things, but all quite reactive and disruptive. At some point the conversation needs to shift from short-term fixes to long-term planning that actually keeps pace with our growth.

This goes back to the age-old question of why all these houses are being fast-tracked when we don’t have the infrastructure in place to support this ever-growing community. Building whole housing developments with just one access road (and narrow streets with minimal parking) – are these not issues we think will need to be addressed in the future.

According to the powers that be, these are just simple little chicken and egg problems every growing town/city faces. Build the houses, jam the roads, and then change will come. Really? Unfortunately, the local people and even the locally elected representatives can’t do much about it as it’s the Government overriding our own District Plan. We’re an easy target for national house building political point scoring and a victim of our own popularity. The houses keep selling for ever-increasing prices – it’s every developer’s wet dream.

We are fortunate to live in one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and most of the time it’s pretty damn enjoyable – the constant whirl of construction certainly breaks the illusion a little though. As a friend of mine often says, “Smile, you live in paradise!”