St Patricks Pedestrian Mall update

Public consultation update

Between 14 October and 21 November 2024, you shared your views on our proposal to make improvements to St Patricks Square. For a full list of the topics raised during consultation and our responses, please see our consultation report.

The main topics raised by the community were:

• Supports the focus on pedestrians
• Suggest the installation of bollards on Wyndham St entry
• Opposes turning it into a shared zone for vehicles and pedestrians
• Supports the exemption for vehicles accessing for funerals and weddings

After further reviewing the community views, AT has reconsidered some aspects and will now implement the following changes to the original proposal:

• The boundary of the pedestrian mall will be retained according to the 1974 and 1976 declarations.

In alignment with our Room to Move in the City Centre strategy, the following proposed changes are not part of the pedestrian mall declaration but have been considered to enhance services in St Patricks Square:

• A new taxi stand on Wyndham Street
• Extended time restrictions for the existing loading zone on Wyndham Street

These improvements on Wyndham Street are being delivered as part of a separate project and are not included in the pedestrian mall declaration.

Amended pedestrian mall extent

What happens next?

Our decision-making body, the Traffic Control Committee (TCC), will now consider the proposal with the recommended changes outlined above. The proposal to be considered by the TCC states that the driving, riding or parking of any motor vehicle (including motorbikes) is prohibited in the pedestrian mall at all times with the following exemptions:

• Emergency vehicles
• Select vehicles accessing or parking in front of St Patricks Cathedral and St Joseph’s Catholic Church for weddings or funerals such as those transporting the bridal party or serving as a hearse
• Cycles and other wheeled recreational devices, such as scooters
• Vehicles entering the square to park in private car parks that are accessible via the square. This is for access only and does not allow for the parking on the pedestrian mall. (being the properties located at 43 Wyndham Street, 1 and 2 St Patricks Square, and 39-41, and 57 Albert Street)
• Vehicles, with prior permission from AT, accessing or parking in the pedestrian mall for maintenance, construction, alteration, refurbishment or upgrade of buildings, structures, or public areas, facilities or utilities in or adjoining St Patricks Square

Along with the pedestrian mall update, the proposal includes a taxi stand to be installed on Wyndham St.

About the project

We proposed a minor update to the current regulations that apply to the St Patricks Square pedestrian mall in Auckland’s city centre. There will be no substantive change, rather the proposal will clarify the exemptions and allow AT to better manage the square. Public consultation was open from 14 October 2024 to 21 November 2024. For more information about the proposal please see the Statement of Proposal.

What we proposed

The proposal in October and November 2024 stated that the driving, riding or parking of any motor vehicle (including motorbikes) is prohibited in the pedestrian mall at all times with the following exemptions:

• Emergency vehicles.
• Select vehicles accessing or parking in front of the Cathedral of St Patrick and St Joseph for weddings or funerals. This allows for vehicles delivering the bridal party or transporting the newlyweds after a wedding and the hearse for a funeral.
• Cycles and other wheeled recreational devices.
• Vehicles entering the square to park in private car parks that are only accessible via the square. This is for access only and does not allow for the parking on the pedestrian mall. (being the properties located at 43 Wyndham Street, 1 and 2 St Patricks Square, and 39-41, 51-53 and 57 Albert Street)
• Vehicles, with prior permission from AT, accessing or parking in the pedestrian mall for the purposes of maintenance, construction, alteration, refurbishment or upgrade of buildings, structures, or public areas, facilities or utilities in or adjoining St Patricks Square.

This is not introducing a new set of rules, rather it would allow AT to better manage the space and clarify what is permitted in the square.

Click here for a larger image

Why we proposed it

The western side of St Patricks Square was declared a pedestrian mall in 1973, and the eastern side was added in 1976. It is pedestrian only with some exemptions however those exemptions now need to be updated because:

• the existing pedestrian mall declarations are outdated and make it difficult for AT to manage the square.
• it will allow people on cycles and other recreational devices to travel through the square. (This was not an exemption in the 1970s)
• it will update wording to make it clearer and easier to understand.

Benefits of the proposal

• Provides a safer, more pleasant environment for people walking and using active modes in the square.
• Allows AT to better manage the space.
• Provides clarity of rules and consistency with other pedestrian malls in Auckland.
• The wording will be clearer and easier to understand.