Deborah Coddington: A mayor of vision will place culture over cars

I like Wellington's Mayor Kerry Prendergast. She has a wicked sense of humour, enjoys a drink or three, and is good company at parties. As Mayor she's done a decent job, but it's a huge mistake to bring buses back to Manners Mall.

Allowing those stinking, noisy, dangerous monsters to grind their way through part of the "Golden Mile" is madness.

This vandalism is an example of a council ignorantly dismissing those who pay their salaries. Not only has there been a huge backlash against this move from Wellingtonians, who understandably want this vehicle-free space left alone, but the council's arrogance flies in the face of international trends.

Take Copenhagen's Stroget, Europe's longest pedestrian street. Closed to traffic since 1962, initially opposed by retailers who feared going out of business, Danes would riot if ruled today by the barbarians in Wellington. Astonishingly, Wellington City Council in 2004 commissioned a report from Stroget's greatest promoter, Danish architect and urban designer Jan Gehl.

Obviously the capital's councillors are illiterate, but it is an uplifting report on how Wellington could be one of the world's great cities. I identified only three things the Wellington council has done - including lowering speed limits and planting trees - but mostly this expensive commission is gathering dust while ratepayers waste another $21,000 sending Mayor Prendergast to Copenhagen in December to study what causes climate change.

Here's a starter for 10. The population of Copenhagen is 1.4 million and it has 3100 carparks. The population of Wellington is 381,900 and it has 15,833 carparks.

Perchance the Mayor will meet Gehl again. He could remind her Wellington's streets "need to be reclaimed for what they are - city streets and city boulevards", but some central city streets suffer as "urban motorways".

The Golden Mile in particular should be pedestrian-friendly, advised Gehl, who is in demand from New York, London and Melbourne wanting to banish vehicles from the CBD.

He said Lambton Quay could be greatly improved - aesthetically and economically - just by giving it over to people. Even four years ago it had a weekday pedestrian traffic count greater than 28,000, equal to London's Tottenham Court Rd and Charing Cross.

Wellington's main drag, free of all traffic except bicycles, could have children's playgrounds, kiosks, cooking demos, outdoor musicians, street theatre, farmers' markets - the possibilities are limitless and inexpensive, says Gehl, compared with other public works.

"The cheapest thing you can do in a city is improving your public spaces. It is quick, very visible, and it is an investment for everyone to use and enjoy," he says.

Imagine suntraps sheltered from the wind, seating areas with blankets on cold days, people-watching, just reclaiming the city from those pesky buses and taxis.

But the council, in its wisdom, wants to turn an established pedestrian mall into a bus lane. If they bothered to read Gehl's report they'd see their lame excuse the Mall doesn't work is because it's isolated, and needs linking with Willis St and Lambton Quay.

On this logic when the council has spent $11 million ripping apart Manners Mall, filled it with diesel fumes, and knocked over a few pedestrians, Wellington will wreck Woodward St Mall and re-open that to cars.

It's not that I'm an anti-car fascist. I drive a large and powerful German SUV and my husband plants boot in a sexy Italian prancing horse. We love cars, but not where pedestrians and cyclists should take priority.

So because Wellington could become one of the world's greatest cities for people, despite its invigorating climate, I hope, come next year's elections, someone stands for mayor with the guts to act on Gehl's report.

The right person, bold enough, could go further to make Wellington wonderful. Achieve the above, then take a big stick to clean up Courtenay Place.

The council calls this stretch of bars "party central", but civilised citizens know it is the armpit of Wellington - vomit-, sexual assault-, vile language-, and tragedy-central.

We have legislation to deal with disorderly behaviour, public drunkenness, obscene language, licensing breaches.

So, Your Next Worship, don't just talk about laws, use them. Cancel bar and supermarket licences and arrest yobs until a decent, safe, late-night, true cafe ambience is established.