Cars could be returning to a section of Auckland's Queen Street, under a new proposal.

Auckland Transport wants to let cars return to the section between Wellesley and Wakefield Street from between 7pm and 7am. 

Private vehicles were banned from the area in 2022. 

Heart of the City CEO Viv Beck says it's a sensible proposal, and she explained that the area has been negatively affected by the change. 

"Last year, the foot traffic was down 36 percent on 2019 in that area - and the spending was down 57 percent."

LISTEN ABOVE

Cars could be returning to a section of Auckland's Queen Street, under a new proposal.
Auckland Transport wants to let cars return to the section between Wellesley and Wakefield Street from between 7pm and 7am.&nbsp;
Private vehicles were banned from the area in 2022.&nbsp;
Heart of the City CEO Viv Beck says it's a sensible proposal, and she explained that the area has been negatively affected by the change.&nbsp;
"Last year, the foot traffic was down 36 percent on 2019 in that area - and the spending was down 57 percent."
LISTEN ABOVE

With a straight down the middle approach, Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive on Newstalk ZB delivers the very latest news and views to New Zealanders as they wrap up their day.

Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Viv Beck: Heart of the City CEO on the calls to let cars return to Auckland's Queen Street

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/15a4f692-8670-4043-a431-b3af0063089e/transcript

Do you know what I'm not going to miss? Public payphones.

Spark has finally reached the end of the road. They've made the decision to rip 90 percent of these public payphones out of the ground.

They tried to save them. They tried to talk Auckland Council into a deal where they could modernise the payphones in Auckland and operate them on behalf of the public. In exchange, Spark would have been allowed to run digital advertising on the sides of the phones.

But Auckland Council said no and for good reason. The council already operates its own digital billboards and these phones would have eaten into that revenue stream. So the answer was no.

The Government didn't step in to change anything, and now the phones are simply too expensive for Spark to maintain in their current form. The copper wiring has been removed, so they're going to go.

And I'm happy to see the back of them because I can't tell you the last time I used a payphone, or even saw one being used. In fact, I don't believe anyone uses them anymore, even in an emergency.

Surely you'd be more likely to ask the nearest person, who would almost certainly have a cellphone you could use, than run a kilometre down the road looking for a payphone.

All they are now is visual clutter. They're often tagged, vandalised, or broken. The handset is hanging off the cradle, the glass panels are scratched, and they generally look neglected. And all of that would still be true if they were upgraded, right? They'd look great for five minutes, and then somebody would come along and write "Limp" on one or something.

And then you'd have to look at the advertising screens on the side.

Personally, I'm not gagging to see more moving billboards in an urban environment. There are parts of Auckland that would be beautiful if there weren't digital billboards constantly changing and flashing at me.

So, to me, this doesn't feel like a sad end to an era.

If there's a payphone near you, pay your last respects. Lay some flowers. Take a photo, maybe, so you can tell the kids in years to come what that thing once was and what you did with it.

And then say goodbye to a technology that has definitely had its day, hasn't it?

LISTEN ABOVE

Do you know what I'm not going to miss? Public payphones.
Spark has finally reached the end of the road. They've made the decision to rip 90 percent of these public payphones out of the ground.
They tried to save them. They tried to talk Auckland Council into a deal where they could modernise the payphones in Auckland and operate them on behalf of the public. In exchange, Spark would have been allowed to run digital advertising on the sides of the phones.
But Auckland Council said no and for good reason. The council already operates its own digital billboards and these phones would have eaten into that revenue stream. So the answer was no.
The Government didn't step in to change anything, and now the phones are simply too expensive for Spark to maintain in their current form. The copper wiring has been removed, so they're going to go.
And I'm happy to see the back of them because I can't tell you the last time I used a payphone, or even saw one being used. In fact, I don't believe anyone uses them anymore, even in an emergency.
Surely you'd be more likely to ask the nearest person, who would almost certainly have a cellphone you could use, than run a kilometre down the road looking for a payphone.
All they are now is visual clutter. They're often tagged, vandalised, or broken. The handset is hanging off the cradle, the glass panels are scratched, and they generally look neglected. And all of that would still be true if they were upgraded, right? They'd look great for five minutes, and then somebody would come along and write "Limp" on one or something.
And then you'd have to look at the advertising screens on the side.
Personally, I'm not gagging to see more moving billboards in an urban environment. There are parts of Auckland that would be beautiful if there weren't digital billboards constantly changing and flashing at me.
So, to me, this doesn't feel like a sad end to an era.
If there's a payphone near you, pay your last respects. Lay some flowers. Take a photo, maybe, so you can tell the kids in years to come what that thing once was and what you did with it.
And then say goodbye to a technology that has definitely had its day, hasn't it?
LISTEN ABOVE

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: I'm not going to miss public payphones

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/45292855-642b-4f76-abd0-b4e7001c5cde/transcript

Do you know what I'm not going to miss? Public payphones. 

Spark has finally reached the end of the road. They've made the decision to rip 90% of these public payphones out of the ground. 

They tried to save them. They tried to talk Auckland Council into a deal where they could modernise the payphones in Auckland and operate them on behalf of the public. In exchange, Spark would have been allowed to run digital advertising on the sides of the phones. 

But Auckland Council said no and for good reason. The council already operates its own digital billboards and these phones would have eaten into that revenue stream. So the answer was no. 

The government didn't step in to change anything, and now the phones are simply too expensive for Spark to maintain in their current form. The copper wiring has been removed, so they're going to go. 

And I'm happy to see the back of them because I can't tell you the last time I used a payphone, or even saw one being used. In fact, I don't believe anyone uses them anymore, even in an emergency. 

Surely you'd be more likely to ask the nearest person, who would almost certainly have a cellphone you could use, than run a kilometre down the road looking for a payphone. 

All they are now is visual clutter. They're often tagged, vandalised, or broken. The handset is hanging off the cradle, the glass panels are scratched, and they generally look neglected. And all of that would still be true if they were upgraded, right? They'd look great for five minutes, and then somebody would come along and write "Limp" on one or something. 

And then you'd have to look at the advertising screens on the side. 

Personally, I'm not gagging to see more moving billboards in an urban environment. There are parts of Auckland that would be beautiful if there weren't digital billboards constantly changing and flashing at me. 

So, to me, this doesn't feel like a sad end to an era. 

If there's a payphone near you, pay your last respects. Lay some flowers. Take a photo, maybe, so you can tell the kids in years to come what that thing once was and what you did with it. 

And then say goodbye to a technology that has definitely had its day, hasn't it? 

Do you know what I'm not going to miss? Public payphones.&nbsp;
Spark has finally reached the end of the road. They've made the decision to rip 90% of these public payphones out of the ground.&nbsp;
They tried to save them. They tried to talk Auckland Council into a deal where they could modernise the payphones in Auckland and operate them on behalf of the public. In exchange, Spark would have been allowed to run digital advertising on the sides of the phones.&nbsp;
But Auckland Council said no and for good reason. The council already operates its own digital billboards and these phones would have eaten into that revenue stream. So the answer was no.&nbsp;
The government didn't step in to change anything, and now the phones are simply too expensive for Spark to maintain in their current form. The copper wiring has been removed, so they're going to go.&nbsp;
And I'm happy to see the back of them because I can't tell you the last time I used a payphone, or even saw one being used. In fact, I don't believe anyone uses them anymore, even in an emergency.&nbsp;
Surely you'd be more likely to ask the nearest person, who would almost certainly have a cellphone you could use, than run a kilometre down the road looking for a payphone.&nbsp;
All they are now is visual clutter. They're often tagged, vandalised, or broken. The handset is hanging off the cradle, the glass panels are scratched, and they generally look neglected. And all of that would still be true if they were upgraded, right? They'd look great for five minutes, and then somebody would come along and write "Limp" on one or something.&nbsp;
And then you'd have to look at the advertising screens on the side.&nbsp;
Personally, I'm not gagging to see more moving billboards in an urban environment. There are parts of Auckland that would be beautiful if there weren't digital billboards constantly changing and flashing at me.&nbsp;
So, to me, this doesn't feel like a sad end to an era.&nbsp;
If there's a payphone near you, pay your last respects. Lay some flowers. Take a photo, maybe, so you can tell the kids in years to come what that thing once was and what you did with it.&nbsp;
And then say goodbye to a technology that has definitely had its day, hasn't it?&nbsp;

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: I'm glad to see the back of public payphones

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/2d6cdc3e-700f-4700-8a7b-b4e5006e7289/transcript

Tonight on The Huddle, Newstalk ZB sports reader Andrew Alderson and New Zealand Herald sports journalist joined in on a discussion about all of the latest New Zealand sporting issues.

Today a judge rejected a bid from NZ Rugby to stop the launch of a new Chiefs NRL team in Papua New Guinea. Is this the end or should NZ rugby fight more?

The Kiwis lost to the kangaroos in the Rugby League World Cup yesterday by the slimmest of margins. How badly did the referees screw the Kiwis? Where does the the team go from here?

Auckland FC kick off their season this weekend but a controversial lifting of a suspension for Sam Cosgrove has filled the headlines. Was Cosgrove right to fight back against media? 

LISTEN ABOVE

Tonight on The Huddle, Newstalk ZB sports reader Andrew Alderson and New Zealand Herald sports journalist joined in on a discussion about all of the latest New Zealand sporting issues.
Today a judge rejected a bid from NZ Rugby to stop the launch of a new Chiefs NRL team in Papua New Guinea. Is this the end or should NZ rugby fight more?
The Kiwis lost to the kangaroos in the Rugby League World Cup yesterday by the slimmest of margins. How badly did the referees screw the Kiwis? Where does the the team go from here?
Auckland FC kick off their season this weekend but a controversial lifting of a suspension for Sam Cosgrove has filled the headlines. Was Cosgrove right to fight back against media?&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE

The Huddle: Where do the Kiwis go after losing to the Kangaroos?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/373654a2-d0f6-40f5-b353-b4e5006c04cd/transcript

Viv Beck: Heart of the City CEO on the calls to let cars return to Auckland's Queen Street

In 1 playlist(s)

Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips