Out for the count in the CBD

Levelling-off of pedestrian numbers is the main feature of Colliers International’s latest Queenstown CBD foot traffic count.

The agency’s done counts across the CBD during a March day for the past 15 years – counting pedestrians for half-hour periods at 10am, 3pm and 8pm.

Last year’s record count was nearly 18 per cent up on 2017 and 10 per cent higher than 2016’s previous record.

This year’s numbers were 0.1 per cent down on 2018, though the 10am and 3pm counts were up.

Local Colliers director Heather Beard says the 3pm count’s interesting because there’s no longer the influx of high school students, since their campus moved to Frankton, and it was raining this year.

“This could potentially point to an effective increase in the number of visitors and residents in the town centre.”

Though guest night growth has slowed, there was still 2.9 per cent growth in guest nights in the year to last November.

Beard also points out that pedestrian numbers are over twice what they were 15 years ago.

In this latest survey, central Camp Street outside O’Connells occupies busiest spot for the 15th year running.

Two other Camp St spots make the top five, though there was a significant dropoff outside the former post office, which closed in January.

The Camp St counts will be interesting in future years with bus stops due to move to Stanley St when the O’Connells redevelopment begins.

In second place was lower Beach St, near the Earnslaw Park toilets – its count jumped over 100 per cent.

The biggest mover was central Church St, on the eastern side, which was up over 140 per cent.

Beard says Colliers is likely to undertake a Frankton foot traffic count, too.

“The first year, you couldn’t compare it to anything, but it will be interesting to see the numbers between Frankton and town.”

Mountain Scene – 9th April 2019