THE PRESS FRIDAY, MAY 31, 1985. Shaping up to the Square

Press, 31 May 1985, Page 16

THE PRESS FRIDAY, MAY 31, 1985. Shaping up to the Square

More than 100 years ago people were writing letters to Christchurch newspapers complaining about being splashed by mud, and abused by the drivers of horse-drawn cabs, in Cathedral Square. Twenty-five years ago there were complaints that pie-carts attracted undesirable customers, and that young motorists made the Square’s roads unsafe with their “bombs”. The horses and the mud are long gone. The pie-carts were moved. Rebuilding the Square ruined its attraction as a speedway. New problems of security and comfort have emerged. If the Christchurch City Council holds an independent inquiry into the Square’s present problems, there will be no shortage of people with ideas on what is wrong and what might be done. Out of it all might come sensible and unexpected ideas, although experience suggests that any change for the better is likely to be temporary. The Square’s strength, and its weakness, is that it serves as a focal point for a community of 300,000 people. Its uses, and its problems, change with the time of day and the season of the year. The buildings around it fall uneasily between being places of entertainment and places of commerce. In an age no longer markedly Christian, its most dominant feature — the Anglican Cathedral — seems irrelevant to many people, except perhaps as an architectural novelty and delight. In any discussion of the Square, two considerations have to be kept uppermost. Both set important limits to what might be done. The first is climate. Between winds in summer, and smog and frost in winter, Christchurch is only

infrequently a city for outdoor living. Second, the Square has to remain the hub of the Christchurch Transport Board's operations if the central city is to be adequately served, and if easy interchange between buses is to be possible. The movement of traffic could not be curtailed further. The starting point for any inquiry might well be the opinions and observations of those whose employment compels them to regular use of the Square, especially at nights. Among these are Transport Board staff, taxi-drivers, the staff of “The Press”, and people who work in take-away food bars, hotels, and picture theatres.

One group of users easily overlooked are the bemused groups of overseas visitors who stop briefly in hotels in and near the Square almost every evening. Their impression of Christchurch, and sometimes of New Zealand cities, is gleaned from what they see in the Square for an hour or two in the evening. Amid the litter and the striking (if limited) vocabulary of some young users of the Square at night, the visitors receive a curious impression. Perhaps the best test of the success of any inquiry will be whether it can devise ways to make Cathedral Square a place where visitors can be taken in the evening without fear, and without a local resident being ashamed. If those conducting the inquiry take time to observe the Square themselves for extended periods, they may be daunted to see how much improvement is needed.