Councillor supports one-way door policy in central Hamilton
There’s risks involved, but councilor Geoff Taylor believes a one-way door policy is beneficial to Hamilton.
Hamilton CBD. Photo: Amelia Christensen-Rose
A Hamilton city councillor backs a move for a one-way door policy in central Hamilton despite seeing “lots of risks” in the change.
West ward councillor Geoff Taylor supports the idea, promoted by police and the District Health Board.
The city council previously voted against the policy in 2015.
“There’s a concern that people are pouring out [of bars], got nowhere to go, getting into trouble, that sort of stuff,” Taylor said.
The policy would mean that after a specified time in the early hours of the morning, patrons could not re-enter licensed premises.
The public has mixed views on the issue.
Commenting on last Sunday’s nightclub brawl, Trek ‘n’ Travel owner Colin Hancock said violence issues in the CBD are “getting better”, but added that a community constable would help fix the problems.
“I don’t believe this is anything different to what happened when I was younger, and that’s what we’ve got to remember.
“It’s not new. It’s not just this generation that have done these things.”
However, the public reaction councillor Taylor received on Facebook after he shared a story on the issue was “a bit of a sore point”.
It’s not stopping him from backing the policy, but the backlash has left Taylor wondering about the potential risks of the policy.
“It may not work at all, because I think the issue is more people are pre-loading earlier in the night because booze is cheap at the supermarkets or liquor stores,” he said.
“It’s not a simple solution.”
