Queen Street businesses are suing the council over a pedestrian-friendly trial, which they say has left Auckland's main street a "disgrace".
Barriers originally put in place for Covid-19 distancing have been kept on by the council to help make the street more safe for pedestrians.
Now, those opposing the changes are trying to put a stop to the council's plans to make them more permanent.
"Half painted black, half yellow, filthy, screws... who would do this? You wouldn't put it in your garage... let alone putting it in the main street," property investor Andrew Krukziener said, standing at a temporary traffic post on Queen St.
He has stakes in three properties and is the secretary of the Save Queen Street Society, which opposes Auckland Council's plans to pedestrianise the famous shopping strip.
Krukziener said the trial fails to encourage people to walk and is frustrating to vehicles.
"The bus drivers hate it, the Uber drivers hate it, the couriers hate it. There are many tradespeople that will not come to Queen St because they can't get a loading zone, because [Auckland] Council have taken the loading zones away," he said.
"They've turned a perfectly operable street that had never been better pre the works, into arguably the worst main street... maybe in the world."
The road has been narrowed down to two lanes, which businesses say give them nowhere to pickup and drop off stock, for cars to park or Ubers to pick up people.
Auckland Council has plans to get rid of the sticks and replace them with wide boardwalks, seating and planter boxes filled with native plants.
Auckland Transport said the trial aims to encourage people to change their travelling behaviour away from private vehicles and make better use of the limited city space, while ensuring access is maintained for emergency and servicing vehicles.
It said at the heart of the City Centre Masterplan is the idea of access for everyone. It said those who submitted on the plan were overwhelmingly supportive, with 82 percent endorsing the concept.
But Krukziener said it is not practical. "The new makeover is lipstick on a pig. They're trying to make something pretty that doesn't work."
He and the Save Queen Street Society are opposing the $1.1 million makeover plans and have applied for an injunction to stop it going ahead.
They're not alone: about 80 small businesses as well as Uber, taxi and delivery drivers also object to the plans.
Matt Lowrie from Greater Auckland said the businesses are shooting themselves in the foot.
"All it's doing is delaying any meaningful change that is actually occurring. That's actually the sad part of this. The council and Auckland Transport want to make Queen St better, everyone agrees it needs to be better. And all this is going to do is delay that even further."
He said businesses are hardly encouraging people to come in to the city right now.
"What's compounding the problem is the pictures of doom that are being presented by these groups. So people are actually staying away from Queen St simply because they keep hearing in the news that Queen St is terrible. And it's not terrible. It's different."
Juliette Cardy from CUE clothing said Queen Street is already struggling without students or tourists, and the layout is exacerbating the issue.
"It does restrict people from dropping off, if I need to collect stock from stores. I can't just automatically come in and park. So it is a bit difficult. It is restrictive for us as a business. I'd love to see them gone."
Replacing the barriers was meant to start in early May. Auckland Mayor Phil Goff said legal action from the society is just slowing things down.
"Ironically they're due to be taken out next Monday, but an injunction by the property owners would prevent that happening. So it would be totally counterproductive."
Businesses say they do not want the street pedestrianised, but Goff stands by the plan.
"We don't want Queen St to be an area that you simply drive through. We want Queen St to be a good place to go to.
"Where we've pedestrianised in the past, like Fort St, that has really helped the retail in those areas."
Viv Beck from Heart of the City is on the Save Queen Street Society committee. She is also keen t make Queen Street a great place but said the new plans are not catering to all users.
"It not only has to look great and be a place people want to be, but it has to work. So the plans that have been released we believe are really suboptimal."
The Save Queen Street Society will meet Council and Auckland Transport on Friday to discuss future plans for the street before a court hearing next Wednesday.
Beck is remaining hopeful they'll find a way forward.
"I'm an optimist. It has been an incredibly frustrating year, but I really hope we can come to something that we can see as a positive way forward for the city. Because I really genuinely think it's too important to get wrong."
