Coyote sales are down while work continues on the footpath outside.

WELLINGTON City Council’s ongoing road works along Courtenay Pl are affecting the very businesses they’re designed to support.

At Courtenay Pl restaurant and bar Coyote, manager Adrian Klemp says, lunch and dinner sales are down by 20%.

The council is widening the footpath to provide more space at night to cater for people queuing to get into Coyote and Shooters bars and reduce the conflict between bar-goers and passers-by.

But Mr Klemp says: “There’s a huge barrier there – you can’t just walk in across the street. During lunch there’s a lot of dust flying around so it’s difficult for people to sit down outside.” At night, the bar has had to use barriers down the street to manage large queues.

Council spokesperson Richard MacLean says the criticism is “probably a bit rich”. “Any time we do road works like that, there’s going to be people saying it’s affecting their business.”

Mr Klemp says the number of people using the footpath at night had been a problem, with the bar having to use barriers down the street to manage large queues.

He’s hoping the council works will make a difference but is most concerned that they are finished soon – “within the next couple of weeks when we have all our Christmas functions”.

The $200,000 project, which includes fitting a pedestrian crossing with traffic lights, is due to be finished by December to provide a clear environment for the Christmas retail and party period.

The work is taking longer than planned, after work on the footpath uncovered a section of old stormwater drain that had to be replaced.

The footpath extension will be level with the road, so that it can be used for parking during the day.