Dramatic orchestral symphonies, soaring operatic solos and piano sonatas have been blasting from speakers at Christchurch’s bus interchange in a council trial aimed at driving trouble away.
The Colombo St hub has had a reputation for after-school fights, bullying and other bad behaviour, but RNZ has seen lip-syncing teenage opera singers hamming it up for friends and people dancing in the sun to music they say, “speaks to the soul”.
The city council trial began on February 7 in a bid to make the bus interchange safer and discourage big groups of people from loitering outside.
Facilities operations manager Brendon Cowles said the council hoped the classical music had a calming effect.
“We just wanted to change the atmosphere as people walk into the building and give it a different vibe. People could feel on edge, but with the music in the background it seems to take that edge off and be a welcoming space again,” he said.
“The idea is that it’s loud enough to be background music but not so loud that it interferes with announcements.”
The classical music came “royalty-free” from a streaming service used at other council sites.
The strategy was not a new concept, having been used overseas and introduced to Christchurch’s city mall in 2009, leading to a drop in petty crime and anti-social behaviour.
When RNZ visited the bus interchange on a weekday afternoon, commuters like Jenny Manks were singing the music’s praises.
“It’s very refreshing. It’s lovely to walk out, especially in the sun, and listen to it. It’s absolutely gorgeous. It certainly wouldn’t encourage the younger children to stay around, it’s not their scene,” she said.
Tayla Garters, 15, said she liked the music, although she was not convinced it was having the desired effect.
“I think it’s pretty cool, it’s pretty calming. It doesn’t stop anyone from hanging out though,” she said.
Lois Dick said she much preferred “easy listening” over classical music.
“It’s awful. I heard it this morning and wondered where it was coming from, it’s terrible. We want some easy listening stuff. I just got on a bus and [the driver] was playing Fleetwood Mac. That’s nice and appeals to most ages,” she said.
The council said figures showed a drop in anti-social behaviour over the first two months of the trial, which was reflected in feedback from security guards, but it did not yet have enough data to show a trend.
The Igloo youth hub was established at the bus interchange last year as part of other efforts to tackle youth violence.
Youth & Cultural Development youth worker and The Igloo lead Tommy Tominiko said rangatahi were most likely to find the classical music a joke.
“Some of them have a little giggle. Kids are going to be kids. It’s how we respond, just talk to them and let them know that the music is there for a good time,” he said.
“We need to support them to not hang around at the front and cause a ruckus. They can come and hang out with us and learn some skills while they’re at it.”
Tominiko said there had been a big drop in anti-social behaviour since the hub opened, giving teenagers a place to go while waiting for after-school buses, but he did not believe the music had made much difference.
“They question me every day, ‘why is this music playing? Can’t we play something else? It’s old people’s music’. I’m not sure if there’s any option to have different music on different days. Then again, it might draw more attention and more crowds,” he said.
Last year British train company Northern announced that it would continue playing classical music at 35 stations to combat bad behaviour, following the success of a pilot scheme in England’s north.
The use of classical music in public places like train stations was not without its critics, with some arguing art should not be weaponised for crime-fighting, the tactic unfairly targeted some groups and often did not solve the problem, rather pushed it down the road.
Cowles said the council simply wanted to change the mood.
“We’re by no means trying to turn anyone away, it’s just about changing the atmosphere and creating a nice experience,” he said.
Police said they welcomed any crime prevention initiatives.
Based on data and feedback, the council said the classical music was likely to play on, following a review at the end of the month.
By Jean Edwards for rnz.co.nz
