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Driving Driving

Find out how driving in the City Centre is changing.

We're working to improve Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland's city centre. We're making it a space for all that's greener, safer, and better connected. This will be in line with the City Centre Masterplan, Auckland's 20 year vision for our city centre and waterfront.

To help people travel to and within the city centre more efficiently, we're reshaping how we use city centre streets. We'll be giving more space to people:

  • using public transport
  • walking
  • cycling
  • servicing and delivering to homes and buildings.

We're also shifting the city centre from a place people 'go through' to a place people 'go to'. One example is the Authorised Vehicles Only (AVO) zone on Queen Street between Wakefield Street and Wellesley Street.

Queen Street's Authorised Vehicles Only (AVO) zone

On Sunday 3 July 2022, the area between the Civic Theatre on Wellesley Street and the Town Hall at the intersection of Wakefield Street became an Authorised Vehicles Only area, or AVO.

This means that this part of Queen Street is closed to private vehicles, taxis, and car share services.

Map showing the Authorised Vehicles Only (AVO) zone on Queen Street, between Wellesley Street and Wakefield Street.

The AVO applies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you enter the AVO with an unauthorised vehicle, you'll receive a $150 infringement fee.

View a map of routes to mobility parking and drop-off and pick-up spaces near the AVO. (PDF 1.2MB)

This area was initially called an Essential Vehicles Area (EVA). We renamed it to AVO in early 2024. This was to help reduce driver confusion and the number of infringements issued. The signage changed to ‘Authorised Vehicles Only’ on 8 April 2024.

Vehicles that can use an AVO

The only vehicles that can use an AVO are:

  • buses
  • bikes
  • mopeds
  • motorbikes
  • emergency vehicles
  • vehicles registered with Waka Kotahi as 'goods vehicles'.

If you enter the AVO with any other type of vehicle, you'll receive a $150 infringement fee. 

Other routes you can take

To travel east to west across the city centre, you can use:

  • Mayoral Drive
  • Customs Street
  • Wyndham Street
  • Shortland Street.

If your destination is not in the city centre, look for alternative routes to get you around faster and more efficiently. Consider taking:

  • Customs Street
  • Mayoral Drive
  • or the motorway.

If you can, now is a great time to consider taking the bus, walking, or riding a bike to this area.