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Khyber Pass Road and Crowhurst Street, Newmarket - Bus and Pedestrian Improvements Khyber Pass Road and Crowhurst Street, Newmarket - Bus and Pedestrian Improvements

Proposal status: Closed

Reference number: NOP1920-011

Proposal update

In September 2023, we plan to start construction during the evening. We will be in contact with businesses and residents impacted by the changes before construction begins.

Download the updated Khyber pass and Crowhurst intersection upgrade (PDF 1.56MB) to see the most up to date changes we’re making to improve the area for pedestrians and buses.

Proposal update

We advised you in August 2021 that these works were scheduled to be constructed in the 2021 to 2022 financial year, before June 2022.

Construction is now planned to commence in July 2022.

Next steps

Contractors will issue 48-hour notices to all affected residents and businesses prior to construction work.

Proposal outcome

In May 2021, we proposed to improve bus services and pedestrian safety on Khyber Pass Road and Crowhurst Street, Newmarket. These changes are in response to investigations at Auckland Transport that identified that Khyber Pass Road and Crowhurst Street are currently operating inefficiently for both buses and pedestrians.

After reviewing all your feedback, we are proceeding with the work as proposed. This project is a short-term improvement to the intersection, as there is a larger project as part of the Connected Communities programme that is investigating safety, active modes and bus improvements in the wider area, including Park Road, Broadway and Khyber Pass.  

These works will help support our Vision Zero goal.

This proposal is supported by the Auckland regional fuel tax.

What happens next

We anticipate the changes will be constructed in the 2021 to 2022 financial year. We will be in touch with local residents and business prior to any construction taking place.

Community feedback

In their feedback, respondents supporting the proposal said that they felt that the proposal would increase bus service reliability on Khyber Pass Road, as buses will no longer get stuck in congestion.

Here is a summary of the additional comments and queries we received, and our responses to them:

Proposal Design

  • Concern that the proposal will make the intersection issue worse. 
    The current proposed improvements will not have significant impacts on the operation of the intersection as we have provided a right turn lane and separated through lane for traffic movements. Further, modelling has shown that there will be no major impact operationally. However, there will be an improved level of service and safety for buses and pedestrians.
  • Query on why parking spaces on the west side of Crowhurst Street are being removed, as they have been there for more than 30 years?
    Within this proposal on-street parking needs to be removed as we generally keep 12m clear at approaches to a signalised intersection. This is to minimise the interaction of parked and moving vehicles so that the efficiency of the intersection is not impacted. In addition, this further maintains drivers and pedestrian’s clear lines of sight of one another. We understand removing parking can be inconvenient, so we have minimised the removal of parking as much as possible.
  • Concern that by extending the bus lane it will cause more traffic congestion and further delays to buses. 
    Extending the bus lane will provide priority for buses and therefore improve their reliability as they will no longer be stuck at the intersection.
  • Recommendation to mirror the proposal in the other direction, with the left lane turn only into Crowhurst Street and have the left lane by BP as a bus lane.
    Thank you for your recommendation. We have looked into this option. However, modelling has shown that there are only marginal benefits to buses/left turning vehicles, in comparison to the significant impact it would have on the through lane movements.

Cycling infrastructure

  • Concern that the proposal will make it difficult for cyclists to turn right into Crowhurst Street.
  • Concern that heading west up Khyber Pass is unsafe on a bicycle and this proposal will make it more unsafe. 
    Thank you for raising these concerns on cycling infrastructure and cyclist safety. Advanced cycle stop boxes have been proposed as part of this project to provide an area for cyclists to wait ahead of the traffic.
  • Query regarding the proposed two straight ahead lanes at Crowhurst intersection. Why do there need to be two and why can’t you keep one and have the left lane as a bike and bus lane. 
    We have looked into this option, however, if we were to do this it would significantly impact the operation of traffic movements and would create very long queues, exacerbating the traffic congestion issue.

We're proposing improvements in your area

We would like to improve bus services at the Khyber Pass Road and Crowhurst Street intersection to minimise delays and increase bus service reliability. We would also like to improve safety for pedestrians by adding in signalised pedestrian crossings at all approaches to the intersection.

The changes we are proposing:

  • Upgrade existing and add new signalised pedestrian crossings on all approaches to the intersection.
  • Install tactile pavers, which are yellow guidance paving markers, to help visually impaired people to find their way to the crossing and safely cross the road at each of the crossings.
  • Paint Advanced Stop Boxes on all approaches to the intersection so cyclists have a place to wait before the lights.
  • Remove the existing traffic island on Khyber Pass Road and create a designated right turn lane into Crowhurst Street.
  • Extend the existing bus lane from opposite Melrose Street to connect with the bus lane east of Kingdon Street.
  • Widen the footpath on Crowhurst Street and paint broken yellow lines (no stopping at all times) removing 4 on-street parking spaces on western side and 2 on the eastern side.
  • Repaint the road markings and install signs to support the new layout.

Auckland Transport would like to work with you to deliver safer roads in your neighbourhood. We identified that Khyber Pass Road and Crowhurst Street is currently operating inefficiently for both buses and pedestrians. Rearranging the layout of the road and converting one lane into a bus lane, that links with the existing bus lane, will prevent buses from being delayed during peak hours.

Widening the footpath on the approach to the crossing will provide a larger space for people to wait before crossing. This will result in the removal of some on-street parking, however this is necessary to improve safety for people crossing these roads at this intersection. We understand removing parking can be inconvenient, so we have minimised the removal whilst maintaining clear visibility between approaching drivers and people at the crossings. Installing signalised pedestrian crossings on all 4 parts of the intersection will improve the efficiency for pedestrians at this location. It is our goal that everyone; drivers, cyclists and pedestrians and our most vulnerable, should be able to move around Auckland as safely and efficiently as possible.

Download the proposal drawing for Khyber Pass Road and Crowhurst Street (PDF 1.1MB)

If you would like to post in your feedback, download and print our feedback form template, fill in your details and send it freepost using the address details on the form.

What happens next

  • We’ll listen to all the feedback we receive, and then decide the best way to move forward.
  • We’ll post the outcome of this proposal and a summary of community feedback on this webpage.
  • We can email you the proposal outcome as soon as it’s ready – just select that option when you fill in the survey.

More information

Newmarket: Safe with us

Auckland Transport cares for your safety. We want to make our roads safe for everyone, people walking and cycling, especially for our kids and senior citizens and people driving. Projects like this one around Khyber Pass Road and Crowhurst Street are another step towards our goal of achieving no deaths or serious injuries on our roads. We are guided by the Vision Zero approach to transport safety, which prioritises human safety over other measures (like minor time saving).