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Transport Design Manual Transport Design Manual

New releases

Signage and Wayfinding Design Guide version 2.1 (PDF, 9.6MB) and Signage and Wayfinding Design Code version 2.1 (PDF, 102MB, August 2025). The Design Guide has been updated with a new project delivery chapter. The Design Code features new chapters on customer information, cycle wayfinding and interpretive signage. You can see versions 1.0 and 2.0 of these documents under ‘Version history’ within Sections 1 and 2 of this page.

Download the Engineering Design Code (EDC) - Pavements and Surfacing version 1 (PDF, 6.2MB) – See Section 2: Detailed technical requirements. This Pavements and Surfacing EDC is issued as Draft with immediate effect from July 2025 to be used as preferred alternative to AT Code of Practice (ATCOP) version 2013. Feedback can be emailed to TransportDesignManual@at.govt.nz before 31 January 2026.

Download Auckland Transport Operation Centre - Traffic Signals Design Guidelines version 5.0 July 2022 (PDF, 5.7MB) – See Section 2: Detailed technical requirements. This guideline is the current version to be used in EDC - Urban and Rural Roadway Design version 2.

All Standard Engineering Details are now issued as Approved – Go to Section 2: Standard Engineering Details.

Practice Note 05 Low Carbon Concrete edition 1 (July 2025)(PDF, 513KB) - See Section 4: Practice Notes, Practice Note 05 Low Carbon Concrete edition 1, with immediate effect from 21 July 2025.

Practice Note 06, edition 1 (July 2025) (PDF, 930KB) – See Section 4: Practice Notes, Vertical and Horizontal Clearance over and beside bus routes, amends Engineering Design Code-Public Transport-Bus Infrastructure version 1 with immediate effect from July 2025.

Download Practice Note 07 Vehicle Crossings Design Standards edition 1 (July 2025) (PDF 2.2MB) – See Section 4: Practice Notes, with immediate effect from August 2025. Go to Appendix documents for Practice Note 07: Ed 1 - Vehicle Crossings Design Standards.

Practice Note 11 CCTV Traffic Observation Cameras edition 1 (October 2025) (PDF, 288KB) – See Section 4: Practice Notes, with immediate effect from December 2025, supplements Auckland Transport Operation Centre - Traffic Signals Design Guidelines version 5.0.

The Transport Design Manual is a set of guides, codes and specifications created for the Auckland region based on international best practice and robust common engineering theory.

Background

Roads and streets represent a large portion of public space in Auckland and cater for a wide variety of users undertaking many different activities.

The Auckland region is comprised of 70% rural area and 30% urban area, with the majority of people living and working in the urban area. The scale and pace of growth in Auckland combined with increasing intensification and the development of Auckland's urban areas and Greenfields are placing increased pressure on an already constrained road network and limited road space to deliver quality place and multi-modal transport objectives.

To address this pressure, AT and Auckland Council have been looking at better ways to plan and manage our roads and streets to better reflect the full range of modes, activities and functions that occur on them.

Purpose

The Transport Design Manual (TDM) provides the design guidance and engineering requirements for the development and delivery of well-designed transport projects and their operation. The manual draws upon design approaches and practices, which have been successful in many cities and rural areas worldwide.

The TDM has 3 sections, design principles, engineering standards and specifications. Together, these sections allow end user outcomes, engineering design and construction requirements to be clearly identified and designed. The manual has been created to be a cascaded principle based approach that ensures consistency from strategic planning through to detailed design and construction of the outcomes.

The entire manual sets out:

  1. the design principles and approaches to designing user outcomes.
  2. how to apply safe design and safe speed requirements to achieve Vision Zero outcomes.
  3. design guidance and key transport catchment for designing liveable, connected neighbourhoods and town centres, particularly in Greenfields.
  4. how to build a street from basic elements and how intersections should be designed to support this.
  5. the detailed engineering requirements to design and construct the facilities necessary for the users identified by the Design Guides.
  6. the construction specifications required to achieve consistent construction outcomes, including the opportunities to utilise recycled, synthetic and manmade products.

The Roads and Streets Framework and Transport Design Manual are complementary documents. Both documents when applied together will provide guidance to internal staff (such as Council family project teams), external parties (such as Government agencies, consultants and developers) about AT's requirements for the planning, design, construction and management of the road and street network, and the vesting of assets that will be managed by AT.

The TDM is a living document that is continually updated to ensure they are fit for purpose and reflect best practice.

Working together in an integrated approach

The Transport Design Manual brings together the key players in the design, development and improvement of Auckland's road and street network so that the strategic and local place and movement functions are balanced and integrated to meet the multiple outcomes sought from them. The early involvement of the Council family of organisations, key partners such as Mana Whenua, Waka Kotahi NZTA and other stakeholders such as developers and utility companies is critical. The process is deliberately holistic and multi-disciplinary, recognising that no one profession or organisation has all the answers in how to achieve integrated and place-sensitive solutions for roads and streets.

The TDM is for everyone who plays a part in managing, designing, improving or determining the quality of roads and streets in Auckland, including engineers, planners, urban designers, project managers, developers, politicians and users.

Strategic fit

Strategic documents such as the Auckland Transport Alignment Project and the Auckland Plan, together with Future Connect feed into the Roads and Streets Framework providing strategic direction. In turn, the Road and Streets Framework provides the vision for streets, guiding the Transport Design Manual as shown in the figure below.

Infographic of strategic direction showing relationships between projects and plans
Download image depicting strategic direction (JPG 269KB)

The Transport Design Manual provides the design and technical specification to deliver projects and other improvements that ensure projects are aligned to strategic direction.

Section 1: Design guidance

Section 2: Detailed technical requirements

Engineering Design Code

Includes minimum standards, considerations and drawings required to undertake accurate and detailed designs based on a component approach for facilities.

Standard Engineering Details

Standard details for common elements such as kerbs, footpaths and drainage devices.

Section 3: Specifications for Transport Infrastructure

Download Series 0800 - Specification for the supply of aggregates (PDF, 262KB).

Section 4: Practice Notes

Practice Notes have effect immediately on publication. They may override published TDM standards for urgent safety reasons. Necessary changes to affected TDM documents will be incorporated in future updates.

Legacy AT Code of Practice

The AT Code of Practice cannot be utilised for new projects, except for ATCoP Section 15: Earthworks  (PDF, 300 KB) and ATCoP Section 18: Structures (incl. bridges, retaining walls etc.) (PDF, 368 KB) until these are covered in the TDM. In those cases, ATCoP applies but designers should seek advice from AT Design and Engineering specialists. 

Road Pavements & Surfacings (PDF, 1.91 MB) may be used while Engineering Design Code – Pavements and Surfacing version 1 (PDF, 6.2MB) remains in Final Draft but designers should seek advice from AT Design and Engineering specialists. 

Supporting appendix documents

Appendix documents for Street Lighting Engineering Design Code

Appendix documents for Practice Note 07: Ed 1 - Vehicle Crossings Design Standards

Version history

The following versions have been withdrawn and cannot be used for new designs or applications from the dates given. They remain available for reference covering designs carried out when they were in effect.

Auckland Transport Code of Practice (ATCoP)

This cannot be utilised for new projects, except for Sections 15: Earthworks and 18: Structures (incl. bridges, retaining walls etc.) until these are covered in the TDM. In those cases, ATCoP applies but designers should seek advice from AT Design & Engineering specialists.

Design Guidance

Engineering Design Code

Download the Signage and Wayfinding Design Code version 2 (PDF, 6.5MB). Superseded August 2025

Other original versions apply except where they are varied by Practice Notes.

Standard Engineering Details

Specifications for Transport Infrastructure

Original versions apply.

Practice Notes

Download Raised safety platforms (speed tables) Practice Note 2 (PDF 500KB) Superseded July 2024

Feedback

Feedback can be sent at any time by emailing TransportDesignManual@at.govt.nz.