Keeping Central Auckland moving

If you travel along Sandringham Road, you'll know how important it is for getting around Auckland. This road is a key route connecting the city centre with Auckland's western suburbs and major destinations including Kingsland, Eden Park and Sandringham town centre. More than 15,000 people use the road every day to get to work, school, shops and other destinations, whether by bus, car, bike or on foot. 

As demand has increased, delays have become more common, particularly where existing bus lanes end and buses must merge back into general traffic.

Congestion can also make bus journeys along this route less reliable for the thousands of people who rely on them every day. With more growth expected around Kingsland Train Station and across Auckland, more people will need to travel through this area in the future. 

To help people move around the city more easily, we're proposing improvements that will help buses move more reliably through busy sections of Sandringham Road.

Extending and connecting the morning peak bus lanes

We're proposing to extend the northbound bus lane on Sandringham Road (which operates weekdays from 7am to 10am) to create a more continuous route for buses to travel through busy traffic.

This includes:

• extending the bus lane from Gifford Avenue to Aurora Avenue
• connecting the existing bus lane between Shorwell Street and Edendale School
• updating lane markings in these new sections to ensure buses have enough room to move with the rest of the traffic 

With these changes, we estimate customers will save about two minutes' time on their journey. If you multiply that by the thousands who travel along this main road each morning, it adds up to significant overall travel time savings across the network.

Mount Eden Road is a busy road that connects neighbourhoods, businesses, schools and local destinations with the city centre. It's also one of Auckland's busiest bus routes, carrying thousands of passengers and supporting nearly 30,000 journeys every day. 

Keeping people moving along this corridor is becoming more important as Auckland grows. With Maungawhau Station set to open as part of City Rail Link, more people are expected to travel through the area and connect between buses and trains.

Without improvements, congestion and delays will continue to affect journey reliability, particularly during the busiest parts of the day.

We're proposing improvements that make better use of the space already available on the road.

Extending and connecting bus lanes in more places

We’re improving bus lane connections to help buses move smoothly through congested areas and create more reliable journeys at busy times.

From Valley Road to Esplanade Road (going towards the city)

We will create a continuous northbound bus lane after Mount Eden Village, connecting to the existing bus lane.

From Esplanade Road to Percy Street (going away from the city)

We will connect two existing southbound bus lane sections to reduce afternoon delays.

From Poronui Street to Disraeli Street (going away from the city)

We will extend the existing southbound bus lane through another busy section of the road.

We are avoiding adding new bus lanes around the Mount Eden Village shops so that there are no parking impacts on local businesses.

Starting afternoon bus lane 1 hour earlier

Traffic on Mount Eden Road starts earlier than the current afternoon bus lane operating hours. We’re proposing to change the operating hours for the afternoon weekday bus lane (heading away from the city) to start one hour earlier.

The new operating hours (3pm to 7pm) will better align with the afternoon rush, including school pickups, and will improve bus reliability.

Upgrades to Normanby Road and Puka Street intersection

Recently, we installed pedestrian upgrades at this busy intersection to make it easier to cross Mount Eden Road safely.

Now, we are looking at further upgrades to add a shared cyclist and pedestrian path alongside our bus lane extension.

The upgrades include:

• extending the southbound bus lane (going away from the city) to go through the intersection
• installing a new shared path for cyclists and pedestrians across the intersection
• upgrading signalised pedestrian crossings
• adding new cyclist crossing points
• widening the pedestrian refuge island to accommodate people cycling
• minor upgrades to kerbs, traffic islands and road markings to support the new layout.

Creating safer pedestrian crossings

To create more safe places for people to cross Mount Eden Road, we’re proposing to replace some existing pedestrian crossings with new signalised crossings. 

These new crossings would be at:

• Esplanade Road
• Hillside Crescent North
• Lovelock Avenue.

These new signalised crossings will all be push-button activated, so vehicles will only be stopped when someone needs to cross.

We will also add broken yellow lines on parts of the road near these new crossings so people using them are always fully visible to drivers. Please refer to the detailed design drawings to see exactly where we’re placing the new lines.

Clearway hours and lane marking changes by Stokes and Essex Roads intersection

Traffic is getting busier through this part of the village on weekday afternoons.

To give everyone more room to move smoothly, we’re proposing some changes around the Stokes and Essex Roads intersections.

Changes include:

• updating the road lane markings around the intersection to help traffic merge more smoothly
• changing the hours of the existing northbound clearway between Stokes Road and Ngauruhoe Street, so the clearway begins one hour earlier than it begins now
• this clearway change means that people will be unable to park here from 3pm to 7pm Monday to Friday, in addition to the current 7am to 10am weekday hours. People will still be able to park here at all other times.

Bus stop changes for efficiency

We’re proposing changes to some bus stops along Mount Eden Road so that bus stops are more evenly spaced and easier to access.

We will remove:

• both Tahaki Reserve bus stops (IDs 8507 and 1870). Nearby stops are close enough to continue to provide an appropriate level of service.
• the Mount Eden Village bus stop (ID 8512) near Grange Road. We will identify nearby locations to replace this stop in later planning stages.
• both Rahiri Road bus stops (IDs 8523 and 8524). Nearby stops are close enough to continue to provide an appropriate level of service.

We will move:

• the Bridgman Reserve bus stop across from Lovelock Avenue (ID 8508). We'll move it to line up with the new signalised pedestrian crossing we’re installing nearby.
• one of the Peary Road bus stops (ID 8522). We’ll shift this stop slightly so that it’s more aligned with the stop across from it.

If you travel along Remuera Road, you know how busy it can get, especially at peak times. It is a key route connecting central Auckland to the city centre and surrounding suburbs.

Around 26,000 people travel this road every day. During the weekday rush, up to 2,400 of us are travelling in the peak direction every hour. That includes up to 40 buses - many of them for the popular 75 route - packed with people heading to work, school, shops, or wherever they need to be.

As demand has increased, delays have become more frequent, particularly between existing T3 transit lanes, at busy intersections, and where parked vehicles or turning traffic slows movement.

To address this, we’re proposing improvements to create smoother, more reliable journeys for everyone travelling during the busiest times of day.  

Extending and connecting T3 transit lanes in more places

We’re extending and linking existing T3 lanes along Remuera Road. This will help buses move through congested areas and help everyone have smoother journeys at busy times.

This includes areas between:

• Nuffield Street (just after Broadway) and Belmont Terrace (heading away from the city)
• Dilworth Avenue and Pere Street (in both directions)
• Market Road and Armandale Road (in both directions)
• Saint Vincent Avenue and Entrican Avenue (in both directions)
• Tahora Avenue and Hasast Street (heading towards the city).

Investigating a part-time right turn restriction at Omahu Road

We’re proposing a weekday afternoon (4pm to 7pm) restriction on right turns into Omahu Road. This will help improve traffic flow through this busy section now and in the future.

Community feedback will play a key role in whether we progress this option. Get more details about this proposal here.

Improving lane layout and operation

We’re adjusting lane layouts and road markings around some busy intersections to reduce bottlenecks, minimise merging issues, and streamline traffic flow.

At the Middleton Road and Bassett Road intersections

We’re proposing to change the lanes for turning left (from Remuera Road) and going straight into left turn only lanes.

This will help prevent backups that occur when drivers going straight must merge in the other lane to get around parked vehicles. T3 lane users would still be allowed to go straight during operating hours.

At the Norana Avenue-Garden Road intersection

We’re painting new lane direction markings on three sides where they’re currently missing, bringing consistency and clarity for drivers.

In Remuera Village, on the road between Victoria Avenue and Saint Vincent Avenue

We will widen the southbound lane slightly so that vehicles can pass even when cars are parked in front of shops.

Updating bus stops for efficiency

We’re updating bus stop locations and markings to improve journey reliability.

We will remove:

• both Saint Marks Road bus stops (IDs 7404 and 7405)
• the Lochiel Road bus stop (ID 7416).

Nearby stops are close enough to continue providing an appropriate level of service.

At all other bus stops, we’ll update the yellow box markings so that they are consistently sized and better placed for buses to seamlessly pick up and drop off passengers.

Creating more space in congested areas

We’re proposing to add broken yellow lines (no stopping at all times) around some intersections with known congestion issues. This will free up space for queuing and reduce traffic bottlenecks created by parked cars.

Middleton Road intersection going to the city

We'll add broken yellow lines on the eastern side. This change would require us to reduce the size of the clearway parking area situated between 41 and 51 Remuera Road by about half.

Saint Marks Road intersection going to the city

We’ll add broken yellow lines on the eastern side (in front of 103 Remuera Road).  

Ascot Avenue intersection going to the city

We’ll broken yellow lines on the eastern side (in front of 459 Remuera Road).

Omahu Road intersection going to the city

We’ll add broken yellow lines on the western side (between 247 and 251 Remuera Road).

Safety improvements at key locations

To make it safer for people to cross the road, we're adding:

• a central island on Remuera Road near Tahora Avenue
• high-friction surfacing near Portland Road.

The Remuera Road and Omahu Road intersection gets particularly busy in the afternoon (4pm to 7pm) during the week.

During this time, drivers turning right from Remuera Road into Omahu Road can experience delays while waiting for a safe gap in traffic or a green arrow. As they wait, traffic behind them can build up quickly, adding to congestion along Remuera Road.

As Auckland grows and more people travel through this area, we expect these queues to happen more often and become longer, particularly during weekday afternoons when traffic volumes are highest.

To help fix this, we're exploring whether a part-time right turn restriction could help support the other improvements to keep traffic moving through this part of Remuera Road now and in the future.

We're seeking feedback on a proposal to restrict right turning from Remuera Road into Omahu Road on weekday afternoons (4pm to 7pm, Monday to Friday).

Why we’re considering this option 

We explored other ways to improve traffic flow at this intersection, including changes to lane layouts and traffic signal operation.

However, our investigations found these options would either provide limited long-term benefits or could not be delivered safely within the available road space.

A part-time right turn restriction may provide a more effective way to manage current and future congestion during the busiest period of the day.

How it would work 

The proposed restriction would only apply between 4pm and 7pm, Monday to Friday. This is when traffic volumes are at their highest and afternoon T3 lanes are active.

At all other times, including weekends, drivers would still be able to turn right into Omahu Road as normal.

During operating hours, drivers wishing to access Omahu Road would need to use an alternative route or turn at a nearby intersection where turning has less impact on traffic flow.

Static road signs and time-activated LED signs would advise drivers when they are unable to turn right.

How your feedback will help shape our decision 

We have not yet made a decision on whether to introduce the part-time right turn restriction.

Your feedback will help us better understand:

• how the proposed change could affect your journey
• any wider traffic impacts we should consider
• local knowledge or insights that may not have been identified through our investigations

We'll also be trialling this solution at Dominion Road and Memorial Drive, which will give us valuable insights into how this approach performs in practice.

Community feedback, trial outcomes, and further technical assessments will all be considered before a final decision is made.

If these factors indicate the impacts could outweigh the benefits, we may investigate alternative options to address congestion in the area.

Auckland Network Optimisation aims to make Auckland’s network more effective. It will do this by improving and providing effective travel choices and road safety. It is a joint programme between Auckland Transport and NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA).

As Auckland continues to grow, so does our need to move more people and goods more efficiently. We also need to build resilience in both existing and new communities.

Aucklanders have told us they want a transport system that:

• is convenient, well-connected, accessible and reliable
• moves them around if they choose to drive, walk, ride a train, bus, bike or ferry.

To keep our city moving, we are making smarter, more dynamic use of our roads, footpaths and cycleways. New transport infrastructure is important but it’s also expensive. We’re adopting new technologies and systems to use our limited space and funding better.

We look at making relatively inexpensive and quick changes to our roads and paths to:

• improve efficiency, safety and agility
• support economic growth outcomes
• reduce reliance on only major infrastructure to improve our transport network.

Small strategic changes, such as converting existing lanes to new bus or transit lanes, keep people and goods moving. These changes also support reliable public transport which contributes to a more connected, healthier city.

We will work with the community to deliver on transport initiatives that benefit all road users. Whether taking kids to schools, getting to and from work, cycling in the park, going shopping or heading to events, we're part of your life.

We're working to shape our city and provide transport choices for a growing, vibrant Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.