Onewa Road corridor improvements

In early 2025, we talked with the community about ways to improve traffic flow, safety, and travel reliability along Onewa Road, one of Auckland’s busiest road corridors.

Onewa Road carries more than 30,000 vehicles every day and plays an important role in connecting the North Shore with the city and motorway network. Because widening the road isn’t an option, we looked at how we could make better use of the existing space using targeted, low‑cost changes.

What we consulted on

Between 10 March and 6 April 2025, we asked for public feedback on a package of proposed corridor optimisation changes, including:

• removing on‑street parking along Onewa Road to keep all lanes open and improve visibility
• traffic signal and lane‑marking changes at key intersections, including Birkenhead Avenue and Lake Road
• upgrading signalised pedestrian crossings and some intersections with smart technology to improve safety and efficiency
• changes to some bus stops around St Mary's Church and Northcote College to encourage safer crossing habits and to provide customers more shelter from the elements
• new and improved shared paths for people walking and cycling
• parking and clearway changes on nearby streets such as Seaview Avenue and Nutsey Avenue.

Before the public engagement opened, we met with key local stakeholders, including schools, churches, businesses and community organisations, to walk through the proposals and understand potential impacts.

During the public engagement period, people could share feedback online, by email, or in person at two community pop‑up events.

What we heard

Public engagement attracted a high level of interest. Overall feedback was mostly positive, with many people agreeing the proposed changes would improve traffic flow, safety and travel reliability along the corridor.

Common themes raised in feedback included:

• strong support for removing parked cars from Onewa Road to reduce congestion and improve visibility
• concerns from some residents and organisations about the impacts of parking loss, particularly during busy school or church events
• requests to ensure pedestrian safety, especially for children, older people and those with accessibility needs
• support for using smart traffic technology to reduce delays at intersections and improve safety at pedestrian crossings
• suggestions for additional improvements to walking, cycling and public transport in the wider area.

What changed as a result

After reviewing all feedback, we refined parts of the project to respond to community concerns. Changes included:

• adjusting some design elements to improve safety for people walking and cycling
• not moving forward with some of our bus stop changes, such as closing the stop across from Northcote College for a trial period
• considering how parking impacts could be mitigated on nearby streets, especially around St Mary's Church
• confirming where changes would be delivered now and where further work may be needed in the future.

Where feedback raised issues beyond the project scope, we captured these ideas to help inform future transport improvements in the area.

Project delivery

Following engagement and final design decisions, the Onewa Road corridor optimisation project was delivered in February 2025.

The completed changes are now in place and are designed to support safer, more reliable journeys for everyone using Onewa Road, whether travelling by car, bus, bike or on foot.

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.