Maioro Street dynamic bus lanes and safety improvements Maioro Street dynamic bus lanes and safety improvements

Project update August 2024

To improve bus travel and better manage traffic flow along Maioro Street, we invited feedback on 2 potential designs: dynamic bus lanes and a T2 transit lane. Both designs included safety and access improvements for people walking and cycling. Among these improvements are a new midblock pedestrian crossing on Maioro Street, a raised intersection at Maoiro Street and New Windsor Street, and safety changes on side streets.

In 2023, we reported feedback on the first design, dynamic lanes and safety improvements. Although we received support for this project, we also investigated other suggestions made by the community. One option was installing a T2 lane from Tiverton Road to Maioro Street instead of a dynamic bus lane. After investigating, we took this alternative design to the community for further feedback.

We received strong community support for aspects of both designs. People recognised that reliable public transport is important, especially if it helps reduce congestion. They also agreed that the intersection improvements and new signalised crossing would better connect the community and keep people safe, especially children.

Concerns raised were mostly related to the potential impact on traffic flow, including for people living on Maioro Street.

The feedback on both designs showed that the community was more supportive of implementing a dynamic bus lane than a T2 transit lane. By using the median at peak times, a dynamic lane would retain 2 lanes for general traffic in each direction. People felt that a transit lane would reduce available lanes for single-occupancy cars, unfairly disadvantaging drivers (public transport or carpooling might not be a viable option for some) and increasing congestion and travel times.

Final outcome

After reviewing feedback on both designs, we conducted further traffic assessments to help finalise our plans. To alleviate congestion, reduce bus delays, improve safety and deliver the best outcomes for the wider community while balancing the needs of everyone using Maioro Street, our decision is to implement dynamic lanes.

Dynamic bus lanes

The dynamic bus lane will operate in an eastbound (citybound) direction during the morning peak only, when congestion is highest. We will monitor traffic flow and can reassess the need for a westbound bus lane in the future.

The dynamic lane will extend along Maioro Street, between New Windsor Road and Richardson Road. It will include one bus lane and retain 2 general traffic lanes in each direction using the existing median. Outside of morning peak hours (6am to 10am), the road will revert to its existing configuration, retaining the median strip. This decision aims to optimise traffic flow and address the broader needs of the community.

Three side streets along this section currently have ‘give way’ or stop signs: Cordelia Place, Roseville Street and Rosamund Avenue. Vehicles trying to turn right against peak traffic will need to turn across 3 active traffic lanes. To ensure safety for road users, we will need to ban right turns into and out of these side streets during morning peak hours.

Map of Maoiro Street and surrounds showing intersection improvements in yellow where Maioro intersects with New Windsor Road and Roseville Street. A bus lane on Maioro Street is shown in green, and a signalised crossing is shown in pink near the intersection with Roseville Street.

Learn more about dynamic bus lanes

Addressing concerns about turning right onto Maioro Street

Download design scheme (PDF 3.3MB)

Intersection of Maioro Street and New Windsor Road

Safety improvements at this location received strong community support and were proposed in response to concerns raised by the local school and wider community. We will raise the intersection and install a signalised pedestrian crossing so that each side of the intersection provides a safe crossing option.

In response to feedback for improved cycling facilities, we have included paired pedestrian and cycle crossings in the design.

A speed review confirmed that speeds are a concern at this location. Raising the intersection will help encourage safer speeds, offering better protection for schoolchildren and other users. We assessed the impacts and concluded that they will have a minimal effect on congestion. Traffic signal phasing will be similar to the existing signal phasing.

Map showing the locations of safety improvements at the intersection of Maoiro Street and New Windsor Road. Improvements include a raised table, shared footpaths, 3 signalised pedestrian crossings, a relocated bus stop and bus shelter, and 3 new bus lanes. — Improvements to the intersection of New Winsdor Road and Maioro Street

New pedestrian crossing on Maioro Street

A pedestrian crossing will be installed between Rosamund Avenue and Roseville Street to provide a safe place for pedestrians and people catching the bus to cross the road. Traffic lights will stop only when pedestrians activate the signals. The proposed speed table at this location has been removed from the design.

View illustration of improvements (PNG 133KB)

Side streets

Alongside speed reviews, we carefully assessed all project design elements to ensure that safety-related improvements are delivered in a pragmatic way. The raised table at the Rosamund Street entry will be retained. We will monitor speeds to assess whether further speed calming is needed on other side streets.

View illustration of improvements (PNG 138KB)

Community views

We’ve compiled a feedback summary that includes community views on both proposals and our responses to their main concerns.

Download the Maioro Street community feedback summary (PDF 946KB).

Full feedback reports for both proposals are also available:

Addressing the concerns of people living locally

We appreciate that restricting right turns onto Maioro Street will affect some road users. Dynamic lanes will operate during morning peak hours only, with the median retained at all other times to enable right turns.

Our investigations show that about 350 vehicles turn right onto Maioro Street during the morning peak. Using an alternative route will increase drive times by an average of 1.8 minutes. On the other hand, the dynamic bus lane will shorten bus commutes by up to 4 minutes during the morning peak. We also expect slight improvements for the other 6,400 vehicles using Maioro Street during this time, as they will no longer share a lane with buses.

After implementation, we will monitor the road and assess any impacts.

Next steps

Construction is expected to start in April 2025 and will be carefully planned to keep traffic flowing. The community and commuters will be notified before construction begins, including information about how the work will be done and its potential impacts.

Project background

Aucklanders have told us that moving around our city safely and easily is important to them.

Maioro Street links New Lynn and State Highway 20, carrying approximately 40,000 vehicles per day and experiencing heavy peak traffic congestion. During the morning and afternoon peaks, the route is used by about 16 buses per hour carrying an estimated 4,000 passengers. Heavy congestion, especially in the morning, causes delays for buses and general traffic.

Benefits of this project include:

a more efficient public transport system, with improved bus reliability
improved safety for students crossing the intersection of Maioro Street and New Windsor Road
a safe place for bus users and local children to cross Maioro Street
improved pathways for pedestrians and cyclists, making it easier to use the shared path on Maioro Street.

About dynamic lanes

Dynamic lanes enable different uses at different times. Using this smart solution, we can get more use out of roads when we need them most without having to build more roads or widen them. Dynamic lanes can be implemented in different ways at different times to respond to traffic demand.

Dynamic lanes can use median strips to provide an extra lane at certain times of the day without removing a lane in the other direction. This means that a priority bus lane can be activated at peak traffic times but be used by cars the rest of the time.

This dynamic bus lane on Maioro Street will create 2 general lanes and one bus lane in the peak direction and 2 general lanes in the non-peak direction. Outside of the morning peak, the road will return to 2 general lanes in each direction, with a flush median in the middle of the road.

This change will significantly reduce travel times for bus users while maintaining general traffic flow or slightly improving it.

Dynamic lanes can also be used to temporarily change lane directions during heavy congestion. Traffic-control signs over the road will also show which lanes drivers should use. They are currently used along the Panmure Bridge, Auckland Harbour Bridge, Whangaparaoa Road and Redoubt Road. The system is quick to build and more cost-effective than road widening.

Instead of painted lines, LED lights embedded in the road surface will mark traffic lanes, and traffic-control signs over the road will also show which lanes drivers should use.

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