Route 4: Great North Road Route 4: Great North Road
Improvements for pedestrians, people on bikes and bus users are coming for the section of Great North Road between Crummer Road and Ponsonby Road.
We aim to deliver a safer, more appealing route for people on bikes while making bus journeys in peak times faster and more reliable.
This will predominantly be a route for people to cycle into the city from this area and further west. It will also allow more people to cycle into the city from this area and further west. It will also allow more people to access shops along Great North Road.
Project details
We developed a design for this route that paid particular attention to improving safety for people on bikes, and making bus journeys in peak times faster and more reliable. We asked for feedback the proposal to help us improve the designs and identify opportunity for improvement. Find out what has changed as the result of public feedback.
- Download the map for route 4 (JPG 613KB).
- Download the design plans for route 4: Great North Road (PDF 4.2MB, 5 pages).
Key features
- 1.6m-wide cycle lane, on-road for nearly the entire length of the route, on both sides of the road, inside the bus lane.
- Cycle lane separated from the bus lane by a 0.4m-wide physical separator.
- A small section of raised off-road shared path on the existing concrete berm heading towards Grey Lynn shops, between Coleridge Street and Crummer Road (due to lack of space on the road).
- New large loading zone near Nixon Street to accommodate car transport vehicles.
- Intersection enhancements to improve safety for people on bikes and pedestrians.
- City-bound bus lane operating hours extended in morning peak from 7-9am to 7-10am.
- West-bound bus lane operating hours extended in afternoon peak from 4-6pm to 4-7pm.
- Bus lanes physically extended at all the intersections to reduce bus interaction with general traffic and reduce journey times.
- Bus stop improvements (where space permits) to allow cyclists to navigate past the bus stops safely and without interruption - find out about the ‘floating' bus stop design.
- A reduction from 14 to 10 bus stops along the route to improve bus stop spacing and efficiency of bus services. Out of 10 bus stops, three are floating bus stops and seven are in-line bus stops.
- Narrowing of the central median to 1.7-2.2m along the length of the route.
- On-street parking space loss and gain at various locations along the route, resulting in a net loss of 23 spaces (approximately 13% of the available parking).
- Removal of one non-native, 3m high tree near Ariki Street to accommodate a relocated bus stop. A replacement tree will be planted elsewhere on the route.
- Additional refuge island pedestrian crossings along Great North Road.
Changes to the Great North Rd/Bond St/Grosvenor St intersection
We have proposed improvements to the intersection of Great North Rd, Bond St, and Grosvenor St, including changes to pedestrian and cycle crossings, traffic lanes and lights, and parking.
Feedback on the proposed changes was open from 10 August to 3 September 2017.
Find out more about the changes.
Changes to on-street parking
We recognise the importance of on-street parking for businesses. We have taken care to minimise any parking removal required, however this project will result in a net loss of 23 spaces (approximately 13% of the available parking) along the length of the route.
This loss of parking is necessary to improve the safety of all road users, by increasing visibility of traffic exiting or entering side streets and driveways.
The percentage of available parking calculated is an approximation, as parking spaces are not individually marked and it is difficult to estimate specific numbers.
See the assessment plans for details of parking changes (PDF 5MB)
Bus stop changes
To accommodate the proposed cycling improvements and to improve bus service efficiency along this part of Great North Road, we are making changes to some bus stops:
City-bound:
- Remove existing bus stops #8111 and #8109, and replace with a new stop in the ‘floating’ bus stop design at 367-375 Great North Road (near Harcourt Street)
- Remove existing bus stops #8107 and #8105, and replace with a new stop in the ‘floating’ bus stop design at 205-209 Great North Road (west to Turakaina Street)
- Upgrade existing bus stop #8101 to the ‘floating’ bus stop design
West-bound:
- Remove existing bus stop #8110
- Remove existing bus stops #8106 and #8104 and replace with a new stop outside 204-234 Great North Road.
Floating bus stop design
The proposed bus stop layout known as a 'floating' bus stop consists of a bus stop ‘island’ for passengers to board from and exit onto. The cycle lane will continue interrupted behind the bus stop, reducing the potential for conflict between people on bikes, buses and passengers boarding/exiting buses.
See the scheme plans for details of the floating bus stop design (PDF 224KB)
Please refer to the bus stop map above for locations of the possible bus stop improvements.
Exclusions from this project
Intersection of Ponsonby Road, Great North Road and Karangahape Road
This intersection is under investigation and will be improved as part of the upcoming Karangahape Road improvements. This will ensure this intersection is safe and convenient for people on bikes, as well as pedestrians and motorists.
The route through Grey Lynn shops
The Grey Lynn shopping centre section of the cycling network is being treated as a separate project to this proposal. There are several factors to consider when designing a connection through this area and there is no easy solution. When investigating possible options we will carefully consider the needs of people and groups with an interest in this section of Great North Road (such as people on bikes, businesses, vehicle users and bus users).
This section will be considered for inclusion in our next programme of cycling projects (2019-2021), subject to funding.
Feedback
The consultation period ran for five weeks, from 16 September to 21 October 2016. 171 individual people submitted feedback on this route, as well as four key stakeholder groups. This feedback helped us recognise and improve any issues that the community might have with the proposal.
We have compiled the feedback into common themes and written a report outlining the decisions made for each route.
Download the feedback and decisions report (PDF 1.1MB, 43 pages).
Feedback summary
AT has used your feedback to further develop the proposal for a cycling and bus priority route along Great North Road. The designs will be finalised in the coming months, but the key features will be:
- Construction of a 1.6m wide on-road cycleway, in each direction along Great North Road, with a 0.4m wide physical separator between the cycleway and the bus lane. While the cycleway will run along the majority of the route, there will be a short section between Coleridge Street and Crummer Road where, due to space constraints, the cycleway will revert to a shared path.
- Retention of the existing bus lanes on both sides of Great North Road.
- Changes to the intersection layout at Great North Road / Bond Street / Grosvenor Street. We are investigating realigning the entry to Grosvenor Street, constructing a raised table across Grosvenor Street, and installing an additional pedestrian crossing on the east side of the intersection.
- Installation of additional pedestrian refuge crossings along Great North Road.
What happens next
We are currently in the process of carrying out further work on the design. We will provide a detailed update in late 2018.
Previous barriers identified
There were a number of concerns raised for this proposed route in the previous consultation for the area, which the designs have made an effort to address.
Conflict with buses, feels unsafe/dangerous, protected cycleway required, Great North Road
This proposal provides separated cycle and bus facilities to avoid conflict with buses and improve safety for cyclists.
High foot traffic, Great North Road
A separated on-road facility is proposed for most of the route; a short section of shared path is proposed outside St Joseph's school, and the path will be wide enough to cater for both cyclists and pedestrians.
Inconsistent cycle path, Great North Road
The proposal connects to three proposed cycleway routes: the Surrey Cres to Garnet Rd project; the Greenways Route (connecting Cox's Bay Reserve to Great North Road); and the Karangahape Road street improvements project.
Parked vehicle hazard, Great North Road
The concerns raised about parked vehicles are negated by the separated cycleway design.
Side streets/vehicles turning, Great North Road
Cyclists will have priority over turning vehicles at the intersections. This will be highlighted via road markings.
Storm water drains are a hazard, Great North Road
We are aware that existing catch pits are a physical hazard to cyclists. To negate this, all the catch pits in this section of Great North Rd will be raised in order to lie level with the new surface and provided with cycle-friendly grates.
Dangerous intersection, poor visibility, Great North Road/Bond St intersection
The Great North Rd/Bond Street intersection will be improved to provide safer facilities for cyclists.
Safer crossing required, Great North Road/Bond St intersection
Signalised crossing facilities already provided at this intersection,
No cycle stop box, Great North Road/Bond St intersection
Cycle stop boxes will be provided at the Great North Rd/Bond St intersection.
Illegally parked trucks, Great North Rd/Scanlan St intersection
Illegal parking is an enforcement issue, and needs to be reported to AT Parking (call centre 09 355 3553) for enforcement.
Poor visibility, Great North Rd/Scanlan St intersection
Sight visibility requirements for pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles at all intersections will be assessed during the detail design stage of this project.
Conflict with buses, dangerous intersection, difficult right turns, green lights insufficient time for cyclists to clear, heavy traffic volume, safe crossing required, separated/protected cycleway required, Ponsonby Rd/K Rd/Newton Rd/Great North Rd
We will be working with the Karangahape Road Streetscape Improvement Project team to provide improved cycle/bus priority facilities at this intersection.