Karanga-a-Hape Station neighbourhood and bus improvements project Karanga-a-Hape Station neighbourhood and bus improvements project

Consultation on the project is now closed.

We’re proposing improvements to the transport network and streets around the new City Rail Link (CRL) Karanga-a-Hape Station. The Karanga-a-Hape Neighbourhood and Bus Improvements will improve safety for everyone, make connecting between bus, bike, and train easier, and enhance the look and feel of the neighbourhood streets to complement the new station.

We’re proposing improvements in your area

Feedback on the proposal is now closed.

The proposed changes:

Make connections between the new Karanga-a-Hape Station and the surrounding neighbourhood, easy, safe, and intuitive.
Make travelling by bus easier, quicker, and more reliable. Create better connections between buses and trains.
Make it easier for people to walk and cycle around the area safely.

Project background

In 2021, a cycleway and extended bus lanes were introduced to Karangahape Road. Footpaths were widened, lighting improved, and rain gardens were added to filter rainwater runoff. The project made cycling much safer along Karangahape Road.

When the CRL opens, we expect to up to 40,000 people accessing Karanga-a-Hape Station every day via entrances on Beresford Square and Mercury Lane. The CRL will make it easier for people to get to and from the Karangahape neighbourhood from south, east and west Auckland.

Buses are also popular for people travelling to or through the area. A major redesign of bus services for Auckland’s northwest is underway, including the introduction of a new frequent Western Express bus service, which will travel along Karangahape Road and Pitt Street.

Karangahape will soon be an important and busy transport hub with buses bringing in an estimated 15,000-20,000 people per day into the neighbourhood from the North Shore and Auckland’s inner suburbs, such as Point Chevalier, Grey Lynn, Westmere, Ponsonby, Parnell, Newmarket and Grafton.

To complement the changes already made within the Karangahape neighbourhood and to make the most those to come, we propose changes to the street environment. The proposed changes will support past enhancement projects, prepare for the opening of the CRL, and deliver outcomes from the City Centre Masterplan.

This project is partially funded by the City Centre Targeted Rate and partly by Waka Kotahi’s Climate Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which funds a number of initiatives including the Transport Choices Package.

Proposed changes

We have categorised the changes into four areas:

Pedestrian mall
Walking and cycling
Parking and loading
Public transport

Pedestrian mall - Statement of Proposal

Auckland Transport proposes to permanently restrict motor vehicle access on Mercury Lane from Karangahape Road to north of the existing vehicle crossing at 2 Mercury Lane, to become a pedestrian mall. South of the proposed pedestrian mall a shared space is proposed from the vehicle crossings to south of the intersection with Cross Street.

For full details, please refer to the Statement of Proposal in the Permanent Traffic and Parking Changes Report (PDF 1MB).

It is proposed that the driving, or parking of any motor vehicle will be prohibited at all times on the pedestrian mall, subject to the following proposed exemptions:
Cycles, and wheeled recreational devices may access any part of the pedestrian mall at all but must give priority to pedestrians. must give priority to pedestrians.
Motor vehicles required for construction, maintenance, or services work for the road and buildings facing the road would be able to apply to AT for access on a case-by-case basis.
Emergency vehicles requiring access to Mercury Lane.
The Statement of Proposal sets out the details of the proposal and explains the Special Consultative Procedure used for declaring a pedestrian mall. Under this procedure:
Submissions can be made in writing, or in person in spoken form or sign language.
Requests to be heard in person must be received by AT no later than the one calendar month after the consultation period starts.

Appeals:

In accordance with section 336(3) of the Local Government Act 1974 anyone can appeal to the Environment Court against the Declaration to create the pedestrian mall.
Appeals to the Environment Court need to be made within one month after the making of the declaration, or within such further time as the Environment Court may allow.
On appeal, the Environment Court may quash or affirm the declaration, or affirm the declaration with modification.

Walking and cycling

With the introduction of new bus services from the northwest and the opening of Karanga-a-Hape Station, the neighbourhood will soon be transformed into a major transport hub. We want to make sure that whatever mode of transport people choose to take, it will be safe and reliable. To improve accessibility for people walking and cycling we propose changes to the streetscape.

Location	Change	Expected Benefit
Pitt Street	Installing a signalised mid-block crossing with bus priority.	Provides another place for people to safely cross at a key desire line between the station entrance and bus stops.
Pitt Street	Creating northbound and southbound separated cycleways along Pitt Street, from Hopetoun Street to Karangahape Road.	Safer cycling facilities replace a shared footpath and link to other cycleways.
Mercury Lane	Creating a pedestrian mall on upper Mercury Lane, accessible only by authorised vehicles.	Improved pedestrian safety around the Mercury Lane train station entrance.
Mercury Lane	Widening the footpath on lower Mercury Lane.	Improved accessibility for pedestrians including people who use all kinds of mobility devices
Mercury Lane	Creating a separated cycleway along lower Mercury Lane, connecting to Canada Street.	Safer cycling facilities replace a shared footpath and link to other cycleways.
Cross Street	Creating additional footpath space and building out the kerb.	Improved accessibility for pedestrians including people who use all kinds of mobility devices.
Canada Street	Creating a separated cycleway along Canada Street for north and southbound cyclists and connecting to the existing cycleway on East Street.	Provide safer pedestrian and cycling facilities in place of the shared footpath and linking to other cycleways.
Canada Street	Install a new shared pedestrian and cycle crossing to the east of intersection with Mercury Lane.	Provides a safe crossing location for pedestrians and cyclists heading to and from Karanga-a-Hape Station and Te Ara i Whiti (the Lightpath).
Canada Street/Upper Queen Street intersection	Upgrade the western side of the intersection to provide separated facilities for pedestrians and cyclists.	Provides a safer crossing environment at the traffic signals.
East Street	Install a new pedestrian crossing located between Galatos Street and South Street.	Provides a safe crossing point to connect pedestrians to the east-west laneway between East Street and Mercury Lane to connect to the station entrance.
East Street	Retain the cycle lanes that were installed as a temporary measure during the CRL construction.	Provide safer cycling facilities on a steep gradient and linking to other cycleways.
Beresford Square	Between Hopetoun Street and the rear of the Karanga-a-Hape Station entrance, reduce the traffic lane widths by widening the road’s painted median.	Creates a slower vehicle speed environment and safer informal pedestrian crossing opportunities.

Parking and loading

As there is limited space within the Karanga-a-hape neighbourhood’s roads, we need to reconsider the location of parking and loading zones. This means considering how businesses receive deliveries, what areas of the neighbourhood should be prioritised for general parking, and where mobility parking and station pick-up and drop-off zones should be located.

Location	Change	Expected Benefit
Cross Street	Replace a paid space with mobility parking.	This will create dedicated mobility parking to support people accessing the new train station. It will also provide more space to widen the footpath for greater accessibility.
Cross Street	Moving the P5 Loading Zone from Mercury Lane to Cross Street and adding an additional P15 Loading Zone or P5 Loading Zones in place of paid parking.	Supports local businesses and residents loading and servicing needs.
Cross Street	Relocating car share parking spaces to the opposite side of the road.	Continues to provide transport choice for people living and accessing the area.
Cross Street	Kerbside use to be determined – proposal to remove remaining paid parking and replace with loading, mobility parking and/or pick-up/drop-off spaces. To be confirmed based on public consultation feedback.	Support the local community needs for loading/servicing and access as well as future users of the train station.
Mercury Lane	Removing paid parking and relocate P5 Loading Zone to Cross Street (see above).	Supports the proposed pedestrian mall on upper Mercury Lane and improves access for pedestrians and cyclists on lower Mercury Lane.
Canada Street	Kerbside use to be determined – proposal to replace the paid parking on the northern side of the road with loading, mobility parking and/or pick-up/drop-off spaces. To be confirmed based on public consultation feedback. Remove all paid parking on the southern side to make space for the separated cycle lane.	Support the local community needs for loading/servicing and access as well as future users of the train station
Upper Queen Street	To accommodate the proposed separation of cyclists and pedestrians at the traffic signals with Canada Street remove one paid parking space.	Provides a safer crossing environment at the traffic signals.
East Street	Retain the cycleway and road layout changes made during CRL construction. Parking on upper-East Street to remain un-changed.	Retains current cycle way links.
Pitt Street	Remove on-street parking and P5 Goods and Service Vehicle Loading Zones.	Supports the installation of bus lanes and separated cycleways.
Poynton Terrace	Kerbside use to be determined – proposal to replace the paid parking on the northern side of the road with loading, mobility parking and/or pick-up/drop-off spaces. To be confirmed based on public consultation feedback.	Supports local businesses and residents loading needs.
Beresford Square	Kerbside use to be determined – proposal to replace the paid parking on the northern side of the road with loading, mobility parking and/or pick-up/drop-off spaces. To be confirmed based on public consultation feedback.	Supports local businesses and residents loading needs.
Beresford Square	Proposed mobility parking space as proposed by City Rail Link	This will create dedicated mobility parking to support people accessing the new train station.
Karangahape Road (Pitt Street to Queen Street)	Removing a small section of paid parking on the southern side of Karangahape Road and replacing with a P15 Loading Zone or P5 Loading Zone, based on consultation feedback.	Supports local businesses and residents loading needs.
Karangahape Road (Newton Road to Pitt Street)	Multiple changes to operating hours for loading zones and small passenger service vehicle stands (taxi/rideshare stands). Retain existing mobility parking sapces.	Reduces delays for buses and support local businesses and residents loading and access needs.

Public transport

In late-2023, there will be additional bus services from the northwest. This means there will be significant changes to bus services that travel to and from the city centre along Karangahape Road. This includes the introduction of a new Western Express (WX1) bus service with high, all-day frequency.

The new service will simplify and add frequency to bus services serving Te Atatū, Massey, Westgate, and connecting northwest neighbourhoods.

The opening of CRL and Karanga-a-Hape Station will transform the neighbourhood into a major transport hub, connecting buses and trains from many areas of Auckland. Improving bus priority will allow bus services to provide quicker, more reliable journeys which will make them a more realistic transport option for many people.

Location	Change	Expected Benefit
Karangahape Road	Create a new section of 7am-7pm bus lane on the northern side of Karangahape Road, between Pitt Street and Queen Street. Modify existing bus lane hours on the northern side of Karangahape Road between Pitt Street and Newton Road to 7 am to 7 pm seven days a week. Modify existing bus lane hours on the southern side of Karangahape Road between Pitt Street and Newton Road to 7 am to 10am and 4pm to 7 pm seven days a week.	Provides better reliability for bus journeys via Karangahape Road.
Newton Road	Create a new northbound 24/7 bus lane pocket on Newton Road for buses to turn right into Karangahape Road.	Reduces delays for buses turning right from Newton Road onto Karangahape Road.
Pitt Street	Create a new southbound 24/7 bus lane on Pitt Street, between Greys Avenue and the new signalised mid-block crossing. Create a new section of northbound 24/7 bus lane on Pitt Street, between Karangahape Road and the new signalised mid-block crossing. Installing a bus priority “B” light to the signals at the new mid-block crossing.	Provides better reliability for bus journeys via Pitt Street.
Pitt Street	Installation of a bus stop on Pitt Street outside the Beresford Square train station entrance.	Provides better connectivity from bus to train services.

Other Improvements

When the CRL opens we expect to see up to 40,000 people using the station entrances on Mercury Lane and Beresford Square every day. Currently, up to 3,000 cars per day use Mercury Lane. Other improvements proposed to support this are detailed below.

Location Change Expected Benefit Mercury Lane Adding lighting and CCTV surveillance. Improves personal safety after dark around the new train station entrance. Cross Street Revert Cross Street to its original east-to-west direction, as per the requirements for the CRL consent. Original traffic circulation reinstated (eastbound only). Cross Street Adding lighting and CCTV surveillance. Improves personal safety after dark around the new train station entrance.

Location	Change	Expected Benefit
Mercury Lane	Adding lighting and CCTV surveillance.	Improves personal safety after dark around the new train station entrance.
Cross Street	Revert Cross Street to its original east-to-west direction, as per the requirements for the CRL consent.	Original traffic circulation reinstated (eastbound only).
Cross Street	Adding lighting and CCTV surveillance.	Improves personal safety after dark around the new train station entrance.

Project trade-offs

With the CRL opening and more frequent bus services from the northwest, many more people will come to the Karanga-a-hape neighbourhood by bus and train. The proposed Karanga-a-Hape Neighbourhood and Bus Improvements project will prepare Karangahape Road and the surrounding neighbourhood for change.

Extended hours of operation for bus lanes will make bus journey times 1 to 2 minutes quicker and consistently more reliable. Travel times for other vehicles along Karangahape Road will not change. This is because bus lanes are already in operation during peak hours and are used for on-street parking outside these hours.

Some trade-offs need to be made because there is no way to increase the size of the roadway,

Parking, loading and servicing

In 2021, some loading and servicing was moved to the top of side streets and some on-street parking was removed.

To balance the needs of bus passengers and businesses, other loading zones are proposed to be relocated and more on-street parking is proposed to be removed.

On the southern side of Karangahape Road, the existing bus lanes are proposed to operate during peak morning and evening hours only (7am to 10am and 4pm to 7pm). On-street loading and servicing will be maintained outside these times.

On the northern side of Karangahape Road, a new bus lane between Pitt Street and Queen Street is proposed. The operating hours for the existing bus lanes between Ponsonby Road and Pitt Street are proposed to be extended. These bus lanes are all proposed to operate 7am to 7pm, seven days a week.

Parking, loading and servicing spaces on Karangahape Road are available outside bus lane hours of operation. For visitors to the neighbourhood, there is plenty of off-street parking in nearby carpark buildings, including the 850-space carpark on Cross St.

To make way for wider footpaths, cycleways and reallocated loading zones, some long-stay street parking on side and back streets will also be removed.

Access to Mercury Lane, Cross Street and Canada Street

Restricting vehicle access into Mercury Lane from Karangahape Road will make it safer for the people on foot and on bike using the station. It will mean that access to Cross Street, Canada Street and the lower half of East Street will be from Upper Queen Street. Traffic flow on Cross Street will return to its pre-CRL east-to-west direction. Removing the right turn from Mercury Lane into Canada Street will provide space for a cycleway and make the intersection safer for those walking and cycling. This will mean that vehicles wanting to access the western end of Canada Street or East Street will need to come via Upper Queen Street.

Access to East Street

We propose keeping East Street as it currently is, with the addition of a pedestrian crossing near the laneway that connects to the station entrance. The current street layout includes a separated two-way cycleway, implemented in response to CRL construction. The cycleway and pedestrian crossing creates a safer street and encourages walking and cycling. It also maintains the northbound one-way from Canada Street to Galatos Street. This means vehicles remain unable to travel southbound on East Street.

General traffic lanes

We will provide separated cycleways and bus lanes on Pitt Street and will retain one lane for general traffic in each direction. This will make it safer for people cycling and provide more reliable bus services.