Queen Street changes Queen Street changes
Auckland Transport (AT) and Auckland Council are making changes on Queen Street as part of the ‘Access for Everyone’ pilot, in Queen Street valley, designed to prioritise those walking, cycling and using public transport.
Project status: Construction
Project zone: Central
Project overview
Queen Street sits at the heart of a grid of downtown city blocks. It is the cultural, historical, commercial, professional and retail heart of Auckland and it is critical to New Zealand's economy. This move addresses the growth of Queen Street and the wider Waihorotiu/Queen Street Valley. It proposes to make the area more accessible, more attractive and more prosperous, with pedestrian-friendly streets and better connections to the rest of the city centre.
Project details
Access for Everyone will work towards the removal of non-essential car traffic from Queen Street. This prioritises pedestrians and frees up road space for public transport, deliveries, emergency services and for people with limited mobility. Access for Everyone is the key concept in the City Centre Masterplan, the visionary plan to guide the city centre’s development for the next 20 years, which was endorsed by the Auckland Council Planning Committee in March this year.
From mid-July, the co-design process will adapt the existing Queen Street emergency measures, reflecting user needs and feedback. Being a pilot, it will use temporary materials and test a range of activities to help people better use the space.
Street zones
Different zones exist along Queen Street, they work together as follows:
Footpaths
For the general footpath on both sides of Queen Street:
- the existing footpath is the ‘movement zone’ allocated for those walking
- directional markers have been placed on the ground to show people to keep left when walking
- at intersections, the reallocated space from the traffic lanes will be used for those crossing/waiting for a pedestrian phase
- in the 'waiting zone', markers have been placed to support physical distancing.
Bus stops
Bus stops are placed away from the footpath because traffic lanes have been reduced on Queen Street. To allow for accessible entry and exit to buses, a level platform has been built out into the operating traffic lane.
Markers have also been placed on the ground at bus stops to support physical distancing.
Intersections
Pedestrian crossings have been widened at intersections that have crossing signals to support physical distancing.
Directional markers have been placed on the ground to show people to keep left when walking.
Loading zones
To ensure local business are supported during these changes, loading zones have been retained. These are indented in to the additional footpath space and can be used for deliveries, but also as a pick-up zone for customers.
The loading zones are limited to 15 minutes parking.
Access into the city centre
With these changes to Queen Street, we want to retain city centre access for people, while maximising public health and safety.
Options for travelling to the city centre:
Public transport
Bus routes on Queen Street (such as the CityLink and InnerLink services) are not affected by these changes.
Britomart Train station & the Downtown Ferry Terminal are both a 5-minute walk from the north end of Queen Street.
Driving in private vehicles
Due to the changes, we discourage using Queen Street as a through-route for traffic, but it remains open for access. If you are travelling by private vehicle, using the Auckland motorway network to access the city centre is your best option. Entry points around the city centre will get you where you need to be.
If you need to use Queen Street to access a local business, you can drive and use the customer pick up zones for up to 15 minutes. Parking in an off-street carpark will be the easiest place if you’re going to stay for a while. Find parking in central Auckland.
