Wakefield Street & Mayoral Drive bus parking Wakefield Street & Mayoral Drive bus parking
Auckland Transport proposed a new bus stop on Mayoral Drive and changes to bus parking spaces on Wakefield Street and Mayoral Drive to support the City Rail Link (CRL) construction, and improve bus travel times in line with Auckland Council's long-term vision for the city centre.
- Find out about the project details.
- Read the feedback update from public engagement on the proposal.
Project status: Consultation - closed 3 June. Read an update from the consultation.
Project zone: Central
Project overview
The closure of the Wellesley Street/Albert Street/Mayoral Drive intersection and the re-routing of bus services to support the CRL Aotea Station works resulted in the loss of some bus parking and layover spaces for bus services terminating and starting in the city centre.
To replace the loss of these spaces, Auckland Transport proposed more bus parking and some changes to existing bus parking spaces on Wakefield Street and Mayoral Drive, and a new bus stop on Mayoral Drive.
Background
Bus parking is pivotal to ensure city centre bus services can start trips on time and improve the reliability of overall journey times.
Bus services connecting people to the city centre, such as the NX2 and 101, are high demand. Since the re-routing, we are aware of a large gap between city centre bus stops supporting these services. We need to address this issue to ensure passengers can continue to conveniently access these services centrally and connect to nearby midtown bus services.
With more CRL works over the next four years, bus parking is imperative to ensure bus services continue to run efficiently for the thousands of passengers travelling in and out of the city centre daily.
Benefits of bus parking
The proposed bus parking will yield a number of benefits for all road users, including:
- Removal of buses from city centre traffic while they are not in service, easing congestion.
- Improved reliability of journey times; buses are more likely to start trips on time if they are parked close to the starting bus stops.
- Observed health and safety; bus drivers get an opportunity to rest and refresh in between trips, keeping them and other road users safer.
The proposed bus parking is intended to operate throughout the CRL works period over the next four years. We will review the need for these spaces once CRL works are completed.
Timeline
- 14 May 2020 - Feedback opens for the proposal.
- 3 June 2020 - Feedback closes for the proposal.
- 24 June 2020 - Public feedback update available.
- August 2020 - Work to implement changes.
Project details
A number of changes to the road space is needed to create the required bus parking spaces to support bus service operations in the city centre.
Wakefield Street
Proposed changes for Wakefield Street between St Pauls Street and Lyndock Street:
- Install a new 30-metre bus parking space outside 57- 65 Wakefield Street. This will result in the removal of up to seven on-street parking spaces Monday to Friday.
- Relocate the existing temporary bus layover at 69 Wakefield Street slightly toward Lyndock Street to improve access to the adjacent driveway. This will result in the loss of one on-street parking space.
- Kerb build outs and minor tree pruning to allow double-decker buses to park and pass safely through this area.
- This bus parking is proposed to operate at all times from Monday to Friday. On Saturday and Sunday this space will operate under the current City Centre Parking Zone controls.
Mayoral Drive
Proposed changes for Mayoral Drive between Queen Street and Wakefield Street:
- Install a new bus stop outside 112 Mayoral Drive (near Queen Street). This will replace existing broken yellow lines and be positioned to maintain visibility for vehicles entering and exiting the driveway to the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel.
- Extend the existing bus parking near 120 Mayoral Drive 15 metres to the east. This bus parking will also replace existing broken yellow lines.
- Kerb build outs and minor tree pruning to allow double-decker buses to park and pass safely through this area.
- This bus parking to operate 24/7 (Monday to Sunday) at all times.
Noise and pollution concerns
Buses using the proposed facilities will not be permitted to idle with their engines running. 'No Idling' signage will be installed at all bus parking locations, reminding drivers to switch off their engines.
AT works closely with bus operators to help them understand the conditions of using of the bus parking. They are able to monitor how well drivers are complying with our 'No Idling' requirement remotely.
If you observe buses idling in bus parking spaces,
- please note the bus company,
- the time of day it occurred,
- and the bus fleet number (displayed on the front and side of the bus) or the license plate.
Report it to Auckland Transport and we will address this directly with the bus operator.
In addition, our Auckland bus fleet has undergone significant modernisation in the last few years and bus noise and emission levels are much lower. Auckland Transport is also trailing hydrogen fuel celled buses and will begin switching the fleet to electric over the next few years.
Design plans
Public engagement
Feedback for the proposal ran for three weeks and closed 3 June 2020. We contacted 1,734 property owners and tenants in the project area and 62 key stakeholder groups about this proposal and promoted the consultation on Facebook.
We received six submissions, including a submission from the City Centre Residents' Group (CCRG).
Feedback summary
- 50% expressed support for the proposal, saying:
- bus parking is vital to maintain reliable journey times for city centre bus services.
- the facilities are much-needed to support drivers and the thousands of people who travel on high-demand bus services to/from the city centre each day.
- provided impacts on residents are monitored regularly and 'No Idling' signs are installed outside residential buildings/apartments by the bus parking.
- 50% do not support the proposed bus stop and bus parking, citing:
- Wakefield Street and Mayoral drive are already heavily congested.
- the impact of bus noise, pollution and no greenery on residents' wellbeing.
- hilly terrain present access issues to the bus stop for mobility impaired people.
- a desire for more car parking the city centre to support retail businesses instead of bus parking.
- the Northern Express (NX) bus services already park here, leaving little room for other road users.
- One person cited the new AUT tower on corner of Mayoral Drive, Wakefield and Airedale Streets as a development to be aware of in this area.
Final outcome
We considered your feedback and will proceed with all the proposed changes to create the new bus stop and put more bus parking in place along Wakefield Street and Mayoral Drive.
Works to implement these changes will commence in August 2020.
As part of this consultation we outlined how we plan to manage bus noise and pollution to minimise any impacts on local residents and businesses, and other members of the public. This includes the installation of clear 'No Idling' signage and remote monitoring of bus activity by our contracted bus operators.
We welcome reports from the public about any breaches of our 'No Idling' policy and will follow up directly with the bus operators to address any issues.
AT understands hilly terrain can make access difficult for mobility impaired people. The new bus stop in this proposal will be positioned on Mayoral Drive as close to Queen Street as practical, at the start of the hill. The gradient here is less than a number of other bus stops in the city centre.
Managing the kerbside space is challenging. Buses bring in thousands of people each day to work and spend money in the city centre. Bus parking is essential to ensure bus services are reliable and efficient for all those who contributing to the local economy as vital consumers, employees, and employers.
The proposed bus parking is intended to operate throughout the CRL works period over the next four years. We will review the need for these spaces once CRL works are completed.