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Auckland Transport (AT) is proposing to improve bus and transit lanes on Remuera, Mount Eden, and Sandringham roads to support safer, easier and more reliable journeys.
These roads are three of the most important arterial routes in central Auckland, and lead directly to key train stations, including those on the City Rail link (CRL).
Chris Martin, AT Road Network Optimisation Manager, says the CRL will be the most transformative travel change in Auckland in over six decades.
“Not since the Auckland Harbour Bridge opened in 1959 will we have seen an opportunity to change the way Aucklanders can travel.
“And it’s not just the new underground CRL and the rail network, we want to improve the way Aucklanders get into those train stations, and that’s by joining up our existing transit and bus lanes for continuous travel and better traffic flow at busy times.”
Transit lanes are used by buses, cars with the appropriate number of people (three for Remuera Road), bicycles, and motorcycles.
Chairperson of the Transport and Infrastructure Delivery Committee, Councillor Andy Baker, says we need to make it easier and more attractive for people to use public transport.
“To speed up commuting in Auckland we need to get more people out of their cars and onto buses and trains, it really is that simple.
“Installing continuous bus and transit lanes that are only used in peak hour traffic is a cheap and commonsense approach we should be making.”
AT is proposing to install five new sections of T3 lane along Remuera Road, that leads directly to Newmarket Train Station, in both directions.
Around 26,000 people travel along Remuera Road every day and during the weekday rush, up to 2,400 commuters and 40 buses are travelling in the peak direction every hour.
We want to link up the sections of Remuera Road that don’t currently have a T3 lane, which will ease congestion and speed up traffic in peak hour travel.
Mount Eden Road leads directly to the new Maungawhau CRL station in Eden Terrace, and Chris says AT want to install two new bus lane sections, which will join up existing bus lanes to create a much faster journey for bus passengers.
“Mount Eden Road carries thousands of passengers and supports nearly 30,000 journeys every day. To create faster journeys, we also want to extend the bus lane operating hours one hour earlier from 3pm to 7pm to better align with the afternoon rush, including school pickups,” Chris says.
On Sandringham Road, that funnels bus commuters to Kingsland Station, and onto the Maungawhau and Te Waihorotiu CRL stations, AT also want to install two new bus lane sections to hasten bus travel along this busy route.
Chris says the new sections of bus and transit lanes are a cost-effective way to get Aucklanders to their destinations faster.
“It’s a relatively cheap and quick solution to remove existing broken yellow lines in peak hours and to extend our bus and transit lanes, giving us more room to move.
“Linking up the existing transit lanes creates a more seamless route and travel experience for commuters. There would certainly be less time stuck in traffic during peak hour travel.”
