Buses

CBD bus lanes (west)

(Central area west bus priorities)

Auckland City has introduced new bus lanes in the CBD to make it easier and more efficient for people to move around the central city by bus, when travelling between the North Shore, Waitakere, Auckland's western suburbs, and the CBD.

The CBD bus lanes (west) are a critical part of Auckland's passenger transport network and support the Northern Busway - a dedicated busway aiming for congestion-free bus travel alongside the northern motorway - and new bus services and routes being introduced by the Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA).

North Shore buses will exit and enter Auckland city via Fanshawe, Sturdee and Albert streets, where they are now supported by new bus lanes on several key CBD streets to help passengers get through the CBD more efficiently, and help buses run on time.

Auckland City's new bus lanes also benefit western bus services. An afternoon and evening bus lane on Vincent Street means buses travelling west along Great North Road have a faster trip out of town each weeknight.

Together, the bus lanes and services will make bus travel faster, easier and more reliable for passengers.

New lanes were introduced in the following CBD streets, on Monday 27 June 2005:

Albert Street
Mayoral Drive
Sturdee Street
Vincent Street
Fanshawe Street

These bus lanes and associated clearways operate Monday to Friday between 6am and 10am, and 3pm and 7pm, reflecting traffic volumes in the central city.

There are also be traffic signal changes to aid the flow of buses and all traffic, and new and relocated bus stops to support the bus lanes.

How can I tell where the bus lanes are?

Bus lanes in Auckland City are clearly marked with roadside signage. This states: BUS LANE, and then outlines the hours the bus lane is operating.

New national road transport user rules mean bus lanes aren't necessarily also marked as clearways. Wherever you see a BUS LANE sign, make sure you check the signage and ensure you know what times it operates.

When bus lanes are operating, motorists are not able to park or drive in these lanes, and risk being towed and a $150 fine.

The new CBD bus lanes also apply the regional bus lane colouring standards. This generally means a section at the beginning and end of each bus lane will be coloured green, to help motorists recognise the bus lanes on their regular routes.

Click here for a map of the new CBD bus lanes.

Why have we introduced bus lanes in these key CBD streets?

Auckland City is committed to playing our part in the region's passenger transport to help move more people on our roads, rather than just moving vehicles.

By giving buses, cycles and motorcycles priority, bus lanes help reduce conflict between these and general traffic, and get buses where they need to go, faster.

The introduction of bus lanes in the western part of the CBD aims to achieve the following:

improve bus access to and from the CBD for people using North Shore and western bus services
accommodate the growth of passenger transport use and to encourage further use of buses as a travel option
help buses run on time and bypass traffic congestion
play our part in the Northern Busway project
provide greater safety for cyclists who ride in the CBD.

While the bus lanes are focused on improving passenger transport, all Auckland City bus lanes can be used by cycles and motorcycles.

Background
Bus priority measures
Map of new CBD bus lanes
Descriptions of new CBD bus lanes
ARTA's new North Shore bus route
The Northern Busway

Background

Between 1999 to 2003 the number of bus passengers entering the CBD in the morning peak grew at an average of 10.6 per cent per annum, and the number of bus trips by seven per cent.

It is estimated that in 2001, 40 per cent of people coming into the CBD used a bus, train or ferry. While this growth is obviously welcome, it places strain on existing bus facilities in the city centre.

The new CBD bus lanes (west) are a vital part of Auckland City's bus priority strategy and complement other bus priority measures across the city.

They also support the introduction of the Northern Busway and ARTA's revised routes and bus services. Together, these and Auckland City's CBD bus lanes will:

accommodate the growth of bus patronage and bus trips to the CBD
provide time savings and more reliability for western and North Shore buses
provide better facilities for bus passengers
improve pedestrian safety, access and amenity at key locations
allow better coverage of the CBD for North Shore bus passengers.

Bus priority measures

New bus lanes have been introduced on the following CBD streets:

Sturdee Street
Albert Street
Vincent Street
Mayoral Drive
Fanshawe Street

In addition to the citywide bus priority traffic signal system, new bus only traffic signals have been installed at key locations. These signals give priority to buses, but also allow other traffic to turn across bus lanes safely.

The new CBD bus lanes operate between 6.00am and 10.00am, and then between 3.00pm and 7.00pm, Monday to Friday. These hours reflect traffic volumes in the central city at these times.

In most cases, bus lanes replace current traffic lanes or reduce the width of current lanes. At all other times, the bus lanes are available for their other use, whether that is traffic or parking.

Albert Street wasn't wide enough to accommodate bus lanes in both directions, so the new lanes will run in the southbound direction. There were three main reasons for this decision:

it gives priority to western buses in the evening peak, which is generally more congested than the morning peak
it helps North Shore buses to get to the new Civic bus station in the evenings, to then leave on time for homeward journeys
cyclists and motorcyclists riding up Vincent Street to Pitt Street will have a less congested lane.

Map of the new CBD bus lanes

Descriptions of the new bus lanes

The following table describes the locations of new CBD bus lanes.

Fanshawe Street to lower Hobson Street	A kerbside bus lane inbound on Sturdee Street. This lane connects to a bus lane further west on Fanshawe Street, which is being widened as part of another project.
Fanshawe Street, between Hobson Street and Albert Street	Buses mix with other traffic, allowing for lane-changing movements undertaken by all traffic in the area.
Albert Street, between Quay Street and Customs Street	A bus lane runs northbound from Customs Street towards Quay Street. The lane stops short of Quay Street to accommodate turning traffic at the intersection.
Albert Street, between Quay Street and Swanson Street	Bus lanes run northbound between Swanson and Quay Streets, and southbound between Customs and Swanson Streets in both directions. Kerb parking for coaches outside the DFS Galleria is retained, with the bus lane between this and the traffic lane. The Stamford Plaza taxi stands will be moved into a bay, requiring some footpath space. Both bus lanes stop short of the intersections to accommodate left turning traffic, but generally along the whole route buses will be able to travel straight through from left turn lanes
Albert Street, between Swanson Street and Wellesley Street	A single southbound bus lane between Swanson and Wyndham Streets and Victoria and Wellesley Streets. This direction favours bus travel in the afternoon peak and provides better protection for cyclists climbing the hill. The footpath on Albert Street, opposite the District Court, will be widened to 1.6m and a bus lane installed for around half the length of this block. The bus lanes will generally use the kerbside lane, but at bus stops the bus lane will be out from the kerb to allow buses travelling in the bus lane to continue around stopped buses. The bus lanes stop short of the intersections to accommodate left turning traffic, and bus only traffic signals would allow other traffic to make left turns safely. New traffic signals will be installed at the intersection of Albert Street and the Albert Street/ Durham Street service lane. These signals will allow safer exit from the service lane, particularly for those turning right into Victoria Street.
Albert Street, between Victoria Street and Wellesley Street	A new southbound bus stop on Albert Street, between Victoria Street and the Westpac Tower. The bus lane on this part of Albert Street ends at the pedestrian crossing outside the Crowne Plaza hotel
Mayoral Drive	A southbound bus lane extending from the intersection of Mayoral Drive and Cook Street, to the Civic car park entrance. The lane will be alongside the existing kerbside bus stop, which will be extended to accommodate North Shore buses..
Vincent Street	A wide southbound bus lane from the Mayoral Drive left-turn slip lane to just short of Pitt Street. The generous width serves a dual purpose of protecting the trees by moving buses away from their roots and allowing cyclists to ride closer to the kerb and away from buses, when their speeds are quite different up the hill.

ARTA's new North Shore bus routes

Auckland City's new CBD bus lanes (west) support the Auckland Regional Transport Authority's (ARTA) new North Shore bus services, which are the first stage of a programme of building services to support the Northern Busway.

Background material on the busway and associated bus rapid transit (BRT) services can be found on the Northern Busway website.

The North Shore bus route changes will provide better coverage of Auckland's CBD, and recognise that the current Victoria Street terminal doesn't have capacity for additional buses. Instead, buses will depart from Queen Street on the existing bus stop just south of Wellesley Street, with a planned upgrade for facilities in this area.

By using Albert Street:

North Shore buses are brought further �uptown�, reducing walking distances to many CBD destinations
access to rail and other bus services around the CBD is improved.
Express buses from North Shore suburban terminal will use the new Albert Street bus lanes. From November 2005, new busway �spine� services will link Albany and the two Northern Busway stations with Britomart.
Information on ARTA's new North Shore bus services can be found on the MAXX website.

The Northern Busway

www.busway.co.nz

The Northern Busway aims to provide congestion-free bus travel. It will connect with bus priority measures on both sides of the Harbour Bridge to accommodate expanded North Shore bus services over the next three to four years, and ultimately make travel in and around Auckland's CBD more efficient and attractive to current and future users of North Shore bus services.