Morning peak hours bus lane for Raleigh Road Morning peak hours bus lane for Raleigh Road
Auckland Transport (AT) is proposing changes to Raleigh Road in Northcote.
Project status: Construction is under way.
Project zone: North
Project overview
These improvements are part of the Climate Emergency Response Fund’s Transport Choices Package, which prioritizes infrastructure investments that reduce reliance on cars and provide people with more sustainable transport options. When completed, they will help reduce bus travel times along the Raleigh Rd corridor, improve bus shelters and stops, and allow the buses to better share the road with motorists and cyclists – creating a safer, better, and more reliable public transport system.
The improvements include:
- Delivering a 600m section of bus lane along Raleigh Rd in Northcote.
- Upgrading the bus stops along the corridor to ensure they are optimally positioned and provided with bus shelters and seating.
- Improving road markings at the stops to ensure buses can stop adjacent to the kerb, making boarding and alighting easier for customers.
- Adding two new signalised pedestrian crossings on Raleigh Rd to provide safe and accessible crossing facilities for pedestrians close to the bus stops.
Construction
Auckland Transport has engaged Fulton Hogan to complete construction of this project.
What you need to know
- Construction began on July 24 and will take approximately nine weeks to complete - dependent on weather and other factors.
- Work will be done in stages with localised closure to minimise interruption.
- Most works are going to be completed during day work hours between 7am and 7pm. We will do our best to avoid working at night, but sometimes it is necessary to avoid wider disruption on the network and to complete the job faster. If we have to work at night, we will do our best to keep noise levels down.
- Locals will receive a notification letter in the mail that will inform them of any roadworks on their road prior to construction.
- Some temporary parking restrictions will apply. For example, cones and no parking signs will be used to limit parking when needed.
- You may experience detours and delays while work is taking place.
- Traffic controllers will be onsite to assist motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists. Pedestrian access will be maintained.
- For your safety and the safety of our construction crew, please help by slowing down around work sites, follow signage and be ready to stop.
Construction updates
August: Construction crews completed trenching and ductworks along the construction site and began work upgrading the bus shelters and footpaths. They have also begun installing the new signalised pedestrian crossings and installing new road signage. In September, the crews will work to complete the remaining improvements.
September: Construction crews have completed nearly all of the bus lane works on Raleigh Road. They also finished installing the signalised pedestrian crossings, traffic signals and signage, bus stop upgrades, and the kerb, footpath, and road marking improvements.
October: Nearly all of the major construction works for Raleigh Road were completed in October. Due to unforeseen events related to power source connections, activation of the signalised crossings was pushed back to a later date.
November 2023 to February 2024: Between November 2023 and February 2024, crews completed almost all of the major construction works at Raleigh Road. These included the concrete pad around the new bus shelter and some tree pruning and removals along the road reserve after receiving resource consent approval.
Image of a recently commissioned signalised pedestrian crossing on Raleigh Road
The final stage of construction will include installing the communications connections and lighting systems necessary to fully activate all the signalised crossings.
Contact us
For information about construction or work sites contact Fulton Hogan:
- petersen@fultonhogan.com
- 0800 348 007
For all other queries about the project contact Auckland Transport:
- projects@AT.govt.nz
- 09 355 3553
Project details
Raleigh Rd and East Coast Rd on the North Shore are prioritised for improvements under Waka Kotahi’s Transport Choices programme that will create two sections of bus priority to improve travel time and reliability. This includes pedestrian crossings and other safety improvements.
What is the Transport Choices Package?
Our current ways of living are harming the environment, our communities, and our ways of moving around. We see this every day with extreme weather events, unhealthy environments, and increased cost of living. No matter where we are, we should be able to move easily around our city in ways that help us to protect our climate. We need to transition to a low-emissions and climate-resilient future for the benefit of all New Zealanders and future generations.
Transport Choices aims to demonstrate what’s possible for communities across Aotearoa New Zealand by quickly providing people with more transport options and making it easier and more affordable to travel in ways that are good for all of us and our environment.
Transport Choices an investment package for local councils to begin immediate work for reduction of emissions, as part of the emissions reduction plan released in May 2022. Its purpose is to build momentum, capability, and public support ahead of more detailed VKT reduction planning and investment programmes that will happen over the next few years.
Greater transport choices mean a safer, healthier environment for communities across Aotearoa New Zealand.
What does Transport Choices focus on?
Transport Choices investments are targeted in four key areas:
- Making public transport more reliable and easier to use
- Creating walkable neighbourhoods
- Progressing strategic cycle networks
- Safe, green, and healthy school travel
The Government has funded $350 million for the Transport Choices package from the Climate Emergency Response Fund, part of Budget 2022.
Learn more about the Transport Choices programme.
Learn more about the Climate Emergency Response Fund (CERF) programme.
Original proposal and public feedback
In July and August 2020, we asked for feedback on proposed changes to Raleigh Rd in Northcote.
The proposed changes included:
- An eastbound bus lane operating 6:30am to 10am weekdays.
- Changes to bus stops and shelters, these directly affect properties at 10, 14, 40, 61, 78, 81, 89 and 89A Raleigh Road.
- Two new signalised pedestrian crossings.
- Removal of on-street parking at various locations and during the operation of the bus lane.
- Removal of one cherry tree.
The sections below provide more detailed information about the proposed changes and benefits. The location of the proposed bus lane is shown on the map.
Download morning peak hours bus lane for Raleigh Road design plans (PDF 1MB)
Proposed bus lane
- An eastbound morning peak hours bus lane about 600m in length. The bus lane starts just east of Ocean View Road and finishes just before the Raleigh Road/Lake Road/Exmouth Road roundabout.
- The bus lane will use space currently used for on-street parking on the north side of Raleigh Road and also require the road centreline to be moved southwards.
- The bus lane will operate 6:30am to 10am weekdays. On-street parking will not be available on the north side of Raleigh Road during the operating hours of the bus lane.
- Buses, bicycles, and motorbikes will be permitted to use the bus lane.
Proposed changes to bus stops and shelters
- The bus stops and shelters outside 89/89A and 61 Raleigh Road will be rationalised into one bus stop and shelter outside 81 Raleigh Road.
- The bus stop and shelter outside 40 Raleigh Road will be moved to 78 Raleigh Road.
- The bus stop and shelter outside 10 Raleigh Road will be moved to outside 14 Raleigh Road.
Proposed signalised pedestrian crossings
- Two new signalised pedestrian crossings will be installed. One outside 78 and 87 Raleigh Road, and one outside 9 and 12 Raleigh Road. The crossings will sit on a green light unless a pedestrian presses the button. The existing pedestrian refuge islands outside 6 and 16 Raleigh Road will be removed.
Parking removal
- Some parking will be removed permanently (indicated by broken yellow lines on the map).
- Parking will not be permitted within the bus lane when it is in operation.
- Removal of on-street parking along parts of Raleigh Road is required to make space for the bus lane, ensure bus stops meet current safety and accessibility standards (AT Code of Practice) and improve visibility at pedestrian crossings.
- Parking surveys indicate that if the project is implemented, there will be enough parking available on Raleigh Road and its side streets to accommodate the existing parking demand. However, during the operating hours of the bus lane (6.30am to 10am) some people who cannot park on their property may need to park on the side streets or roads at either end of Raleigh Road. The distance from any point on Raleigh Road to the nearest alternative road is 5m to 125m.
Tree removal
The cherry tree outside 11 Raleigh Road will be removed to avoid its branches striking buses which will be travelling close the kerb and to ensure it does not block views of the proposed pedestrian signals. We will replace this tree with two new trees within the local area.
Future cycleway
If implemented, the proposal would leave enough space for a one-way cycleway on both sides of the road. Both cycleways can be physically separated from traffic. However please note that at present there is no funding programmed for cycleways along this road.
Benefits
- There are up to 11 buses per hour during the morning peak that will benefit from these proposals.
- Buses are experiencing significant delays during the AM peak traffic period along this stretch of road. The proposal will result in the following travel time savings for buses:
- average travel time savings per bus = 90 seconds (1.5 mins), during the 8am to 9am period
- maximum travel time savings per bus = 210 seconds (3.5 mins), during the 8am to 9am period.
- A bus lane has been recommended instead of a T2 or T3 lane because travel time savings for buses would be significantly reduced if a T2 or T3 lane was implemented. With a T2 or T3 lane, it is estimated that the average travel time savings for buses would be reduced by 20-30 seconds and the maximum travel time savings would be reduced by 50 to 70 seconds. As traffic volumes continued to increase, travel time savings for buses (and other T2/T3 vehicles) would continually decrease.
- In addition to cutting travel time savings for buses, vehicles using the general traffic lane would actually experience notable increases in travel times if a T2 or T3 lane were introduced.
- The reduction in travel time savings and increased travel times to general vehicles would be caused by the larger number of vehicles merging from the T2/T3 lane back into the general traffic lane before the Raleigh Rd/Lake Rd/Exmouth Rd intersection.
- Bus stops are being relocated for the following reasons:
- To ensure the bus stops are located in pairs either side of the proposed pedestrian crossing. This means the pedestrian crossing is convenient for bus passengers and also makes the bus network more legible, particularly for new and potential bus users. And/or
- To ensure bus stops are located after the pedestrian crossing. This improves the safety of the pedestrian crossing as it removes the risk of buses parked before the pedestrian crossing obstructing overtaking vehicles views of the pedestrian crossing.
- To create bus stop spacings closer to our recommended separation of 400m.
- The proposed signalised pedestrian crossings provide a safe crossing point across this busy road. This will improve access to the bus stops and other destinations in the area.
- Broken yellow lines areas are required to ensure buses can easily pull up against the kerb at the bus stops and also to ensure parked vehicles don’t block other vehicles views of the pedestrian crossings.
- The broken yellow lines from 20 to 30 Raleigh Road (south side of road) are required to provide space for the west-bound traffic lane. Due to the centreline relocation this lane would not be wide enough if on-street parking were to remain.
- We embrace Vision Zero principles. We are putting safety at the heart of our business, where our road network is safe for all users. Zero deaths or serious injuries on the transport network are acceptable.
Outcome
The proposal was open for public feedback from the 27 July to 16 August 2020. In total, 77 submissions were received.
Feedback and Responses - Morning peak hours bus lane for Raleigh Road (PDF 171KB)
After considering all the feedback and completing further investigations, we have decided to progress the project through to implementation, subject to the following changes:
- Outside 20 and 22 Raleigh Road we can now retain three parking spaces we originally thought would need to be removed. Outside 28 and 30 Raleigh Road we can now retain four parking spaces we originally thought would need to be removed. These seven spaces are located close to a preschool at 16/18 Raleigh Road.
- Add broken yellow lines to the entry lane into Fowler Street to remove 2 parking spaces and ensure the entrance to this street does not get blocked (narrowed too much by cars parked on both sides of the road).
- Add broken yellow lines (remove two car parks) outside 52 and 54 Raleigh Road (east of Holdaway Avenue) to improve visibility for drivers pulling out of and for pedestrians crossing this side road.
- The removal and replanting (at a ratio of 2:1) of three additional street trees. The trees to be removed are one small tree in poor condition (outside no. 41), one young/small tree in good condition (outside no. 78), and one tree that is already dead (also outside no. 78). We plan to replace the loss of these 3 trees with 6 new trees each 160 litres in size (2.5 to 3m tall). The replacement trees will be planted along Raleigh Road unless we run out of suitable planting locations. If any of the trees cannot be planted along Raleigh Road, they will be planted in the surrounding neighbourhood. (Please note the removal of these three trees is in addition to the removal of one medium sized tree in poor health, that was proposed to be removed as part of the original project).
For more information on this project