Bus Priority - Overview

Go Wellington bus

Bus priority measures give buses priority over other traffic. Wellington already has a number of bus lanes and other bus priority measures in place that are working well, but we will need more.

Bus priority measures are aimed at:

making travel by bus more attractive and reliable
encouraging a shift from private cars to buses
providing a more efficient and environmentally friendly means of transport
future-proofing bus movements from the effects of growing traffic congestion
helping buses bypass congestion, reducing journey times.

Rationale

Wellington's roading system is nearing capacity - traffic is increasing three to four percent a year and there is not the space for widening roads. To avoid gridlock, roads need to be used more efficiently. One way to do that is increasing bus usage.

Buses currently carry 28 percent of the city's commuters at peak travel times. If each year an additional three to four percent of people who usually commute by car take the bus instead, congestion will not get worse. An increase in bus commuters will also be good for the environment.

Future Plans

Improving the city's services is a three-way initiative involving bus operators, Greater Wellington Regional Council and Wellington City Council. The Councils' role is to continue to improve and protect public transport routes to ensure better services now and in the future.

The Council plans to gradually expand the city's network of bus lanes and introduce other bus priority measures. Currently we are developing detailed plans for bus priority measures in these parts of the central city:

Courtenay Place
Taranaki Street
Kent Terrace
Cambridge Terrace
Adelaide Road

After planning for the central city, we will look at bus priority schemes for the major suburban routes to Kilbirnie via Newtown and Hataitai, north via Hutt Road and Thorndon and eventually to Island Bay, Brooklyn, Karori and through Mt Cook.

Bus lanes or clearways will have an impact on parking, primarily during peak travel times. One of the biggest challenges of introducing any new public transport improvements will be accommodating any permanent or temporary loss of kerbside parking.

Before anything happens, we will consult with residents and businesses in areas where new bus lanes or clearways are proposed.

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Bus Priority Plan

The Bus Priority Plan covers the full scope of possible bus priority schemes.

Reports to Strategy and Policy Committee - 12.04.07 - Report 1:

Bus Priority Plan (101Kb PDF)
Appendix 1 - Bus Priority Plan 2007 (174Kb PDF)
Appendix 2 - Potential Bus Lanes (419Kb PDF)
Appendix 3 - Summary Implementation Ranking (12Kb PDF)
Appendix 4 - Proposed Bus Lane Layout - Tidal Option (902Kb PDF)

Reports to Strategy and Policy Committee - 17.04.08 - Report 2:

Bus Priority Plan Update and Taxi Trial (142Kb PDF)
Appendix 1 - Wellington City Bus Lanes, Implementation Plan 3 (472Kb PDF)

Recent Bus Priority Schemes

Manners Street has been re-opened to buses travelling both ways as part of revitalising the Golden Mile. This is expected to improve bus journey times and reliability through the city.

Restoring the Golden Mile - Bus Route and Street Changes

Proposals for More Bus Lanes

The Council is currently proposing to extend the bus lane network to include:

Courtenay Place
Cambridge Terrace
Adelaide Road
Kent Terrace

The introduction of these schemes will improve journey time reliability and continue the plan to dedicate road space to public transport.

Background to the proposed changes is given in this report to the Council's Strategy and Policy Committee:

Bus Priority Plan Implementation - 18.08.11 (73Kb PDF)

Maps showing the proposed changes:

Adelaide Road Bus Priority (2.6Mb PDF)
Courtenay Place Bus Priority (895Kb PDF)
Cambridge Terrace / Kent Terrace Bus Priority (869Kb PDF)

The Council asked the public for their views on these proposals in 2011 and the Council has now approved the proposals.

New Bus Lanes in 2012

New bus priority lanes are being installed on Courtenay Place, Cambridge Terrace and Adelaide Road.

The bus lanes will provide a more reliable public transport service between the city and southern and eastern suburbs.

All the bus lanes will come into effect as soon as the white lane markings are painted on the road. Green surfacing will then be applied over a two-week period to the bus lanes on Courtenay Place, Cambridge Terrace and Kent Terrace.

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Courtenay Place

The bus lanes will run almost the length of Courtenay Place on both sides. They will operate at all times, except for a small section between Taranaki Street and Reading Cinema which will only apply from 4.00pm to 6.00pm. Several car parks outside Molly Malone's will be removed to make room for the bus lane on that side. The work will start on 9 January and will be done at night.

Cambrige Terrace

On Cambridge Terrace the bus lane will run from the Basin Reserve almost to Courtenay Place. It will operate during peak morning hours only (7.00am - 9.00am). The work will start on 9 January and will be done at night.

Adelaide Road

In February 2012, the existing clearways on Adelaide Road, between the Basin Reserve and John Street, will be replaced with bus lanes. These bus lanes will operate at peak times - from 7.00am to 9.00am if you're heading towards the city (northbound), and 4.00pm to 6.00 pm if you're heading out of the city (southbound).

Kent Terrace

Contractors will be carrying out the work on Kent Terrace in early February 2012.

Bus Lane Monitoring

Bus lane monitoring is carried out each year to measure the performance of bus lanes. This is to make sure that the benefits of travel time savings are achieved and to pick up on any trends in travel patterns.

Monitoring Surveys 2010 (406Kb PDF)

Bus Stops

Passenger getting on board

Wellington City Council supports the development and adoption of a bus stop policy guideline aimed at providing an attractive public transport service. Such a guideline would provide appropriate information and have the following aims:

minimising the distance passengers have to walk to and from a bus stop
safe and sheltered access to and from the stop
safe and quick for passengers to board and get off
safe and quick bus movements into and out of the stop
safe, comfortable and visible passenger waiting areas.