Integrated transport assessment

City Rail Link Integrated Transport Assessment August 2012

Project: Title: Document Reference: Prepared by: Reviewed by:

City Rail Link Integrated Transport Assessment S:\ATMP\010 CRL ITA\05 Report\01 ITA\R1G120814.docx Ian Clark, Michael Jongeneel, Sandy Murray Karl Hancock

Revisions: Date

Status

Reference

Approved by

31 March 2012

A - Preliminary Draft (Incomplete) B – Second Draft C D E F G

R1A120331

Ian Clark

R1B120608 R1C120620 R1D120720 R1E120725 R1F120814 R1G120814

Ian Clark Ian Clark Ian Clark Ian Clark Ian Clark Ian Clark

8 June 2012 20 June 2012 20 July 2012 25 July 2012 14 August 2012 10 December

Initials

Technical Report to support Assessment of Environmental Effects (City Rail Link Notice of Requirement): Integrated Transport Assessment

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CONTENTS 1 2

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GLOSSARY OF TERMS ....................................................................................................................... 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................... 3 2.1 Operational Effects................................................................................................................. 3 2.2 Construction Effects ............................................................................................................... 5 PROJECT DESCRIPTION ..................................................................................................................... 8 3.1 Project Description ................................................................................................................. 8 3.2 Areas of Project Description of Particular Relevance to this Technical Report ..................... 8 TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY ...................................................................................... 8 4.1 Integrated Transport Assessment .......................................................................................... 8 4.2 Traffic and Transport Modelling .......................................................................................... 10 4.2.1 The Auckland Passenger Transport Model ................................................................ 10 4.2.2 The SATURN Traffic Model ......................................................................................... 11 EXISTING ENVIRONMENT ............................................................................................................... 11 5.1 Public Transport ................................................................................................................... 11 5.2 Trains .................................................................................................................................... 14 5.3 Buses .................................................................................................................................... 16 5.4 Cycling .................................................................................................................................. 18 5.5 Pedestrians ........................................................................................................................... 22 5.6 Private Vehicles .................................................................................................................... 24 5.7 Couriers, deliveries and taxis ............................................................................................... 28 5.8 Freight .................................................................................................................................. 29 5.9 Coaches ................................................................................................................................ 32 STRATEGIC DIRECTION ................................................................................................................... 33 6.1 Regional Land Transport Strategy ........................................................................................ 33 6.2 Auckland Plan ....................................................................................................................... 34 6.3 Target Mode Splits ............................................................................................................... 36 6.4 Regional Policy Statement ................................................................................................... 36 6.5 Network Function................................................................................................................. 37 FUTURE ENVIRONMENT WITHOUT CRL PROJECT .......................................................................... 40 7.1 Public Transport ................................................................................................................... 40 7.2 Trains .................................................................................................................................... 40 7.3 Buses .................................................................................................................................... 43 7.4 Ferries ................................................................................................................................... 44 7.5 Trams .................................................................................................................................... 44 7.6 Multi Modal Projects ............................................................................................................ 44 7.6.1 Additional Waitemata Harbour Crossing ................................................................... 44 7.7 Pedestrians ........................................................................................................................... 45 7.8 Cycles .................................................................................................................................... 47 7.9 Private Vehicles .................................................................................................................... 47 7.9.1 Quay Street Waterfront Boulevard ............................................................................ 47 7.9.2 QE2 Square and Britomart Station ............................................................................. 48 7.9.3 Hobson Street and Nelson Street – Two Waying ....................................................... 48 7.9.4 Federal Street ............................................................................................................. 48 7.9.5 Queen Street – Pedestrian Malling and Shared Space .............................................. 49 7.9.6 Victoria Street Linear Park ......................................................................................... 49 7.9.7 Upper Queen Street and Symonds Street Bridges ..................................................... 49 7.9.8 Relationship between City Centre road projects and CRL ......................................... 49 7.9.9 Conclusions on Private Vehicles ................................................................................. 50

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7.10 Couriers, deliveries and taxis ............................................................................................... 50 7.11 Freight .................................................................................................................................. 50 7.12 Coaches ................................................................................................................................ 51 7.13 Emergency Vehicles ............................................................................................................. 51 7.14 Traffic Modelling .................................................................................................................. 51 ASSESSMENT OF OPERATIONAL TRANSPORT EFFECTS OF THE CRL .............................................. 52 8.1 The CRL Project and Development of the Rail Network ...................................................... 52 8.2 Development of the Rail Network ....................................................................................... 54 8.3 Overall Effects of Project ...................................................................................................... 54 8.4 Trains .................................................................................................................................... 55 8.5 Buses .................................................................................................................................... 56 8.5.1 Aotea Station.............................................................................................................. 56 8.5.2 Karangahape Road Station ......................................................................................... 56 8.5.3 Newton Station .......................................................................................................... 56 8.6 Cycles .................................................................................................................................... 57 8.7 Pedestrians ........................................................................................................................... 57 8.7.1 Britomart Station........................................................................................................ 57 8.7.2 Aotea Station.............................................................................................................. 57 8.7.3 Karangahape Road Station ......................................................................................... 59 8.7.4 Newton Station .......................................................................................................... 60 8.8 Private Vehicles .................................................................................................................... 61 8.8.1 Aotea Station.............................................................................................................. 61 8.8.2 Karangahape Road Station ......................................................................................... 61 8.8.3 Newton Station .......................................................................................................... 61 8.9 Traffic Modelling .................................................................................................................. 62 8.10 Couriers, Deliveries and Taxis .............................................................................................. 63 8.11 Freight .................................................................................................................................. 63 8.12 Coaches ................................................................................................................................ 63 8.13 Emergency Vehicles ............................................................................................................. 64 8.14 Summary of recommendations............................................................................................ 64 ASSESSMENT OF TRANSPORT EFFECTS OF CONSTRUCTING CRL ................................................... 64 9.1 Transport related risks during construction to be mitigated ............................................... 65 9.2 Area Wide Mitigation ........................................................................................................... 66 9.3 Quay Street/Britomart/Customs Street ............................................................................... 67 9.3.1 Train Services ............................................................................................................. 67 9.3.2 Buses .......................................................................................................................... 67 9.3.3 Cycles.......................................................................................................................... 68 9.3.4 Pedestrians ................................................................................................................. 68 9.3.5 Private Vehicles .......................................................................................................... 69 9.3.6 Couriers, Deliveries and Taxis .................................................................................... 69 9.3.7 Freight ........................................................................................................................ 69 9.3.8 Coaches ...................................................................................................................... 70 9.3.9 Emergency Services .................................................................................................... 70 9.4 Albert Street ......................................................................................................................... 70 9.4.1 Buses .......................................................................................................................... 70 9.4.2 Cycles.......................................................................................................................... 71 9.4.3 Pedestrians ................................................................................................................. 71 9.4.4 Private Vehicles .......................................................................................................... 72 9.4.5 Couriers, Deliveries and Taxis .................................................................................... 75 9.4.6 Freight ........................................................................................................................ 76

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9.4.7 Coaches ...................................................................................................................... 76 9.4.8 Emergency Services .................................................................................................... 76 9.5 Aotea Station ........................................................................................................................ 76 9.5.1 Buses .......................................................................................................................... 77 9.5.2 Cycles.......................................................................................................................... 78 9.5.3 Pedestrians ................................................................................................................. 78 9.5.4 Private Vehicles .......................................................................................................... 78 9.5.5 Couriers, Deliveries and Taxis .................................................................................... 79 9.5.6 Freight ........................................................................................................................ 79 9.5.7 Coaches ...................................................................................................................... 79 9.5.8 Emergency Services .................................................................................................... 79 9.6 Karangahape Road Station ................................................................................................... 80 9.6.1 Buses .......................................................................................................................... 80 9.6.2 Cycles.......................................................................................................................... 80 9.6.3 Pedestrians ................................................................................................................. 80 9.6.4 Private Vehicles .......................................................................................................... 80 9.6.5 Couriers, Deliveries and Taxis .................................................................................... 80 9.6.6 Freight ........................................................................................................................ 80 9.6.7 Coaches ...................................................................................................................... 80 9.6.8 Emergency Services .................................................................................................... 81 9.7 Newton Station .................................................................................................................... 81 9.7.1 Buses .......................................................................................................................... 81 9.7.2 Cycles.......................................................................................................................... 81 9.7.3 Pedestrians ................................................................................................................. 81 9.7.4 Private Vehicles .......................................................................................................... 81 9.7.5 Couriers, Deliveries and Taxis .................................................................................... 81 9.7.6 Freight ........................................................................................................................ 81 9.7.7 Coaches ...................................................................................................................... 81 9.7.8 Emergency Services .................................................................................................... 81 9.8 Eden Terrace Tunnel Portal and NAL Connections .............................................................. 82 9.8.1 Train Services ............................................................................................................. 82 9.8.2 Buses .......................................................................................................................... 82 9.8.3 Cycles.......................................................................................................................... 82 9.8.4 Pedestrians ................................................................................................................. 82 9.8.5 Private Vehicles .......................................................................................................... 83 9.8.6 Couriers, Deliveries and Taxis .................................................................................... 83 9.8.7 Freight ........................................................................................................................ 84 9.8.8 Coaches ...................................................................................................................... 84 9.8.9 Emergency Services .................................................................................................... 84 9.9 Traffic Modelling .................................................................................................................. 84 SUMMARY ...................................................................................................................................... 86 10.1 Operational Effects............................................................................................................... 86 10.2 Construction Effects ............................................................................................................. 87

Technical Report to support Assessment of Environmental Effects (City Rail Link Notice of Requirement): Integrated Transport Assessment

APPENDICES APPENDIX A

SATURN TRAFFIC MODEL PLOTS AND RESULTS: OPERATIONAL SCENARIOS

APPENDIX B

SATURN TRAFFIC MODEL PLOTS AND RESULTS: CONSTRUCTION SCENARIOS

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Technical Report to support Assessment of Environmental Effects (City Rail Link Notice of Requirement): Integrated Transport Assessment

1 GLOSSARY OF TERMS Table 1: Glossary of Terms

Term / Acronym

Meaning

AEE

Assessment of Environmental Effects

ARC

(Former) Auckland Regional Council

APT Model

Auckland Passenger Transport Model (for more details see Section 4)

ART3 Model

The Auckland Regional Transport Model, version 3 (for more details see Section 4)

ARTA

(Former) Auckland Regional Transport Authority

Barnes Dance

A term given to a phase at traffic signals where no traffic movements are on green, and pedestrians are able to cross in all directions

CBD

Central Business District, now generally referred to as the Auckland city centre

CCMP

City Centre Master Plan

CDR

2012 Concept Design Report

CEMP

Construction and Environmental Management Plan

CRL

City Rail Link

DART

Developing Auckland Rail Transport

EMP

Environmental Management Plan

EMF

Environmental Management Framework

ITA

Integrated Transport Assessment

ITP

Auckland Transport’s Integrated Transport Plan

MUL

Metropolitan Urban Limit, now referred to as the Rural Urban Boundary, in the Auckland Plan

NAL

North Auckland Line

NoR

Notice of Requirement

NZTA

New Zealand Transport Agency

PT

Public Transport

PTNP

Passenger Transport Network Plan, prepared by ARTA in 2006

QTN

Quality Transit Network, defined in the PTNP as “fast, high frequency and high quality transit services, operating between key centres and over major corridors, providing extensive transit priority”

RARP

Regional Arterial Road Plan, prepared by ARTA in 2009

RLTP

Regional Land Transport Programme

RLTS

Auckland Regional Land Transport Strategy, prepared by Auckland Regional Council in 2010

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Technical Report to support Assessment of Environmental Effects (City Rail Link Notice of Requirement): Integrated Transport Assessment Table 1: Glossary of Terms

Term / Acronym

Meaning

RPS

Regional Policy Statement

RTN

Rapid Transit Network, defined in the PTNP as “high quality, fast, high frequency service in its own right of way, where it is unaffected by traffic congestion”

SATURN Model

A traffic modelling suite, with the acronym meaning “Simulation and Assignment of Traffic on Urban Road Networks” (for more details see Section 4)

SH

State Highway

Strata (designation)

Designation of the land layer between the ground surface and the sub-strata designation. This starts at a nominated distance below the surface and extends down to meet the sub-strata designation

Sub-strata (designation)

Designation of land starting below the strata designation to the centre of the earth (provides for the rail tunnels)

Surface (designation)

Designation of the ground surface (including air space above the land below to the centre of the earth)

TA

Territorial Authority

TDM

Travel Demand Management

TMP

Transport Management Plan

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2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The City Rail Link (CRL) is a 3.4km underground passenger railway (including two tracks and three underground stations) running between Britomart Station and the North Auckland Line (NAL) in the vicinity of the existing Mount Eden Station and an additional 850m of modifications within the NAL. For ease of reference in this report, the stations included in the CRL NoR have been temporarily named Aotea Station, Karangahape Station, and Newton Station. The stations will be formally named in the future. A fuller description of the CRL is provided in the Assessment of Environmental Effects (AEE) which supports the NoR and the CRL 2012 Concept Design Report.

This report provides an Integrated Transport Assessment of the CRL project, supporting the Notices of Requirement for the Project.

The report divides the transport effects into two distinct stages:

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The long term operational effects (predominantly positive effects), following the completion of the physical works associated with the CRL project

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The temporary, adverse effects during the construction of the CRL project.

2.1 Operational Effects The CRL will significantly improve the Auckland rail network and it is expected to offer the following benefits:

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It will address the capacity constraints at Britomart, and enable future increases in rail service frequencies across the whole rail network as well as enabling the addition of new rail lines that may be added to the network in the future (such as rail to the Airport and/or rail to North Shore)

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It will enable the entire Auckland city centre to be within a 10 minute walk of a railway station (see Figure 1), while enabling many more rail trips across Auckland to take place as a continuous ride, without needing to transfer

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It will significantly reduce travel times to and through the city centre and people will have rail access to more parts of the city centre. For example, the time for a public transport trip from New Lynn to the future Aotea Station will decrease from 51 to 23 minutes, while a rail trip from Panmure to New Lynn will decrease from 57 minutes to 43 minutes and may no longer require a change of trains at Britomart



The CRL will provide a significant increase in the transport capacity for trips to/from and within the city centre. This is consistent with the growth aspirations for the city, as expressed in the Auckland Plan1

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Page 265 of the 2012 Auckland Plan states that a significant increase in population is expected to be living within and commuting to and from the city centre, while page 253 of the Plan states that the city centre is expected to be the focus of national and international business, tourism, educational, cultural and civic activities

Technical Report to support Assessment of Environmental Effects (City Rail Link Notice of Requirement): Integrated Transport Assessment Figure 1: 800m Walking Catchment around rail stations, following completion of CRL

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It will also help reduce the growth of congestion in the central city road network and on key bus corridors. This supports the planned refocusing of the bus network in outer areas to act as feeders to the Rapid Transit Network

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The CRL will also lead to the removal of two level crossings along the Western Line, between Newmarket and Sandringham Road, with grade separated crossings to be provided at Normanby Road and Porters Avenue

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In addition, the CRL will improve transport choices in and around the Auckland city centre and assist in reducing the environmental impact of the transport system, which is currently heavily reliant on private vehicles, by providing a reliable alternative. It is consistent with the aim expressed in the Regional Land Transport Strategy and the Auckland Plan, of increasing the public transport mode share for trips entering the city centre.

While the CRL clearly relates to substantial investment in the rail system, it will also be necessary to ensure that the CRL project fully integrates with the adjacent transport networks, in the vicinity of each of the stations, in order to optimise the benefits of the CRL. This means:

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The provision of facilities for pedestrians in the vicinity of each of the new rail stations, to respond to the significant increases in pedestrian activity, with a particular emphasis around the proposed Aotea station, as this is anticipated to be the busiest of the new stations. This will need to include safe and convenient pedestrian crossings to the station entrances. In theory these crossings (including additional crossings at certain important intersections) could adversely affect conditions for traffic, but this report indicates that these adverse effects should generally be minor2

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The provision of convenient bus stops or interchanges (where appropriate) and taxi facilities at each of the new rail stations. It is likely that this may include changes to the future bus services to respond to the CRL, including reductions in some services where decreases in demands are predicted as a result of the CRL, and increases to services that need to complement or interchange with the CRL.

As a result, a Network Integration Plan should be developed within the Environmental Management Plan. This will need to demonstrate how the CRL will integrate with the various transport networks, particularly around each of the proposed rail stations.

2.2 Construction Effects There is the potential for significant adverse effects on during construction of the CRL. It is primarily these effects that need to be mitigated, and this mitigation is proposed in a variety of means. The first and primary mitigation of effects during construction is through the construction methodology, with the majority of the CRL project to be built underground, without affecting the surface transport networks.

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The exceptions to this are if “Barnes Dance” pedestrian crossing phases are implemented close to the Aotea station. Such a phase is assumed to be implemented in the Do Minimum scenario at the Albert Street/Victoria Street intersection, and the modelling for this assessment has been run without and with such a pedestrian phase at the Albert Street/Wellesley Street intersection

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Underground construction is not practical at a number of locations, particularly along Albert Street, between the Downtown shopping centre and Wellesley Street, where cut and cover is proposed along this route. The main transport effects during construction will therefore be along Albert Street.

The construction effects along and across this route are to be mitigated by the development and implementation of the Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP) as outlined in the Environmental Management Framework (EMF), provided as Appendix 1 to the Assessment of Environmental Effects (AEE). The management of the transport effects that will occur during the construction phase will be outlined in the detailed Traffic Management Plans (TMP) which support the CEMP. The details of the TMP will only be provided at that time, but it is recommended that the Environmental Management Plan (EMP), CEMP and subsequent TMP include the following concepts:

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Movement is to be retained along Albert Street throughout construction, with the retention of one traffic lane per direction

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Local access is to be retained along Albert Street, with left in, left out access to properties on the eastern side, from the southbound carriageway, and left in, left out access to properties on the western side, from the northbound carriageway

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Restrictions at the intersections serving the major east-west routes crossing Albert Street (Customs Street, Victoria Street and Wellesley Street) are to be phased to reduce the potential adverse effects to east-west traffic movements. For example, works on these three intersections are to be undertaken one at a time and the works will encroach on one quadrant of the intersection affected at a time3

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During the construction phase, travel demand management initiatives will be required, to seek to reduce the demand for travel to and within the city centre by private vehicles, and therefore to avoid further effects

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Some temporary rerouting of bus services will be required during the construction of Britomart and Aotea Stations

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It may be necessary to defer aspects of certain projects which are identified in the draft City Centre Masterplan, namely the Quay Street Boulevard (west of Queen Street) and the Victoria Street Linear Park (either side of Albert Street) These projects are expected to lead to reductions in capacity in the longer term, within the predicted area of temporary effects during the construction of the CRL.

Other locations where there will be effects during construction will be:

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Queen Street at Britomart, between Quay Street and Customs Street

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Along Galway Street and Tyler Street (one at a time), adjacent to Britomart

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Beresford Street, where access onto Pitt Street is to be closed

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Mercury Lane

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Porters Avenue, where the level crossing is to be closed

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It is noted that north south capacity along Albert Street will be limited to one lane per direction at the other two intersections

Technical Report to support Assessment of Environmental Effects (City Rail Link Notice of Requirement): Integrated Transport Assessment

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Ngahura Street is to be closed, to accommodate the tunnel staging area

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There may also be temporary restrictions on Normanby Road and Mount Eden Road.

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The effects on the road network during construction around the proposed Karangahape Road and Newton Stations are expected to be modest, due to the proposed mined construction methodology.

This report has identified the quantum of truck movements that can be expected to/from each of the construction sites.

The following priority should be given to movements within the city centre during the construction phase:

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Pedestrian, and public transport should be afforded highest priority, along with other essential movement, including emergency services

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Essential vehicle access to properties within or adjacent to the construction areas should be given second priority; such vehicles would include service and delivery vehicles, which businesses depend on

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Private car travel should be given lower priority, particularly extraneous traffic which should be encouraged to avoid passing through the city centre.

The development of a Construction Traffic Management Plan should demonstrate:

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How the CRL is to be constructed, including how essential (pedestrian, bus and other) movements are to be retained

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The timing of closures, restrictions, diversions, or other on street works, and how this timing relates to other aspects of the CRL project, and the relationship of the temporary CRL works with other projects

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How access to local properties adjacent to the construction zones is to be maintained

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Which routes are to be used by construction related traffic (especially trucks)

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The suite of Travel Demand Management measures that are proposed, to reduce the temporary effects during construction.

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3 PROJECT DESCRIPTION 3.1 Project Description The City Rail Link (CRL) is a 3.4 km underground passenger railway (including two tracks and three underground stations) running between Britomart Station and the North Auckland Line (NAL) in the vicinity of the existing Mount Eden Station and an additional 850m of modifications within the NAL. For ease of reference in this report, the stations included in the CRL NoR have been temporarily named Aotea Station, Karangahape Station,and Newton Station. . The stations will be formally named in the future.

This technical expert report has been developed by Flow Transportation Specialists Ltd (Flow) to provide an independent expert assessment of the actual and potential effects associated with the proposed CRL from a transportation perspective.

This Integrated Transport Assessment (ITA) is an appendix of the AEE which supports the NoR to be served by Auckland Transport on Auckland Council to designate the CRL for construction, operation and maintenance. The NoR cover surface, strata, and sub-strata designations within the Auckland City District Plan (both Isthmus and Central Area Sections).

Flow confirms that the content of this report has been written with reference to the Key Project Parameters set out in the 2012 Concept Design Report.

3.2 Areas of Project Description of Particular Relevance to this Technical Report This report assesses the transport opportunities from the CRL and potential effects anticipated during the construction of the CRL. Therefore the following areas of the concept design are relevant to this report:



The development of the rail network



The location of the stations and the form of these, including the pedestrian routes to/from the stations and the integration of the CRL with the transport networks around each station



The proposed construction methodology outlined in the CRL 2012 Concept Design Report, particularly in terms of the locations where this construction will affect the surface transport networks

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The proposed construction staging, particularly in terms of the proposed staging of the CRL project through Albert Street, between Downtown shopping centre and Aotea Station.

4 TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY 4.1 Integrated Transport Assessment Broadly, the approach taken for this study follows the Integrated Transport Assessment Guidelines and Supplementary Documents (ARTA, 2007). We recognise that these guidelines are currently under review by AT and will be updated in 2012, however, the key requirements are unlikely to change

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significantly. The following points set out the key requirements of the 2007 ITA Guidelines and form the starting point for the ITA of the NOR and AEE:



Planning and policy framework



Travel characteristics/land use characteristics

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Measures to influence travel

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Appraisal of impacts



Mitigating impacts

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Summary and conclusion

It is noted that this ITA forms part of the Technical Reports to support the Notice of Requirement process. The wider planning and policy components are contained in other supporting documents, namely the NoR Assessment of Environmental Effects Statutory Section.

Specifically aimed at the NOR process, this report is in effect the first stage of assessing the transport related impacts of this project. It addresses the effects of the CRL project as currently understood, by highlighting issues and opportunities and detailing a methodology to deal with them going forward. It is important to realise that the technical detail of the CRL project is at an early stage and it is not possible in all instances to provide a way of avoiding, remedying or mitigating an identified negative impact. It is however important to identify the known potential impacts and outline a process for dealing with each issue.

The CRL will contribute to the integration of land use and transport by providing a Rapid Transit Network (RTN) level of service through the city centre, increasing accessibility and providing opportunities to encourage development and in turn support economic growth. As such there should be few long term adverse effects. However, the scale of this project and its location in Auckland’s city centre means that any potential adverse effects will be most prevalent during construction. As such the assessment of impacts has been broken into “Operational” meaning after completion, and “Construction”.

The ITA is structured as follows:



The technical assessment begins in Chapter 5 with a description of the Existing Situation



Chapter 6 examines the Strategic Direction



Chapters 7 examines the “Do Minimum” scenario (i.e. the city centre in the future without CRL)



Chapter 8 examines the “operational” impacts (i.e. the city centre in the future with CRL completed)



Chapter 9 examines the “construction” impacts (i.e. the impacts during construction).

The key technical assessment has been broken down by mode of transport as it allows an easy comparison between the different scenarios.

The core of the ITA is based on work already undertaken both specifically relating to the CRL project and to the city centre. Below is a list of the key documents used in this assessment:

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Auckland City Rail Link Project: 2012 Concept Design Report

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Draft Integrated Transport Plan: Appendix E: City Centre Transport Response (Auckland Transport, 2012)

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City Centre Masterplan (CCMP), (Auckland Council, 2012).

4.2 Traffic and Transport Modelling This assessment has been informed by two forms of traffic and transport modelling; the Auckland Passenger Transport model and a SATURN traffic model.

4.2.1

The Auckland Passenger Transport Model

The Auckland Passenger Transport (APT) model is operated by Auckland Transport. It was designed to be able to assess the impacts of a wide range of schemes to improve the public transport system, throughout the Auckland region. The base APT model was validated to 2000 passenger transport travel demands and conditions. The forecast models have been used in the assessments of a wide range of projects.

This assessment uses the APT model runs which were undertaken to advise Auckland Council on the effects of the CRL project in 2011, leading to the Council’s decision to support route protection4. These runs are based on forecasts for the year 2041.

The APT has been used to provide the assessment of the demand for the CRL and the predicted boarding and alighting figures for each of the existing and proposed stations in and around the city centre.

The APT runs used for this assessment predate the assumption of high growth in Auckland, as adopted for the Auckland Plan. However, the APT model has been used in preference to the Auckland Regional Transport (ART3) model.

The ART 3 model is operated by the Auckland Council and is a strategic model which covers the whole region. Its primary purpose is to develop trip forecasts by each mode. The ART 3 model generates outputs based on defined land use scenarios .These outputs then feed into the APT model. The strength of the ART3 model relates to its strategic assessments and the development of trip forecasts by the various transport modes. However, it is less suited to a more detailed analysis, for example, relating to congestion on the road network, overcrowding on the passenger transport network, or for accurately assessing passenger transport demands along each route, where the network is as dense as it is in the Auckland city centre.

More up to date assessments of the anticipated patronage of the CRL are currently being developed, using the APT model, as part of Auckland Transport’s “Auckland City Centre Future Access Study”, which is currently underway.

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The results are set out in Auckland Transport (2012), “City Rail Link: Comparison of Transport Benefits and Patronage Forecasts”

Technical Report to support Assessment of Environmental Effects (City Rail Link Notice of Requirement): Integrated Transport Assessment 4.2.2

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The SATURN Traffic Model

The second model used in assessing the effects of the CRL is a SATURN traffic model of the city centre.

This model was developed by Flow for the former Auckland City Council and it was validated to 2010 traffic flows and traffic conditions. The base model was subject to peer review and the model is accepted by Auckland Transport as an appropriate tool for the assessment of the effects of a variety of transport projects within the city centre.

The SATURN model has been expanded for this assessment to cover the area in the vicinity of the worksite around the Eden Terrace portal and the connections to the NAL and revalidated to 2010 traffic flows and conditions. This revalidation has focussed on the areas of interest for this study, particularly along Albert Street.

The uses of the SATURN traffic model for this assessment have been as follows:

ď ˇ

It has primarily been used to assess the traffic effects of the CRL project during construction

ď ˇ

To a lesser extent, it has been used to assess the traffic effects of the CRL project during the operational phase (after completion of construction).

The future SATURN model has been developed for the year 2021. While this may seem inconsistent with the future year for the ART3 model, this reflects the different model purposes. The APT model is being used to assess the long term (and strategic) effects of the CRL, while the SATURN model is being used primarily to assess the potential effects during construction, which is anticipated to take place in the years leading up to 2021, with opening around 2021. It is worth noting that the conclusion of the assessment would be unlikely to be significantly affected if one was to take a forecast year which is a few years earlier or a few years later.

5 EXISTING ENVIRONMENT This section sets out the existing transport environment by mode, and also provides information with regard to key corridors, existing volumes/patronage and mode splits, where this information is available.

5.1 Public Transport Figure 2 below shows the Rapid Transit Network (RTN) and Quality Transit Network (QTN) as included in the Auckland Regional Land Transport Strategy. Descriptions of the RTN and QTN are included in Table 2 below, along with minimum frequencies envisaged on these routes by 2016.

Technical Report to support Assessment of Environmental Effects (City Rail Link Notice of Requirement): Integrated Transport Assessment Figure 2: Rapid and Quality Transit Networks

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5

Auckland Regional Council (2010) Auckland Regional Land Transport Strategy 2010-2040, page 84

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It is understood that these classifications (i.e. RTN/QTN) are currently under review by Auckland Transport, but that the principle of a primary public transport network (e.g. Rapid Transport Network (RTN)) complemented by a secondary network (e.g. Quality Transport Network (QTN)) will remain although they may have different names.

The primary public transport network will offer the most frequent (a minimum of fifteen minute frequency), reliable service as it will be on its own right of way (e.g. railway, busway). The secondary transport network will also offer a frequent service (minimum fifteen minute frequency) but will utilise the general road network (albeit with priority measures). As the review of the public transport network classifications is ongoing, the terms RTN and QTN are used for the purposes of this report.

RTN routes within the Auckland city centre include:



Fanshawe Street from the Northern Motorway (SH1) to Nelson Street



All rail lines.

QTN routes within the Auckland city centre, relevant to CRL, include:



Symonds Street and Anzac Avenue



Great North Road, Karangahape Road, and Grafton Bridge



Fanshawe Street west of Nelson Street



Lower Hobson Street



Quay Street west of Queen Street



Queen Street



Mayoral Drive between Queen Street and Vincent Street



Pitt Street, Vincent Street, and Albert Street.

 Table 2: RTN and QTN Descriptions and Minimum Frequencies by 2016

Classification Rapid Transit Network (RTN)

Description High quality, fast, high frequency service in its own right of way, where it is unaffected by traffic congestion

Frequency of Service 5-15 minutes during peak periods

The RTN will connect the major growth centres to the CBD. It will include the Northern Busway and the western, southern and Isthmus rail corridors Quality Transit Network (QTN)

Fast, high frequency, and high quality transit services operating between key centres and over major corridors, providing extensive transit priority.

In conjunction with the RTN, it will facilitate high speed reliable access around the region through the integration of radial and cross-town services

10-15 minutes during peak periods

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During the peak period public transport travel into the city centre has a mode share of 45%6. Across the Auckland region the public transport mode share is 3.4%, and nationally it is 2%. Almost 60% of public transport work-trips and 68% of all daily public transport trips are focussed on the city centre, even though only 10-15% of the region’s jobs are located there.

The 2011 public transport patronage survey showed a total of nearly 32,400 people entering the city centre are on public transport during the morning peak period (7 am to 9am). Figure 3 below shows the peak period public transport patronage by mode from 2003 to 2012.

Figure 3: City Centre Peak Period Public Transport by Mode7

35,000 30,000 25,000

Other bus

20,000

North Shore bus

15,000

Ferry

10,000

Rail

5,000 0 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

5.2 Trains The current Auckland passenger rail network, as shown below in Figure 4, comprises four routes totalling approximately 110 kilometres of line with 41 stations.

6 7

CCMP, page 50 Draft ITP, Appendix E, Figure E.2

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Figure 4: Existing Auckland Rail Network Train Plan8

The 2011 public transport patronage survey showed over 5,600 passengers entered the city centre during the morning peak period (7 am to 9 am) by train, on 35 train services. Changes in rail patronage into the city centre from 1986 to 2011 are shown in Figure 5 below.

Figure 5: Changes in Rail Patronage into City Centre during the Morning Peak Period 9

8

2012 Concept Design Report

9

Draft ITP, Appendix E, Figure E.3

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5.3 Buses Figure 6 illustrates the bus flows within the city centre. Particularly high bus volumes are experienced on the following links:



Symonds Street



Anzac Avenue



Customs Street, east of Commerce Street



Fanshawe Street and Sturdee Street



Albert Street



The block bounded by Lower Hobson Street, Quay Street, Lower Albert Street and Customs Street.

Technical Report to support Assessment of Environmental Effects (City Rail Link Notice of Requirement): Integrated Transport Assessment Figure 6: Key Bus Corridors

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The 2011 public transport patronage survey showed over 23,000 passengers entered the city centre by bus in the weekday morning peak period, on 778 bus services. With regard to bus volumes in the morning peak period, the majority are concentrated on three corridors – Symonds Street northbound (with 283 inbound buses); Albert Street northbound (with 149 inbound buses); and Fanshawe Street eastbound (with 194 inbound buses). Since the Northern Busway opened in February 2008, the number of passengers entering the city centre via Fanshawe Street has increased substantially and is now the busiest point of entry for bus passengers (with over 8,300 passengers/peak period compared to Symonds Street with 6,600).

Information with regard to existing bus stop locations in the vicinity of the proposed stations is included in Section 8.

5.4 Cycling Figure 7 shows the existing and proposed Auckland Transport cycle network, while maps showing existing cycle facilities are included below in Table 3.

As can be seen in both the figure and the map:



In the vicinity of the proposed Aotea Station, Albert Street between Wellesley Street and Quay Street is part of the existing cycle network and there is a shared bus/cycle lane on both sides of Albert Street



Symonds Street and Mount Eden Road in the vicinity of the proposed Newton Station are part of the existing cycle network. There is a shared bus/cycle lane Symonds Street in the southbound direction, north of Khyber Pass Road, as well as a shared bus/cycle lane on Mount Eden Road in the northbound direction, from Sylvan Avenue East to Symonds Street



Karangahape Road and Pitt Street, in the vicinity of the proposed Karangahape Road Station, are not part of the existing cycle network.

Technical Report to support Assessment of Environmental Effects (City Rail Link Notice of Requirement): Integrated Transport Assessment Figure 7: Existing Cycle Network

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Technical Report to support Assessment of Environmental Effects (City Rail Link Notice of Requirement): Integrated Transport Assessment Table 3: Existing Cycle Facilities10 (see key on following page)

Location

Existing Cycle Facilities

Vicinity of Proposed Aotea Station

Vicinity of Proposed Karangahape Road Station

10

http://www.aucklandtransport.govt.nz/moving-around/bikingcycleways/MapsAndMore/Documents/AT%20Central%20Cycle%20Map%20Feb%202012.pdf accessed on 26 March 2012

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Table 3: Existing Cycle Facilities10 (see key on following page)

Location

Existing Cycle Facilities

Vicinity of Proposed Newton Station

Recent cyclist counts show around 850 cyclists entering the city centre in the morning peak. As can be seen in Figure 8 below, Grafton Bridge is the location with the highest observed levels of pedestrians and cyclists with over 1,500 pedestrians and cyclists during the morning peak, with Karangahape Road motorway overbridge the second busiest site. These numbers exclude cyclists who circulate within the city after arriving on other forms of transport (e.g. ferry) or are city centre residents.

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Figure 8: Comparison of Pedestrian and Cyclist volumes at City Centre Locations (2010/2011)

5.5 Pedestrians Figure 9 below provides an overview of the current level of pedestrian activity on different routes through the city centre (with the darker colour representing the higher levels of activity). This map illustrates that the highest activity is located in the downtown area, with Queen Street providing a key central pedestrian spine through the city centre. Figure 10 illustrates the key pedestrian routes and access points between the city centre and the city centre fringe suburbs.

Technical Report to support Assessment of Environmental Effects (City Rail Link Notice of Requirement): Integrated Transport Assessment Figure 9: Pedestrian Activity within Auckland City Centre11

Figure 10: Key Pedestrian Routes and Access Points

11

11

Flow Transportation Specialists Ltd. Auckland City Centre Transport Assessment: Network Overview. August 2011

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As shown previously in Figure 8, the 2010/2011 pedestrian counts undertaken show around 5,300 pedestrians entering the city centre in the morning peak. As noted in the previous section, Grafton Bridge is the location with the highest observed levels of pedestrians and cyclists, with over 1,500 pedestrians and cyclists during the morning peak, while Karangahape Road motorway overbridge is the second busiest site.

5.6 Private Vehicles During the peak period private vehicle travel into the city centre mode share is 48%, across the Auckland region this mode share is 90%12.

Figure 11 below shows the road hierarchy as designated by the Auckland City District Plan (Central Area and Isthmus Sections).

Important points to note include:



Khyber Pass, Newton Road and Symonds Street (south of Newton Road) are designated as Regional Arterial Roads13



Victoria Street, Wellesley Street, Karangahape Road, Pitt Street, Mount Eden Road, and Symonds Street (north of Newton Road) are designated as District Arterial Roads14



Albert Street is designated as a Collector Road15

12

Draft ITP, Appendix E Regional Arterial roads are defined in paragraph 9.5.1.2 of the Auckland City District Plan (Central Area Section) as roads which carry the major traffic movements between the principal sectors of the region. They carry predominantly through traffic 14 District Arterial roads are defined in the Auckland City District Plan (Central Area Section) as roads which are essential to sustain overall travel within the City 15 Collector roads are defined in the Auckland City District Plan (Central Area Section) as roads which collect and distribute traffic to and from the arterial road network and also act as local main roads supplementing the primary network 13

Technical Report to support Assessment of Environmental Effects (City Rail Link Notice of Requirement): Integrated Transport Assessment Figure 11: District Plan Road Hierarchy

16

16

http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/council/documents/central/maps/cbdmap07.asp and http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/council/documents/district/maps/c082.asp accessed on 26 March 2012

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Figure 12 below sets out the regional and strategic road network according to the Regional Arterial Road Plan. The following routes are indicated as being regional arterials:



Fanshawe Street, Sturdee Street, Lower Hobson Street, Quay Street (to Lower Queen Street), Customs Street West and Lower Queens Street, with the strategic direction being passenger transport emphasis, with important pedestrian connections across the route



Quay Street (west to Tinley Street), as it is an important access to the Port, but also as an eastern approach to the city centre



Symonds Street, Anzac Avenue and Customs Street East, with the strategic direction being passenger transport emphasis, with important pedestrian connections across the route



Karangahape Road, Pitt Street, Vincent Street, Mayoral Drive, Albert Street and Lower Albert Street, again with passenger transport emphasis and with important pedestrian connections



Khyber Pass and Newton Road, with passenger transport emphasis from Broadway to Park Road and general traffic elsewhere, with integration with motorway management also important.

Technical Report to support Assessment of Environmental Effects (City Rail Link Notice of Requirement): Integrated Transport Assessment Figure 12: Strategic and Regional Arterial Network

17

17

Auckland Regional Transport Authority (2009), Regional Arterial Road Plan

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Traffic volumes on key roads in the vicinity of the proposed stations are included below in Table 4.

These are the most recent counts available on the Auckland Transport website.

Table 4: Traffic Volumes on Key Roads18

Street

Location

Count Date

Traffic Volume AM Peak Hour

PM Peak Hour

5 Day Daily Traffic Volume

Albert Street

Wellesley Street to Victoria Street

Oct-06

1,000

1,100

13,600

Customs Street West

East of Albert Street

Nov-03

1,900

2,200

26,700

Fanshawe Street

West of Nelson Street

Mar-05

3,000

3,300

41,000

Fanshawe Street

Beaumont Street to Daldy Street

Feb-11

2,286

2,348

29,852

Karangahape Road

East of Howe Street,

Sep-07

1,600

1,600

22,500

Khyber Pass Road

West of Mway Ramps, Grafton

Mar-07

2,200

2,400

29,700

Mount Eden Road

North of Puka Street

Oct-06

2,200

2,000

22,900

Mount Eden Road

Clive Road to Puka Street

Mar-10

-

-

17,284

Newton Road

Ophir to Winchester

Feb-11

2,800

2,800

34,600

Pitt Street

North of Karangahape Road

Jun-04

1,600

1,600

19,200

Quay Street

East of Commerce Street

Mar-05

2,200

2,600

27,800

Quay Street

East of Tangihua Street

Sep-07

2,839

2,914

30,388

Queen Street

North of Wellesley Street

Mar-04

1,200

1,400

20,700

Symonds Street

Khyber Pass Rd - New North Rd

Dec-06

1,700

2,000

25,700

Victoria Street West

West of Halsey Street

Sep-07

2,000

2,400

26,400

Wellesley Street

At Symonds Street Overbridge

Sep-07

1,900

1,400

16,100

5.7 Couriers, deliveries and taxis There are significant numbers of courier and delivery vehicle movements throughout the city centre.

The ability for couriers and delivery vehicles to be able access throughout the city centre will need to be maintained throughout the construction period to minimise any adverse effects to businesses.

Taxi rank locations within the city centre are shown below in Figure 13.

18

http://www.aucklandtransport.govt.nz/improving-transport/maintenance/Road/Pages/Traffic-Counts.aspx accessed on 26 March 2012

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Figure 13: Taxi Rank Locations within Auckland City Centre

5.8 Freight Auckland Transport defines the following corridors in the vicinity of the proposed CRL stations as the principal overweight and overdimension routes:



Fanshawe Street - Customs Street



Anzac Avenue – Symonds Street – Mt Eden Road

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30

Beaumont Street – Victoria Street – Franklin Road.

New Zealand Transport Agency defined overdimension routes are shown in Figure 14. This route map identifies routes in current use by overdimension vehicles and loads. The routes were identified by consultation with the road transport industry, and engineers and planners from territorial authorities.

Routes identified as over dimension routes within the vicinity of the proposed CRL include:



Grafton Gully (State Highway (SH)16), Stanley Street (SH16), and The Strand (SH16) from SH1 to the port



Fanshawe Street, Sturdee Street and Customs Street



Pitt Street, Vincent Street, Mayoral Drive, and Albert Street



Symonds Street and Anzac Avenue



Great North Road and Karangahape Road



Newton Road and Khyber Pass Road.

Clearly there are a significant number of truck movements travelling into the city centre in order to deliver to businesses and so on. However, longer distance freight movements generally have little reason to be in the city centre, and most movements should be passing around the city centre, particularly since the completion of the Central Motorway Junction upgrade, and more recently with the completion of the Victoria Park Tunnel project.

A key generator of freight movements in the vicinity of the city centre is the Port. Currently, approximately 3,000 truck movements per day use the Grafton Gully Route to serve the Port19.

19

Draft ITP, Appendix E

Technical Report to support Assessment of Environmental Effects (City Rail Link Notice of Requirement): Integrated Transport Assessment Figure 14: Overdimension Routes in the Vicinity of Proposed CRL Stations

20

20

http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/overdimen-veh-route-maps/4-auckland/docs/OD_4-27%20Auckland.pdf accessed on 11 April 2012

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5.9 Coaches There are a number of coach operators that pick up/drop off passengers at designated locations within central Auckland. The main operators, along with stop locations and service frequencies (if available) are listed below:



Intercity21 – runs a number of services throughout the day. The main pick up/drop off location is Sky City Coach Terminal, 102 Hobson Street



Airbus22 (Downtown Ferry Terminal to Auckland Airport) – this service operates 24 hours a day, with buses every 10 to 15 minutes during the day and every 20 to 30 minutes at other times.

Inbound to the Ferry Terminal the bus travels via Symonds Street, Karangahape Road, and Queen Street with stops on Queen Street and terminating at the Downtown Ferry Terminal, or via Symonds Street, Wellesley Street east and Queen Street with stops on Symonds Street and Queen Street. Outbound to the Airport the bus travels via Queen Street, Karangahape Road and Symonds Street starting at the Downtown Ferry Terminal with stops on Queen Street



Gray Line Tours23 – picks up from 172 Quay Street and in addition to a large number of Auckland City Hotels



Naked Bus24 – the Auckland City stop is 172 Quay Street, opposite the Ferry Terminal Building



Kiwi Experience25 – The Kiwi Experience coach picks up passengers once daily in the morning, from 7 am to 7:30 am. Main pick up points in Auckland City are along Beach Road and Queen Street



Auckland Explorer Bus26 – hop on/hop off sightseeing bus runs every 30 minutes and has city pick up locations: along Queen Street, Victoria Street, within Wynyard Quarter and outside the Ferry Building in Quay Street



Dressmart Tourist Shuttle27 – has four pick-ups/drop-offs daily from stops on Symonds Street, Vincent Street, Federal Street, Queen Street and Customs Street



Kelly Tarltons shuttle28 – arrives/departs from 172 Quay Street and runs every hour from 9 am to 4 pm.

Other coach/bus services stopping in central Auckland include:



Main Coachline29 - runs a once daily service to/from Dargaville drops off/picks up from 172 Quay Street



Flying Kiwi30 – runs adventure tours with pick up/drop off from 172 Quay Street.

21

http://www.intercity.co.nz/timetable/ accessed on 21 March 2012 http://www.maxx.co.nz/media/20222/abe_airbus%20express_sep%202011%20web.pdf accessed on 21 march 2012 23 http://www.graylinetours.co.nz/home accessed on 21 March 2012 24 http://nakedbus.com/nz/bus/ accessed on 21 March 2012 25 http://www.kiwiexperience.com/bus-travel-timetable.aspx accessed on 21 March 2012 26 http://www.explorerbus.co.nz/Explorer-Brochure-2011.pdf accessed on 21 March 2012 27 http://www.dress-smart.co.nz/index.php/ps_alias/aucklandshuttle accessed on 21 March 2012 28 http://www.kellytarltons.co.nz/visitor-info/location/ accessed on 21 March 2012 29 http://www.maincoachline.co.nz/MainCoachLine/Fare_Schedule.html accessed on 21 March 2012 22

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Coaches also regularly pick up/drop off passengers at hotels such as Sky City.

6 STRATEGIC DIRECTION This section of the ITA focuses on three particular strategic issues which are relevant to the assessment of the CRL project:



The desire and imperative to integrate land use with transport



The target mode splits for the city centre



The functions of the various roads of interest to this project, and the anticipated changes in the intended functions over time.

6.1 Regional Land Transport Strategy The 2010 RLTS notes the challenges for the Auckland region in seeking to improve the integration of transport and land use. These challenges include:



Improving public transport provision as a catalyst for intensive development



Managing land use to more effectively support local access and public transport by promoting and providing for appropriately located and designed land uses and restricting inappropriate land uses31

The RLTS sets out the following targets for integrating transport and land use:



Increase in the number of identified growth centres with Rapid Transit Network services



Increase in the percentage of people who live within 400m of a Quality Transit Network or 800m of a RTN stop



Increase in the relative land values within 800m of RTN stations32.

The contextual indicators are described as:



The number of employees and businesses within defined growth centres



The number of residents and number of dwellings within defined growth centres



The proportion of growth in developments occurring outside the metropolitan urban limit (MUL)



The number of building consents in different land categories (general rural, countryside living, MUL, infill, growth centres and corridors)33.

The RLTS also includes policies relating to land use planning, including:



30

Develop the region’s transport system to give effect to the growth concept in the regional policy statement

http://www.flyingkiwi.com/pick-up-points.html accessed on 21 March 2012 Auckland Regional Council (2010), “Auckland Regional Land Transport Strategy 2010-2040”, page 48 32 Ibid, page 31 33 Auckland Regional Land Transport Strategy, page 31 31

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Encourage land use activities to develop in locations that reduce the need for motorised trips



Locate economic activity to maximise the efficient movement of goods and services 34.

34

In terms of the role of the modes, the RLTS sees the Rapid Transit Network (RTN) as making a major contribution toward shaping the region. The RLTS states that the RTN will connect the major growth centres to Auckland’s CBD and contribute towards improving economic development outcomes near the RTN stations35.

Policy 4.3 of the RLTS seeks to ensure that public transport activities of high regional significance are implemented and it specifically refers to three such improvements of high regional significance:



CBD rail link (now known as the City Rail Link)



Rail electrification



Integrated ticketing.

Referring specifically to the City Rail Link, the RLTS states that the CRL will provide improved coverage to the city centre. Without this project, the RLTS states that the growth of the city centre will be constrained as roads will become increasingly congested and the number of buses in the city centre will become harder to manage. The RLTS states that the link needs to be progressed with urgency and that it needs to be operational by 202136.

6.2 Auckland Plan The Auckland Plan states that for the transport system to support Auckland’s vision and future growth and development, it must underpin and incorporate the six transformational shifts and the land-use directives of the Plan37. The Plan states that the following must be effected:



Transport investment and services, especially public transport and regional arterial roads, must align with areas of future growth and development



The system must be easily accessible and ensure reliable journey times



Particular emphasis must be given to freight movement and other related business travel on international, national and Auckland-wide transport corridors



Public transport services, especially bus services, must be provided for communities most in need

34

Ibid, page 81, Policies 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 Ibid, page 70 36 Ibid, Page 94 37 Auckland Council (2012), Auckland Plan, page 322. The six transformational shifts are defined on page 30 of the Plan as:  “Dramatically accelerate the prospects of Auckland’s children and young people  Strongly commit to environmental action and green growth  Move to outstanding public transport within one network  Radically improve the quality of urban living  Substantially raise living standards for all Aucklanders and focus on those most in need  Significantly lift Maori social and economic well-being” 35

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

The system must be designed for safe and universal access for all, including children, older persons and those with disabilities



The system must be designed to reduce exposure to poor air quality and to increase use of renewable transport fuels



In particular, safe and convenient walking and cycling routes must be developed, to encourage those modes of travel for commuters and others



Appropriate levels of service must be provided to those communities with limited public transport options, especially rural communities



Transport projects must recognise and contribute to place-shaping



Transport, particularly roads, walkways and cycleways, must create connections between and within communities



A change in parking strategy and standards is required to encourage intensification, mixed-use development, more efficient use of land, and shifts to walking, cycling and public transport



A more rapid rate of investment is required, requiring new forms of revenue38.

The Auckland Plan sets out a hierarchy of urban centres, with the city centre sitting alone at the top of the Hierarchy39. The Plan states that the city centre is: “the focus of national and international business, tourism, educational, cultural and civic activities. It provides significant capacity for business and high density residential development within a variety of precincts. It is the focus for regional transportation services. It is surrounded by the city fringe, and lies within a 2km walkable catchment (approximately). It provides complementary living, business and entertainment activities within traditional and higherdensity neighbourhood living and specialist precincts40.”

The Plan refers to the draft City Centre Masterplan as follows: “The City Centre Masterplan supports he Auckland Plan’s vision of the world’s most liveable city, and of a significant increase in population living within and commuting to and from the City Centre. It will expand the transport network to suit the purpose, by making the City Centre a highly desirable place to live, work and invest in, and by adding to Auckland’s identify and vibrancy41.

The Auckland Plan states that the CRL will significantly improve the Auckland rail network, as it will address the capacity constraints at Britomart, enable future increases in rail service frequency across the whole rail network and add new rail lines to the network (such as rail to the Airport). The Plan states that the proposal is being developed as part of an integrated land-use and multi-modal transport approach, which includes:

38

Auckland Plan, page 322 Ibid, page 253 and 261 40 Ibid, page 253 41 Auckland Plan, page 265 39

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

Developing an integrated multi-modal package to optimise the accessibility of the city centre by all modes of transport. This includes improvements to the city centre bus network to address emerging capacity issues on key bus corridors and to deliver customers closer to key city centre destinations



Identifying the potential for more housing and employment around railway stations and their catchments, and ensuring that land-use planning rules support this



Working with private sector partners to develop exemplar transit-oriented development projects around both the CRL and suburban railway stations



Reconfiguring bus services to act as a feeder to rail at key interchanges such as New Lynn, Onehunga, Manukau and Panmure



Providing additional park and ride sites to allow access to rail in locations without good public transport options42.

The Plan states that the CRL is the top priority transport project for Auckland with a targeted implementation date of 202143.

6.3 Target Mode Splits The Auckland Plan seeks an increase in the public transport mode share for vehicular trips (public transport and cars) into the city centre for the morning peak, from 47% in 2011 to 70% by 204044.

The Auckland Regional Land Transport Strategy 2010-2040, which predates the Auckland Plan, seeks an increase in the public transport mode share into the CBD for the morning peak from 39% in 2006 to 52% by 2020 and 58% by 204045.

The City Centre Masterplan (CCMP) states that over the coming 20 years, nearly all of the growth in trips to and within the city centre during the peak periods will need to be accommodated by public transport, walking and cycling. The number of vehicles entering the city centre during the peak period is expected to remain relatively static46.

6.4 Regional Policy Statement The Auckland Regional Policy Statement gives effect to the regional growth concept and integrating land use and transport.

The reasons for Land Use and Transport Integration include the following:

42

Ibid, pages 323-324 Ibid, page 324 44 Ibid, page 312 45 Auckland Regional Council (2010), “Auckland Regional Land Transport Strategy 2010-2040”, page 28 46 Auckland Council (2012), City Centre Master Plan, page 51 43

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“A key issue in realising the strategic direction outlined in the RPS is the recognition of the need to develop land use patterns that support reduced vehicle demand and increased use of passenger transport, walking and cycling. A long term solution to the region’s transport problems thus requires a shift in land use patterns towards a more compact and sustainable urban form. An improved public transport system will provide opportunities in High Density Centres, transportation nodes and Intensive Corridors for intensified growth within selected areas, and conversely, the realisation of future intensive development opportunities will support the public transport system”47 “The level of urban development needs to be at a scale which can support investment in a rapid transit system for it to provide a service which will compete with private vehicle use. Evidence from Australia and the United States shows that certain thresholds of urban density are required to support public transport systems. The more fixed and rapid the public transport system the greater the densities required to support it become”48 The Auckland CBD is included in the list of high density centres at Schedule 1, and paragraph 2.6.11.6 states that: “The ARC, TA’s, ARTA, NZ Transport Agency and ONTRACK, in conjunction with the relevant transport operators, will implement improvements to the public transport network to support the development of areas listed in Schedule 1”49

6.5 Network Function Each of the major modes described in Chapter 5 is covered by a strategic document 50. These strategies give the relative priorities on the various roads within the city centre, based on their importance to the particular mode. In this chapter we bring together this information and categorise the roads in the city centre into three levels of importance. We can use this information to help identify critical infrastructure when looking to assess effects or form conditions to address effects. This will help ensure decisions made around critical infrastructure are made on a robust base.

Figure 15 shows a combination of the various strategic routes by mode. It shows the importance of a number of streets across all modes including; Albert Street, Quay Street, Customs Street, Fanshawe Street, Karangahape Road, Wellesley Street and Symonds Street. These streets become the top tier of importance and full closure of any of these is unlikely to be acceptable for any significant (and continual) period of time. The level of importance of each street (across all modes) is shown in Figure 16.

47

Auckland Regional Council, “Auckland Regional Policy Statement”, page 40 Ibid, page 41 49 Ibid, page 39 50 These strategic documents are the Regional Arterial Road Plan and the Passenger Transport Network Plan 48

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We acknowledge that the descriptions of low, medium and high importance in Figure 16 do not have statutory basis, but regard has been given to the multiple layers within Figure 15, along with the descriptions of importance of certain streets in Appendix E of the draft ITP. Figure 15: Network – Strategic Routes by Mode

Technical Report to support Assessment of Environmental Effects (City Rail Link Notice of Requirement): Integrated Transport Assessment Figure 16: Network – Overall Level of Importance

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7 FUTURE ENVIRONMENT WITHOUT CRL PROJECT Section 5 set out the existing transport situation in the city centre, while Section 6 summarised the strategic direction being taken for the Auckland region in general and the city centre in particular. This section summarises the various projects and initiatives that are expected to change the transport environment in the Auckland city centre in the future, irrespective of the CRL. In other words, these projects and initiatives will influence the future scenario without the CRL Project, forming the future “Do Minimum” scenario.

7.1 Public Transport The long term proposed extensions to the RTN were shown in Figure 2, included within Section 5.1 above. Other than the CRL, these proposals are as follows:



Northern Busway extension to Orewa



Airport rail loop



Avondale-Southdown rail connection



Panmure-Botany-Manukau City Centre RTN/QTN



Henderson-Westgate-Albany bus RTN/QTN



North Shore rail.

7.2 Trains Improvements to the Auckland rail network currently being implemented include Project DART and electrification of the rail network.

Project DART (Developing Auckland’s Rail Network) is a suite of projects designed to improve the capacity, reliability and reach of the Auckland's commuter rail network. Key components of Project DART include51:



The redevelopment of Newmarket Station and Junction, completed in January 2010



The duplication of the Western line from Newmarket to Swanson, completed in June 2010



The re-opening of the Onehunga branch line, in September 2010



The new Manukau rail link, which opened early in 2012



Network wide improvements to safety and reliability.

Following completion of the current electrification project in 2013, electric trains will operate between Swanson, Papakura, Manukau City, Onehunga and Britomart. The network configuration after completion of the current Project DART and Auckland Electrification projects is shown in Figure 17 below.

51

http://www.kiwirail.co.nz/projects/major-projects accessed on 20 March 2012

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Figure 17: Post DART and Auckland Electrification Project Passenger Rail Network

Electrification will allow passenger growth, by providing additional capacity on trains, and allowing for journeys at up to ten minute frequencies.

The Britomart transport centre’s capacity for trains was expected to be reached in early 2012, following the introduction of services from Manukau. Utilising new larger electric trains due to be operating in 2013 will increase this capacity, but capacity is still expected to be reached in 12 years time52. In other words, the capacity of the Britomart Station is expected to constrain accessibility of the city centre after 2024, and the Auckland Plan sets out the extent of land use change that is anticipated after that time.

A new rail station is proposed at Parnell and is due to be operational by 2014. As a result, the extent of the city centre that will be accessible by rail (either via Britomart or the Parnell Station) is shown in Figure 18.

Figure 18 shows 400m and 800m catchments around the existing (or committed) rail stations. 400m (or a 5 minute walk) is normally taken to be the catchment for a bus stop, while 800m is normally taken to be the catchment for a rapid transit stop53. Clearly this is a broad guideline and it depends to a significant degree on the topography and other factors, but Figure 18 demonstrates the extent to which significant areas of the Auckland city centre will not be served by rail.

52 53

Draft ITP, Appendix E Auckland Regional Council (2010), Auckland Regional Land Transport Strategy 2010-2040, page 31

Technical Report to support Assessment of Environmental Effects (City Rail Link Notice of Requirement): Integrated Transport Assessment Figure 18: 800 m Catchments around Existing Rail Stations

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7.3 Buses Bus services in central Auckland are currently in the process of moving to a new service pattern. The change is part of the wider optimisation of the passenger transport network in Auckland. Generally the approach to be taken for bus routing is to be one of ‘hub and spoke’, where as much through routing as possible is to be used (i.e. an inbound bus from the east will not stop and go back east, but rather will carry on to become an outbound western bus). The Auckland city centre is the biggest and busiest of these hubs within the region.

Figure 19 illustrates the proposed service plan intended to be in operation by 2016.

Figure 19: City Centre bus movements (proposed 2016) weekday AM Peak Hour (per direction)

In relation to roads likely to be impacted by the CRL project, Figure 19 shows the future importance of Wellesley Street and Customs Street (east/west direction) and the Karangahape Road/Vincent Street/Mayoral Drive/Albert Street route and Symonds Street (north/south) to the bus network.

The draft ITP states that even with all proposed rail and ferry improvements in place, buses will continue to be the dominant public transport mode for the city centre. Significant numbers of additional buses would be required each peak period to cater for the anticipated future growth in employees and residents accessing the city centre.

International best practice indicates that around 100-120 buses/hour/direction is the maximum operational capacity for buses on arterial roads with bus lanes. However, for city centre streets, this number reduces to 80-100, owing to shorter block lengths and more frequent bus stops and signalised intersections.

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Current city centre bus volumes are approaching or, in some instances, past these capacity levels.

Auckland Transport advises that, , the following key city centre bus corridors are expected to reach capacity in these timeframes:



2014 – Symonds Street (Karangahape Road - Wellesley Street)



2016 – Albert Street southbound



2019 – Fanshawe Street



2019 – Symonds Street (Khyber Pass Road - Karangahape Road)



2020 - Albert Street northbound.

7.4 Ferries Further investment in ferries is anticipated in the coming years. In the vicinity of the proposed CRL, the draft Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP) for 2012/2015 includes the following projects that are planned for the next three years (2012 to 2015):



Downtown Ferry Terminal pier 2



Downtown Ferry Terminal piers 3 and 4



Downtown Ferry Terminal/Queens Wharf Extension.

7.5 Trams The City Centre Masterplan (CCMP) shows an extension of the tram from Wynyard Quarter to Britomart and on to Saint Heliers via Tamaki Drive. The tram line is indicated as running along Quay Street. This proposal is also referred to in the Waterfront plan54.

Appendix E of the draft ITP states that to be effective, the CRL must be supported by a simplified and optimised inner city distribution network of bus services. Given the increasing levels of bus congestion on key corridors resulting from current and expected growth in patronage and services, higher capacity tram or light rail transit services may also need to be considered in the future 55. The draft ITP continues, to support the CCMP, by saying that should tram or light rail transit be considered, it is likely to focus on the city centre’s landmark streets of Queen Street and Quay Street.

7.6 Multi Modal Projects 7.6.1

Additional Waitemata Harbour Crossing

The RLTP states that Investigations are to continue between 2015/16 and 2017/18 and the Auckland Plan states that route protection is to be progressed between 2011 and 2020, with the facility (both road and public transport) to be completed between 2021 and 203056. The investigations are being led by the New Zealand Transport Agency.

54

Waterfront Auckland (2011), “Draft Waterfront Plan: where the city meets the sea”, page 47 Draft ITP, Appendix E 56 Auckland Plan, page 334 55

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The Auckland Plan notes that the Crossing is to future proof suburban rail for a Gaunt Street Station57 and we understand that the proposal is to extend from under Gaunt Street across the city centre, crossing the CRL in the vicinity of Albert Street/Wellesley Street and could potentially interface with the proposed Aotea Station, as outlined in the 2012 CDR58.

7.7 Pedestrians Programmed cycling and walking projects, as included in the National Land Transport Programme 2009-2012 and the Auckland Region Contracts Group (ARCG) Forward Work Plan are included in Table 5 below.

Table 5 categorises these projects as planned and programmed. consideration the definitions from the NLTP59. The definitions are:

These definitions take into



Programmed: All projects that are classified as Committed or Category 2 in the NLTP, or have specific budget allocations



Proposed: All projects that are classified as Reserved in the NLTP, or are mentioned but do not have specific budget allocations.

Table 5: Programmed Pedestrian and Cycle Projects within Auckland City Centre

Project Victoria Park Tunnel

Location or Who NZTA

Time Period

Source

Relevance

2009/2010

NLTP: Auckland Region: 2009/2012

This project includes a pedestrian overbridge connecting St Mary’s Bay with the CBD and a footpath between Pt Erin Park and Beaumont Street

Substantially complete

This project includes a cycleway/footpath between Newton Gully and Grafton Gully.

Currently under investigation.

Programmed

Discussions with NZTA Officers

SH16 Central Auckland Connection (CMJ)

57

NZTA

2009/2010

NLTP: Auckland Region: 2009/2012 Discussions with NZTA Officers

Status

Auckland Plan, page 326 2012 Concept Design Report, Table 4-3 59 The NLTP definitions are as follows: Committed: A commitment carried forward from previous years. Category 2: projects included in the NLTP which have not been given funding approval but may be considered for funding during 2009/2012 and based on information submitted to the NZTA are expected to meet the requirements for funding. Funding applications for the projects are expected during the course of 2009/2012. The Category 2: Possible are activities which, based on information submitted to NZTA, possibly have sufficient priority to warrant funding, subject to funding being available. Reserve: projects included in the NLTP which have not been given funding approval and are not likely to be promoted for funding during 2009/2012 either due to expenditure being programmed beyond 2009/2012 or because preliminary assessment of their profile gives them a priority below that expected to be funded in 2009/2012. Reserve A projects are indicatively programmed over 2009/12, while Reserve B projects are programmed to start beyond 2011/2012.

58

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Table 5: Programmed Pedestrian and Cycle Projects within Auckland City Centre

Project

Location or Who

Time Period

Pedestrian and cycle improvements

Auckland Transport

2009/2010 2010/2011 2011/2012

Source NLTP: Auckland Region: 2009/2012 Auckland City Council Annual plan

Relevance

Status

This funding is for minor improvements to pedestrian and cycle facilities. The projects are yet to be finalised.

Programmed

Works include the signalisation of the Beaumont Street/Gaunt Street,

Programmed

Discussions with Council Officers Wynyard Quarter Intersection Improvements

Auckland Transport

2010/2011

ARCG Forward Work Plan

Beaumont Street/Westhaven Drive and the Halsey Street/Gaunt Street/Viaduct Harbour Road intersections Wellesley Street East/Princes Street intersection improvements

Auckland Transport

2010/2011

ARCG Forward Work Plan

Signalisation of the Wellesley Street East with Princes Street intersection

Completed in 2011

Grafton Road Pedestrian improvements

Auckland Transport

2010/2011

ARCG Forward Work Plan

Provision of a signalised pedestrian crossing across Grafton Road by the Owen Glenn Building within the University of Auckland.

Proposed

Further anticipated pedestrian improvements include the improvement in the amenity of several streets within the city centre, plus improvements in crossing facilities. For example, additional “Barnes Dance� pedestrian crossings are anticipated.

Many of the CCMP projects are about improving the amenity of streets and reducing the speed environment for traffic. These measures will benefit pedestrians, but for the purposes of this section of the report, we have referred to these projects in Section 7.9 below.

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7.8 Cycles Figure 7 included previously in the report shows the existing Auckland Transport cycle network in Auckland City Centre. Proposed additions to the cycle network in the vicinity of the proposed CRL stations include Victoria Street and Queen Street. Programmed cycle projects were included in Table 5.

7.9 Private Vehicles As noted in Section 6, it is anticipated that the number of private vehicles heading to the city centre will not increase significantly in the morning peak period. The ART3 model predicts increases in vehicle demands, but the SATURN traffic model indicates that no significant increase in traffic entering the city centre is achievable, due to the various capacity bottlenecks on the road network around the city centre. However, growth in traffic flows is anticipated in particular in the contrapeak direction (outbound from the city centre in the morning peak and inbound in the evening peak) and during the interpeak period. The predicted increases in vehicle demands are set out in Table 6 below.

Table 6: Percentage Growth in Screenline Traffic Demands, 2006 to 204160

Morning Peak

Inter Peak

Evening Peak

Daily

Inbound

19%

36%

41%

34%

Outbound

58%

43%

9%

39%

Total

34%

39%

23%

36%

The above percentages over a thirty five year period equate with increases in demands that are as low as 0.5% per year, inbound to the city centre in the morning to over 1.5% outbound from the city centre during the same period.

The Auckland Plan refers to City Centre Transport Improvements which are to be progressed between 2011 and 2020 and continued between 2021 and 2030, in accordance with the CCMP61. The following sections identify the projects that are identified in the CCMP and the draft ITP, which are in the vicinity of the proposed CRL project.

7.9.1

Quay Street Waterfront Boulevard

The CCMP states that Quay Street from Lower Hobson Street to Britomart Place will change over the life of the CCMP, from a car-dominated road to an important meeting and greeting place and a world class waterfront boulevard. Measures proposed for Quay Street include:



Calming vehicle speeds



Increasing the amount of space dedicated to pedestrians



Limiting private vehicle use

60 61

These forecast increases have been derived from the ART3 model Auckland Council (2012), “Auckland Plan”, pages 332 and 334

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

Enhancing its role as a public transport route with the ultimate aim of supplementing buses with a light rail system



In future dedicating wharf areas beyond the ‘red fence’ on the waterfront to recreational use62.

The draft ITP acknowledges the CCMP aspirations for this route, but states that this proposal will require careful evaluation and management of the supporting networks, both road and public transport, to cope with the resulting travel pattern changes63.

Section 9 below identifies the areas where temporary works are anticipated during construction of the CRL, including Albert Street and the various east-west streets crossing Albert Street. We understand that the existing capacity of Quay Street is broadly to be retained until the completion of the CRL works along and across Albert Street, in order to mitigate the potential adverse effects.

7.9.2

QE2 Square and Britomart Station

The CCMP identifies as part of the CRL project an opportunity to revamp QE2 Square and Lower Queen Street64.

7.9.3

Hobson Street and Nelson Street – Two Waying

The CCMP notes that this project is likely to include:



Initial reduction in the number of vehicle lanes followed by two-waying along some sections of both streets and enhanced intersections



Wider footpaths as part of a linear park



Continued space for on-street parking at certain times of the day



Direct access for pedestrians into new and improved developments with active frontages



Trees within the road reserve65.

The draft ITP acknowledges that the aspirations to reduce the “motorway feel” of these streets appear both feasible and desirable, but it suggests that this project will need to be coordinated with the operation of the motorway network and the role that these streets may play as diversion routes during CRL construction66.

7.9.4

Federal Street

The CCMP proposes that Federal Street will be developed as an intimate, high quality pedestrian focused route from Mayoral Drive to Fanshawe Street and the Waterfront beyond67.

62

CCMP, page 88 Draft ITP, Appendix E 64 CCMP, page 84 65 CCMP, page 105 66 Draft ITP, Appendix E 67 CCMP, page 108 63

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Auckland Council, Auckland Transport and Sky City are progressing this proposal, and have agreed the principle of this route being changed to shared space in the short to medium term. We have assumed that the project is included in the future Do Minimum scenario for the traffic modelling.

7.9.5

Queen Street – Pedestrian Malling and Shared Space

The CCMP notes a number of possible outcomes for Queen Street including permanently pedestrian malling parts of Queen Street, or alternately taking a shared space approach, with buses, service vehicles and local traffic still able to operate along its full length but sharing the street with pedestrians. An incremental approach is suggested in the CCMP, with temporary road closures for specific events, then at lunchtimes/weekends, followed by a staged roll-out of shared space along certain stretches, and the possibility of a light rail system68.

The draft ITP notes that as a landmark street, Queen Street, north of Mayoral Drive, is not expected to have any significant arterial function and may move toward temporary or permanent pedestrianisation (such as market days or events)69.

7.9.6

Victoria Street Linear Park

The CCMP proposes a green link along Victoria Street, connecting Victoria Park and Albert Park. The linear park will require fewer vehicle lanes, wider footpaths, more green amenity and slower traffic movement70. Auckland Council have agreed to phase this project around the requirements of the CRL construction programme, deferring significant capacity reductions.

The draft ITP notes that while Victoria Street has a “lesser role” in the road hierarchy, it must maintain a significant role for access to key precincts. The study also states that Wellesley Street is expected to take on a greater role for bus services71.

7.9.7

Upper Queen Street and Symonds Street Bridges

Of the 14 bridges that cross the motorway network, the Upper Queen Street and Symonds Street bridges have been prioritised for beautification, which could involve the introduction of art work, pedestrian and accent lighting, new floorscapes and landscaping. Potential plans for the Upper Queen Street bridge included in the CCMP show the removal of traffic lanes to accommodate pedestrians/cyclists72.

7.9.8

Relationship between City Centre road projects and CRL

The draft ITP states that the following projects should not be completed until the CRL is in place:



68

Quay Street Boulevard (phase 2)and package of improvements including Customs Street, Beach Road, etc

Ibid page 116 Draft ITP, Appendix E 70 CCMP, page 159 71 Draft ITP, Appendix E 72 CCMP, pages 168-9 69

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Victoria Street linear park (final)



Hobson Street/Nelson Street upgrade/two waying (final)



QE2 Square Upgrade73.

7.9.9

50

Conclusions on Private Vehicles

Section 6 referred to the land aspirations for the city centre. The proposals for private vehicles within the city centre are focusing on reducing the capacity for private vehicles within the city centre, not increasing capacity and this will increase the importance of other modes of transport.

7.10 Couriers, deliveries and taxis We expect that courier, delivery, and taxi operations will become more important over time, for the following reasons:



Courier and deliveries are essential to serve businesses. As the level of employment and therefore business activity increases in the city centre, the number of courier and delivery trips can be expected to increase



Section 6 above noted that the proportion of people driving to work in the city centre is expected to decrease over time. If people do not have cars at work, it is likely that a greater proportion of trips during the day will be made by taxi, especially for short inner city trips.

Taxi ranks may need to be relocated, or more potentially put in place, with the implementation of some projects such as the proposed Quay Street Waterfront Boulevard and the potential for Queen Street becoming a shared space.

7.11 Freight Freight traffic will be impacted by general traffic congestion on freight/overdimension routes. As noted in Section 7.9, traffic demands are expected to increase, in and around the city centre and this will adversely affect the efficient movement of freight.

One potential project which would benefit freight would be Grafton Gully Stage 3, which would include grade separation of Stanley Street, through to the Strand. This long term project has been considered a possibility for some time but it is not currently being progressed. We understand that a new study into how to best provide access to the Port is underway, and the Auckland Plan states that improved rail and road access to the Port is to be constructed between 2021 and 2030 74. It would benefit the significant number of trucks heading via SH16 to/from the Port and would further reduce the need for freight to pass through the city centre.

73 74

Ibid Auckland Plan, page 334

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7.12 Coaches We expect that future coach operations will potentially increase as tourist numbers visiting New Zealand increase. Coach pick up/drop off points may need to be relocated with the implementation of some projects, such as the proposed Nelson Street and Hobson Street Two-Waying, Quay Street Waterfront Boulevard, and the potential for Queen Street becoming a shared space.

7.13 Emergency Vehicles The following sections refer to the anticipated effects of the CRL project on emergency vehicles, during the operational and construction stages. Clearly emergency vehicles need ready access throughout the city centre and they need to be able to get past congestion, when necessary.

Key locations for emergency services, of relevance to the CRL project are:



The St Johns ambulance depot on the western side of Pitt Street



The fire station on the eastern side of Pitt Street



The central police station on the corner of Cook Street/Vincent Street



The Auckland hospital, off Park Road/Grafton Road



The District Court, off Albert Street.

7.14 Traffic Modelling The future Do Minimum SATURN traffic model includes the following projects that have been completed but which were not in the base (2010) model:



The Victoria Park Tunnel



Signalisation of the intersection of Wellesley Street/Princes Street



A “Barnes Dance” phase at Victoria Street/Federal Street intersection



A “Barnes Dance” pedestrian phase at the Albert Street/Quay Street intersection



Additional signal phases associated with the use of Queens Wharf, at the Quay Street/Queen Street intersection.

The future Do Minimum SATURN traffic model also includes the following projects that are yet to be implemented:



A “Barnes Dance” pedestrian phase at the Albert Street/Victoria Street intersection



The proposal for a shared space environment along Federal Street, including signalisation of the intersection of Wellesley Street/Federal Street



Changes to the layout at the intersections of Fanshawe Street with Halsey Street and Beaumont Street, as anticipated by the Wynyard Quarter Transport Plan



The future model also includes increases in vehicle demands that are broadly consistent with the predictions from the Auckland Plan version of the ART model, along with the changes to the bus network and services outlined in this section.

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The model also assumes that the Wellington Street on ramp is reopened in the future. This is consistent with NZTA’s recent announcement regarding the future use of this ramp.

The predicted operation of the network in 2021 is summarised in Appendices B and C, in terms of the predicted journey times along certain routes within the city centre. The main question for this assessment relates to the effects of the CRL, so further details on the predicted operation are set out in Sections 8 and 9 below.

8 ASSESSMENT OF OPERATIONAL TRANSPORT EFFECTS OF THE CRL Section 7 above set out the projects and initiatives that will affect the future situation with or without the CRL. This section considers the long term effects of the implementation of the CRL on the transport networks of the city centre. The following Section, Section 9, deals with the CRL project impacts during construction.

8.1 The CRL Project and Development of the Rail Network The CRL will provide an underground connection between Britomart Station and the North Auckland Line near Mount Eden. This will allow the Auckland City Centre rail network to operate with through trains and the Britomart Station will no longer act as a terminus for all services. This will allow higher train frequencies across the entire rail network.

The CRL will allow rail services to provide direct access to the heart of the city centre at between 3 and 5 minute intervals at peak periods.

The penetration of rail, following completion of the CRL, is shown in Figure 20 below. A comparison of this figure with Figure 18 (without the CRL) demonstrates that the CRL will significantly increase the proportion of the city centre which is within reach of the rail network (i.e. within 800m of a rail station), through the provision of the Aotea, Karangahape and Newton Stations.

Technical Report to support Assessment of Environmental Effects (City Rail Link Notice of Requirement): Integrated Transport Assessment Figure 20: 800m Walking Catchment around Rail Stations, following completion of CRL

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8.2 Development of the Rail Network Figure 21 below shows the proposed rail network plan with CRL with a nominal horizon time of 2021, which is assumed to be shortly after the opening of the CRL. Figure 21: 2021 Proposed Auckland Rail Network Plan with CRL

8.3 Overall Effects of Project The overall effects of the CRL project, in terms of the differences in demands by public transport, have been derived from the APT model (see Section 4.2 above). The model indicates that the CRL will lead to a total increase of around 18,000 public transport trips during the two hour morning peak period, in 204175. An increase of around 10,000 public transport trips heading into the city centre is also

75

Auckland Transport (2011), “City Rail Link: Comparison of Transport Benefits and Patronage Forecasts�, Table 4

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predicted76. This covers rail, bus and ferry use, so this does not indicate the total increase in rail trips, as some transfer from bus to rail can be expected (see Section 8.4 below).

These increases relate to tests without and with the CRL which assume the same land uses. This will underestimate the potential benefits of the CRL, as the draft ITP notes that the CRL project is a “place shaping opportunity” which is expected to drive new commercial and residential development77. The 2011 paper by Auckland Transport included the results of tests with increases in employment of +5,000 and +20,000 persons, resulting from the CRL78.

8.4 Trains As noted in Section 8.1 above, the CRL will significantly increase the penetration of rail through the city centre and it will remove the existing bottlenecks in the rail system.

Expected changes in travel times to future City Rail Link stations are included below in Table 7.

Table 7: Expected Changes in Travel Times with CRL 79

Travel Times to the Future City Centre Rail Link Stations From

To Intended Location

Travel by Train (minutes) Before CRL

After CRL

Reduction in Travel Time

% Improvement in Travel Times

New Lynn

Aotea Station

51

23

28

55%

Morningside

Aotea Station

39

14

25

64%

Onehunga

Karangahape Road Station

47

27

20

43%

Manukau Centre

Karangahape Road Station

61

42

19

31%

Newmarket

Aotea Station

27

10

17

63%

Panmure

Newton Station

40

27

13

33%

The table indicates significant reductions in travel times, due to the following:



The provision of services to a greater proportion of the city centre, significantly reducing the walk distances between the rail station and a person’s origin or destination (such as a place of work, or home)



The removal of the current requirement to turn services around on the Western Line at Newmarket in order to get to Britomart



A reduction in the need to transfer (e.g. between rail and bus) at Britomart to head up town.

bid, table 5 77 Draft ITP, Appendix E 78 Auckland Transport (2011), “City Rail Link: Comparison of Transport Benefits and Patronage Forecasts”, Appendix B 79 Auckland Plan (2012), Table 13.1

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The CRL will also lead to the removal of the level crossings along the Western Line, between Newmarket and Sandringham Road, with grade separated crossings to be provided at Normanby Road and Porters Avenue.

As a result of the above improvements to the rail system, the APT model predicts increases in rail patronage, to/from the Auckland city centre. The number of persons using rail to head into the city centre in the 2041 morning peak period is predicted to increase from 11,400 without the CRL to 23,800 with the CRL. The proposed access to/from each of the stations and the forecast patronage at each location is set out in Section 8.7 below.

8.5 Buses The following paragraphs set out the current proposals for buses around each of the stations, noting that, as stated above, the details will emerge over time, as the CRL is integrated to the transport system.

8.5.1

Aotea Station

In the vicinity of Aotea Station bus stops are currently located:



Victoria Street - in the eastbound direction, bus stops are located on both sides of Albert Street, and in the westbound direction bus stops are located west of Albert Street



Wellesley Street – in both directions, bus stops are located west of Albert Street



Albert Street – in the southbound direction, bus stops are located between Wellesley Street and Victoria Street, and in the northbound direction, bus stops are located north of Wellesley Street.

It is anticipated that the bus stops listed above may be supplemented by additional stops, in the vicinity of the station.

8.5.2

Karangahape Road Station

In the vicinity of Karangahape Road Station bus stops are currently located on Karangahape Road. In the eastbound direction bus stops are located west of Pitt Street, and in the westbound direction bus stops are located both sides of Pitt Street.

It is anticipated that the bus stops listed above will be supplemented by additional stops on both sides of Pitt Street, immediately outside the station entrance.

8.5.3

Newton Station

In the vicinity of Newton Station bus stops are currently located:



New North Road – bus tops are located west of Mount Eden Road in both the eastbound and westbound directions



Mount Eden Road – bus stops are located some 100 m south of the proposed station location, on both sides of the road.

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It is anticipated that the bus stops listed above may be supplemented by additional stops, in the vicinity of the station.

8.6 Cycles It is anticipated that the provision of cycle facilities will be incorporated into the detailed design features for all of the proposed new stations.

8.7 Pedestrians The 400 m and 800 m pedestrian catchments around the proposed CRL stations were shown in Figure 20. This figure establishes the broad area of interest in terms of the provision for pedestrians.

Reinstatement of the areas around the stations post construction to support anticipated pedestrian volumes will be guided by the principles outlined in Appendix 9 of the 2012 Urban Design Framework which also supports the NoR documentation.

8.7.1

Britomart Station

The CRL is expected to lead to a significant increase in rail patronage in and out of the city centre.

However, the APT model predicts that the CRL will reduce persons using Britomart station, due to the provision of the three additional stations within the city centre. These stations will disperse rail users in more convenient locations around Aotea, Karangahape Road and in the Newton/Mount Eden area.

For example, in the morning peak period in 2041, the number of persons alighting at Britomart is expected to decrease from around 8,500 over two hours to 8,000. This reduction is clearly due to the alternative stations being provided.

8.7.2

Aotea Station

The APT model indicates that Aotea station is predicted to attract around 10,550 persons alighting and 2,350 persons boarding in the morning peak period in 2041.

Figure 22 below shows the station location, with indicative entrance locations denoted by the orange arrows. It is proposed that entrances are to be located on Wellesley Street and Victoria Street.

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Figure 22: Aotea Station – Proposed Entrance Locations80

Proposals for the Aotea Station include:



Station entrances on both the northern and southern sides of Victoria and Wellesley Streets



The lower level of Albert Street between Victoria Street and Wellesley Street (i.e. the service lane which serves the Crowne Plaza hotel) will be retained



As noted previously in Section 7, the future ‘without CRL’ scenario assumes the provision of a “Barnes Dance” pedestrian crossing at the intersection of Victoria Street and Albert Street

In addition to the above proposals, a number of further opportunities exist:



There is an opportunity to upgrade pedestrian access along the eastern side of Albert Street, and as such it is recommended that a generous footpath be provided as part of the reinstatement works between Wellesley Street and Victoria Street



For the intersection of Wellesley Street and Albert Street the proposed retention of the service lane along the lower level of Albert Street in its current location will be likely to adversely affect the ability to provide a “Barnes Dance” pedestrian crossing facility. However, there may be the ability to provide additional pedestrian priority at this intersection in the future should an appropriate solution to this intersection be designed at a later stage. This would additionally need to be balanced with traffic demands, as Wellesley Street is proposed to become more important in terms of bus movements. This option is specifically considered at Section 8.9 below.

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2012 Concept Design Report, Appendix C

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Karangahape Road Station

The APT model indicates that the Karangahape Road Station will to attract around 4,200 persons alighting and 1,650 persons boarding in the morning peak period in 2041.

Figure 23 below shows the location of the Karangahape Road Station, with indicative entrance locations denoted by the orange arrows. The main station entrance will be located in Beresford Square, with a proposed secondary entrance from Mercury Lane.

Figure 23: Karangahape Road Station – Proposed Entrance Locations 81

A number of opportunities exist for Auckland Transport to improve pedestrian amenity in the vicinity of Karangahape Road Station. Among these, Flow recommends:



A mid block crossing on Pitt Street near the station entrance



A “Barnes dance” crossing is currently in operation at the intersection of Karangahape Road and Pitt Street, however, more phase time may need to be allocated to pedestrians with the CRL in place



It is also recommended that Beresford Square be extended past the intersection with Samoa House Lane and be integrated with the station entry to create a high quality urban space.

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2012 Concept Design Report, Appendix C

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Newton Station

The APT model predicts that the Newton Station will attract around 1,900 persons alighting and 1,600 boarding in the morning peak period in 2041.

Figure 24 below shows the location of the Newton Station, with orange arrows indicating indicative station entrance location. The station entrance will be located on the western side of Symonds Street at the intersection of Symonds Street/New North Road/Mount Eden Road.

Figure 24: Newton Station – Proposed Entrance Location 82

The following recommendations are made to improve pedestrian amenity at Newton Station:



Provision of an additional pedestrian crossing across Symonds Street at the intersection of Symonds Street/Mount Eden Road/New North Road, which will mean the intersection will provide for full pedestrian movements



Removal of the free left turn for traffic from Symonds Street onto Khyber Pass Road and provision of a signalised pedestrian crossing over this whole approach and provision of a pedestrian crossing over the left turn movement from Khyber Pass Road at the intersection of Symonds Street/Khyber Pass Road /Newton Road.

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8.8 Private Vehicles 8.8.1

Aotea Station

Proposals for Aotea Station, which will likely impact on private vehicles include the widening of the pavement on the southern side of Victoria Street, to accommodate the indicative station entrance.

This will require road space to be reduced. In addition, the following recommendations are made with regards to private vehicles:



The vehicle entry for pick up/drop offs at the Crown Plaza Hotel should be retained, therefore eliminating long term impacts upon this property



The recommended conversion of the pedestrian crossings at the intersection of Wellesley Street and Albert Street to a “Barnes Dance” arrangement will impact on road capacity. Traffic lanes may also be reduced around stations to accommodate bus stops/taxi ranks and this will also likely impact on traffic capacity. However improved crossing facilities will be required to provide improved accessibility for pedestrians, rail and bus users and cyclists, providing a more balanced transport system within the central city.

8.8.2

Karangahape Road Station

Recommendations for the Karangahape Road Station, which will likely impact on private vehicles include:



It is proposed to close Beresford Street at Pitt Street and locate the station building in this area.

It is also recommended that Beresford Square be extended past the intersection with Samoa House Lane and integrated with the station entry to create a high quality urban space



In addition to the above, any additional pedestrian crossings and additional time allocated to pedestrians at existing crossings will also likely impact on road capacity. Traffic lanes may also be reduced around stations to accommodate bus stops/taxi ranks and this will also likely impact on traffic capacity. However these facilities are required to provide improved accessibility for pedestrians, rail and bus users and cyclists.

8.8.3

Newton Station

Recommendations for Newton Station, which will likely impact on private vehicles include:



Removal of the free left turn for traffic from Symonds Street onto Khyber Pass Road



In addition to the above, any additional pedestrian crossings and additional time allocated to pedestrians at existing crossings will also likely impact on road capacity. Traffic lanes may also be reduced around stations to accommodate bus stops/taxi ranks and this will also likely impact on traffic capacity. However, again, these facilities are required to provide improved accessibility for pedestrians, rail and bus users and cyclists providing a more balanced transport system within the central city.

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8.9 Traffic Modelling The SATURN traffic model has been run without and with the CRL. The with CRL tests include the following changes from the future Do Minimum scenario:



Provision of an additional pedestrian crossing across Symonds Street at the intersection of Symonds Street/Mount Eden Road/New North Road, adjacent to the Newton station



Removal of the free left turn for traffic from Symonds Street onto Khyber Pass and provision of a signalised pedestrian crossing over this whole approach and provision of a pedestrian crossing over the left turn movement from Khyber Pass Road at the intersection of Symonds Street/Khyber Pass Road /Newton Road



Closure of Beresford Square to traffic



A change in the operation of the Karangahape Road (east) approach to the intersection with Pitt Street. Lane two currently operates for through and right turning traffic, but this will need to be changed to through traffic only, due to the narrowing of Pitt Street outside the Karangahape station, which is expected to reduce Pitt Street to a single northbound lane at this point



The introduction of a mid block pedestrian crossing on Pitt Street, adjacent to the Karangahape station.

The above changes have been included in what is referred to in Appendix A as Test 1. Test 2 includes the above changes, plus it also includes the implementation of a “Barnes Dance” pedestrian crossing phase at the Albert Street/Wellesley Street intersection.

It should be noted that no overall changes in traffic demands have been assumed for the traffic model, for example, as a result of the anticipated mode change from car to rail. That is to say, the model only reflects the potential adverse effects of CRL on traffic conditions and it does not reflect the potential positive effects.

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The results of the traffic modelling are summarised at Appendix A, in terms of the predicted changes in traffic flows as a result of the measures associated with the CRL project, and the effects of the CRL on critical intersections. These results indicate that the measures included within Test 1 will have modest effects in terms of reassignment of traffic (Figure 28 to Figure 31) and travel times within the city centre (Table 10 and Table 11)83.

The plots at Figure 36 and Figure 37 indicate that the reductions in capacity anticipated at the intersections of Symonds Street/Khyber Pass Road/Newton Road and New North Road/Mount Eden Road will affect non critical turning movements.

The results for Test 2 indicate that the potential “Barnes dance� crossing at the Albert Street/Wellesley Street intersection will have greater traffic effects (Figure 32 to Figure 35). Increases in journey times of around two minutes are predicted, northbound on Albert Street in the evening peak, with other increases on Albert Street and on Wellesley Street generally around one to one and a half minutes (Table 10 and Table 11). However, as noted in Section 8.7.2, this proposal should still be considered further, as it will improve pedestrian accessibility in the vicinity of the proposed Aotea Station.

8.10 Couriers, Deliveries and Taxis It is anticipated that taxi ranks will be provided at all stations.

The completion of the CRL is likely to benefit courier and delivery movements, through the removal of some car trips from the networks. The adverse effects in the vicinity of the CRL stations are likely to be modest, according to the traffic model results summarised in Section 8.9 above.

8.11 Freight As above, the completion of the CRL is likely to benefit freight, through the removal of some car trips from the networks. The adverse effects in the vicinity of the CRL stations are likely to be modest, according to the traffic model results summarised in Section 8.9 above.

8.12 Coaches The CRL project is unlikely to affect coach operations in the city centre.

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It is accepted that the journey time routes in these tables were selected primarily to establish the potential construction effects, which are discussed in Section 9. The results for the same routes are provided for the CRL operational tests are provided for consistency

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8.13 Emergency Vehicles As above, the completion of the CRL is likely to benefit emergency vehicles, through the removal of some car trips from the networks. The adverse effects in the vicinity of the CRL stations are likely to be modest, according to the traffic model results summarised in Section 8.9 above.

It is noted that the St Johns ambulance depot and the fire station are both located off Pitt Street and are therefore located very close to the proposed Karangahape Road station, but the effects of the CRL project in this area, including the closure of access from Beresford Square onto Pitt Street, should not significantly affect the accessibility of emergency vehicles.

8.14 Summary of recommendations In addition to the proposals included within the CDR, and the general proposals outlined above, the following specific opportunities are recommended for investigation at subsequent stages of the project development:



The widening of the footpath on the eastern side of Albert Street, between Wellesley Street and Victoria Street



The provision of improved pedestrian crossing facilities at the intersection of Albert Street and Wellesley Street, possibly with a “Barnes Dance” crossing



A mid block pedestrian crossing on Pitt Street, near the main entrance to the Karangahape Station



The allocation of more phase time to the “Barnes Dance” pedestrian crossing at the intersection of Karangahape Road and Pitt Street



The extension of Beresford Square past the intersection with Samoa House Lane, and the integration of the station entry to create a high quality urban space



Provision of an additional pedestrian crossing at the intersection of Symonds Street, New North Road and Mount Eden Road



Removal of the free left turn for traffic from Symonds Street onto Khyber Pass Road and provision of a signalised pedestrian crossing over this whole approach and provision of a pedestrian crossing over the left turn movement from Khyber Pass Road, at the intersection of Symonds Street/Khyber Pass Road /Newton Road.

9 ASSESSMENT OF TRANSPORT EFFECTS OF CONSTRUCTING CRL Section 8 provided an assessment of the CRL project in the operational phase, i.e. after completion of construction. This section considers the temporary transport effects during the construction phase, and is largely based upon work summarised in the Concept Design Report.

It should be noted that the overall construction of the CRL could take approximately 5 years. However under the current construction methodology, the cut and cover trench from Britomart to Aotea Station, as well as the Aotea Station box, could be completed in considerably less time. The remainder of the construction time will be used to complete the tracks, signalling and electrification, and to fit

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out the subterranean stations. As such the major disruptions within the city centre will not be imposed upon the full construction programme.

Figure 25 illustrates the indicative construction methodology.

Figure 25: Stylised Construction Methodology84

9.1 Transport related risks during construction to be mitigated The following adverse effects are likely to impact upon transport users and operators in and around Auckland’s city centre during the construction phase, and these are the effects to be mitigated where possible:



Reduced vehicle mobility, i.e. the ability to easily move through the roading network Increase in congestion, queuing and delay for road users



Requirement to use alternative and potentially longer traffic routes to reach destinations



Reduction in on street parking



Uncertainty in trip reliability



Confusion and unfamiliarity regarding altered road network and usual pedestrian pathways



Impacts on private property access



Health and safety risks caused by driver confusion and being in close vicinity to construction sites

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2012 Concept Design Report, Figure 5-1

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Increased movement of construction vehicles to and from each construction site



Inconvenience and confusion due to the relocation of bus stops



Construction works reducing the amenity of adjacent bus passenger waiting areas

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An anticipated construction staging programme would isolate these effects to certain areas at certain times, as is to be expected as a result of a large scale inner city development and its associated construction impacts.

In terms of construction vehicle traffic, three of the five construction areas are expected to generate only moderate volumes of construction vehicles. Daily construction vehicle volumes are expected to be 100 trucks per day or less (approximately 10 per hour). Anticipated exceptions to this are the Downtown Shopping Centre construction staging site from where Albert Street cut and cover spoil is to be removed, and the tunnel staging area at the NAL where the tunnelling spoil is expected to be removed. The scale of these potential effects is discussed in Sections 9.4 and 9.8 below.

A more detailed discussion of likely construction effects for each section of CRL construction follows.

9.2 Area Wide Mitigation One of the key measures to minimise the adverse effects about the city centre is the ability to minimise single occupant private vehicle trips into the city centre. This is likely to be a key component of any advertising campaigns undertaken as part of the lead in into the construction phase, and will be something that will need to be continually reinforced throughout the construction period.

This mitigation may include some of the following travel demand management measures:



Restricting access to certain parts of the city centre. This is of particular importance to Albert Street with this corridor being most affected during construction. Alternative routes and detours will need to be put in place and regularly managed and updated throughout the construction period



Parking management. For example, the amount of early bird parking at the Auckland Transport car parks, in particular Downtown, Victoria Street and Civic, or the timing of the early bird incentives could be altered during the construction period. It could also extend to the provision of park and ride sites and suitable locations outside the city centre, adjacent to public transport nodes



Encouraging greater use of public transport, even though a number of bus services are expected to be affected during construction. To that end, public transport operation will need to be prioritised over other modes of travel in order to safeguard travel times through the city centre.

This could result in temporary bus lanes at some key intersections



Changes to the phasing and operation of the traffic signals within the city centre to accommodate changes in travel patterns through the city centre or to respond to the temporary layouts.

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9.3 Quay Street/Britomart/Customs Street Cut and cover construction would be utilised where Britomart Station is to extend beneath Queen Street and QE2 square. Construction will require temporary works on Queen Street, between Galway Street and Tyler Street, maintaining at least one lane of vehicle traffic at all times.

While Britomart Station construction works are scheduled to take some 3½ years, works requiring temporary access arrangements will only be carried out for a portion of this time.

9.3.1

Train Services

Britomart Station is intended to remain open for the duration of the construction period. However, pedestrian access to Britomart will be inconvenienced by the works. In addition, some train services may be forced to cease temporarily for short durations during off peak, weekend and public holiday periods.

In particular, it is understood that passengers entering and exiting Britomart Station may need to be diverted via the eastern access from Commerce Street. This will require a re-direction of pedestrians about Customs Street and/or Galway Street, dependant on the future construction sequencing in this area. The effects on pedestrian routes are discussed further, below.

9.3.2

Buses

Eleven existing bus stops lie on Queen Street, between Customs Street and Quay Street, serving as the city terminus for a number of bus routes. These routes generally incorporate this section of Queen Street as part of a turnaround circuit between inbound and outbound runs. Maintaining one vehicle lane operating through this section of Queen Street, as well as bus stops on Queen Street on either side of the construction area, will enable some routes to continue operating during construction.

However delays can be expected and a number of bus stops will require relocating elsewhere, possibly to Commerce Street. It is anticipated that this will be achievable given the proposed construction methodology outlined in the 2012 CDR. The streets immediately around Britomart Station are also important for bus stops, bus circulation and short term layover. Tyler Street and Galway Street cater for a number of bus stops, as does Commerce Street.

We understand that some works may affect both Tyler Street and Galway Street, but that it is anticipated that only one of these east-west streets would be closed at a time. This will enable some bus stops and circulation to be maintained on one of these routes at a time. The use of the east west streets will need to be carefully linked to the construction within Queen Street, to enable this circulation to be maintained. Where possible, bus services and bus stops affected during construction should be relocated as close to their current locations as is practicable.

Options for temporary bus stops and bus routes around the Britomart Station include the use of Quay Street, Lower Albert Street, Commerce Street, Customs Street, Queen Street, and Gore Street. The use of these routes for additional bus stops or bus services may require the temporary removal of on street parking and/or loading from these streets, to necessitate the necessary kerb space to enable the services to continue operating from this area.

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During construction it will be important to ensure there is a suitable space for turning buses around and layover and not just bus stops. There are a number of options for achieving this, including allowing “managed” bus passage through the construction area (via a stop-go type arrangement) or creating separate layover space and/or stops nearby.

Figure 26: Britomart Sector Bus Turnaround

Customs Street, and to a lesser degree Quay Street, form important east-west connections in the bus network (see Figure 19) and it is vital that capacity for bus movements is retained on these two streets.

This could mean dedicated space needs to be given over to bus services and bus stops on one street or partial space on both streets. It would be very difficult to provide a timely and efficient bus services if both these routes are closed to buses at the same time. The likely delay would reduce the attractiveness of buses for commuter trips and may lead to additional vehicle trips into the city centre, which would be a poor outcome, particularly during the construction period.

9.3.3

Cycles

Auckland Transport’s published cycle network map does not list the section of Queen Street in question as a cycle route. However, it does document a cycle parking facility on the north end of QEII Square, and the route forms a key link for cyclists to and from the ferry terminal and city centre.

Access to this facility and to the ferry terminal from the south will be affected by the on street works, and temporary cyclist access should be provided.

9.3.4

Pedestrians

Queen Street is currently a very important pedestrian precinct. Lower Queen Street in the Britomart precinct is a critical thoroughfare as it provides access to buses, trains and the Ferry terminal. It is vital that safe and efficient pedestrian facilities are provided linking to this key public transport hub.

To maintain this pedestrian access it is recommended that a direct pedestrian route through Queen Street/QE2 Square should be maintained during construction if possible. If it is not possible to provide direct pedestrian access through Queen Street/QE2 Square at all times, then access should only be

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limited for short periods outside of the peak travel hours and during this time a suitable alternative will need to be found for the times access is limited. The street network in the area is a grid and creates opportunities for temporary diversions, but these should be used as a last resort. However by way of a construction operating protocol, it is recommended safe and practicable pedestrian access to the Britomart Station, as well as to the Downtown Ferry Terminal, be maintained throughout the construction works in this area.

Pedestrian access to Britomart Station is currently predominantly via the main, west access on Queen Street, with a secondary access to the eastern end of the station platforms. The indicative construction programme outlined in the 2012 CDR anticipates that pedestrians may need to be diverted to the eastern entrance during certain periods of time and notes that capacity may be restricted. Managing the capacity constraints at the eastern approach will need to be determined as part of the Construction Environmental Management Plan as outlined in the Environmental Management Plan Framework supporting the NoR. 9.3.5

Private Vehicles

Quay Street and Customs Street are important East-West arterials for the northern part of the city centre. It will be important to retain as much capacity as possible (for buses as well as cars) during the construction period. As such, changes to Quay Street or Customs Street that would significantly affect capacity (such as the long term CCMP proposals for Quay Street) should be delayed until after construction has been finished on the Britomart to Aotea Station cut and cover tunnel Queen Street (between Tyler Street and Galway Street)is currently closed to private vehicles so temporary works during construction will not significantly impact on car movements. Temporary closures may also be imposed upon Tyler and Galway Street (not concurrently), but neither closure will have significant effects on general traffic. There is potential to utilise each of these roads for private cars temporarily, to form part of a diversion network to take traffic away from a construction area.

9.3.6

Couriers, Deliveries and Taxis

Operation of the existing taxi stand on Galway Street need not be directly affected by the proposed temporary works on Queen Street, which would lie to the north of Galway Street. However, delays may be incurred due to exiting onto Queen Street, to the south of the construction area.

Courier and service vehicle access to properties will not be affected, as these vehicles are not currently permitted on the section of Queen Street between Tyler Street and Galway Street that is to be closed.

However, delays may again be indirectly incurred.

9.3.7

Freight

Similarly, freight movements will not be affected, as these vehicles are not currently permitted on the section of Queen Street in question. The removal of spoil from the Britomart and Queen Street construction areas is discussed in Section 9.4.6.

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Coaches

Coach use of this section of Queen Street will be affected by the proposed temporary works, with coaches wishing to access Britomart and the ferry terminal in particular being affected. Alternative routes such as Commerce Street to the east, and Lower Albert Street to the west may be sought.

Other nearby coach destinations such as the Hilton Hotel are more likely to be served by Lower Hobson Street and are thus less likely to be directly affected.

9.3.9

Emergency Services

Emergency service access to Quay Street may be restricted during the construction period. Use of alternative routes would need to be communicated with the emergency services through the development of a TMP for construction.

9.4 Albert Street The indicative construction methodology outlined in the 2012 CDR anticipates that the length of tunnel beneath Albert Street, from the Downtown Shopping Centre to Aotea Station, will be constructed by cut and cover. The indicative methodology proposes the retention of a single lane in each direction.

North of Victoria Street a single traffic lane is to be provided on either side of the construction zone, while south of Victoria Street two lanes are to be provided (one in each direction), firstly on the eastern side of Albert Street and then on the western side.

It is proposed in the 2012 CDR that excavation would commence at the Downtown Shopping Centre and run southwards, terminating at Aotea Station.

The proposed works are anticipated to affect the intersection of Albert Street with Customs Street, requiring phased restrictions at the intersection. Works at the intersection, which are likely to be confined to one quadrant of the intersection at a time, will restrict east-west traffic capacity through the city centre. As such, these works should not be carried out at the same time as any similarly significant restrictions on east-west capacity at the Albert Street intersections with either Victoria Street or Wellesley Street (see Section 9.5).

Vehicle movement across Albert Street will not be possible between Customs Street and Victoria Street during the cut and cover period of construction.

The total duration of this section of construction is estimated to take some 2½ years, and may coincide with works at QE2 square, Britomart and Queen Street. The construction methodology anticipates Lower Albert Street and the Downtown Shopping Centre would be used as a staging area for these sections of construction. This may require the closure of Lower Albert Street to southbound traffic, and the restriction of northbound traffic to a single lane, again to be determined closer to the time of construction.

9.4.1

Buses

With the diminished role that Albert Street is expected to have for bus routing by 2016 as a result of Auckland Transport’s proposed network plans (see Figure 19), it is considered that the proposed

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restrictions upon Albert Street traffic are likely to have less significant impact on bus operations than would currently be the case. However, some of the remaining Albert Street bus services may require rerouting, either via Queen Street or Nelson Street/Hobson Street.

As noted above, it is anticipated that two traffic lanes (one in each direction) will be maintained on Albert Street throughout construction. This will require the temporary removal of bus priorities along the route.

Customs Street is a major east-west route for buses, and any temporary works at the intersection with Albert Street has the potential to significantly disrupt bus services. Temporary rerouting of some of these services via Quay Street may be required. However due to the grid road network within the area, this is considered to be an acceptable option.

9.4.2

Cycles

Albert Street’s shared bus and cycle lanes would cease to operate during construction. Cyclists would require redirection to Federal Street and Queen Street. As such, alternative routes would need to be recommended in the TMP. 9.4.3

Pedestrians

It is anticipated that pedestrian footpaths will be able to remain open on both sides of Albert Street during all stages of construction, maintaining pedestrian access to Albert Street properties and to remaining bus stops. However, footpath widths will be reduced to a minimum width of 1.5m.

When there are restrictions in place at the intersection of Albert Street, Customs Street and Fanshawe Street, this could mean that one or more pedestrian crossing movements may be closed and the traffic signal phasing will need to be adjusted accordingly.

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Private Vehicles

The anticipated cut and cover construction along Albert Street is to proceed with a single lane on traffic on either side of the construction zone. Between Wyndham Street and Victoria Street, the southbound traffic lane will use the lower part of Albert Street (i.e. the service road down to and up from Durham Street).

In theory, restricting Albert Street traffic to a single lane in each direction need not significantly impact on private vehicle through trips, as Albert Street is already restricted to a single lane in each direction during peak hours, on the midblock sections. However, there is currently greater than one lane at the approaches to all major intersections, so the restrictions will reduce the capacity along and across the route. This is particularly the case as the on street restrictions will require a reduction in the speed environment and changes to a less efficient traffic signal phasing at the main signalised intersections along the route. Some reassignment via Nelson Street/Hobson Street is therefore expected (see Section 9.9 below). Both of these alternative routes have sufficient capacity to absorb these diversions, north of Cook Street.

The anticipated cut and cover construction along Albert Street, with a single lane on traffic on either side of the construction zone, will mean that movements across Albert Street and right turn movements will not be possible, between Customs Street and Victoria Street. This will inhibit movement primarily at the Wyndham Street and Swanson Road intersections.

Table 8 and Table 9 document the main premises with access to Albert Street, between Customs Street and Victoria Street. Below this, Figure 27 illustrates the properties. Access to all properties will be maintained, but as noted above, certain movements will not directly be possible, but will be restricted to left in, left out manoeuvres to either the temporary northbound or southbound carriageway along Albert Street.

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Table 8: Properties adjacent to the eastern side of Albert Street

Road

Location

Properties

Access Provided

Customs Street to Mills Lane

Quay West Suites’ pick up and drop off area

Access to be maintained, left in and left out, for southbound traffic

Mills Lane to Swanson Street

The Stamford Plaza’s porte cochère

Access to be maintained, left in and left out, for southbound traffic

Swanson Street to Wyndham Street

The Wilson Parking building at #38 and the APN mailroom/yard at #58

Access to be maintained, left in and left out, for southbound traffic

Wyndham Street to Durham Street West

Upper level egress from the Tournament City Centre Parking building

Upper level egress to be closed. Lower level egress to be maintained via Durham Street West

Durham Street West to Victoria Street

The Durham Street Wilson Parking building

Both access and egress available from Durham Street West

Mills Lane

All

The basement parking levels of the Stamford Plaza, Quay West Suites, APN, BNZ, IAG and Westpac buildings, as well as multiple minor goods vehicle accesses

Access to be maintained, left in and left out, for southbound traffic

Swanson Street

East of Albert Street

None, but provides access to Mills Lane (see above)

n/a

Durham Street West

All, including Durham Lane

Egress from the Tournament City Centre and Durham Street Wilson Parking buildings, the City Life Hotel porte cochere and basement parking, and the Best Western President basement parking. Access is retained via Durham Street West’s one way access on Queen Street.

Both access and egress available from Durham Street West

Albert Street

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Table 9: Properties adjacent to the western side of Albert Street

Road

Location

Properties

Alternative Accesses Available

Customs Street to Wolfe Street

None

n/a

Wolfe Street to Swanson Street

None

n/a

Swanson Street to Wyndham Street

The small scale parking building at #57

Access to be maintained, left in and left out, for northbound traffic

Wyndham Street to Kingston Street

None

n/a

Kingston Street to Victoria Street

The basement parking level of the Albert Plaza building at #87, as well as several minor accesses

Access to be maintained, left in and left out, for northbound traffic

Wolfe Street

Between Federal Street and Albert Street

Egress from several minor goods vehicle accesses

Left out to be retained onto Albert Street

Kingston Street

Between Federal Street and Albert Street

Egress from one minor goods vehicle access

Left out to be retained onto Albert Street

Albert Street

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Figure 27: Albert Street – Properties Gaining Access off Albert Street

9.4.5

Couriers, Deliveries and Taxis

The existing taxi stand on Albert Street, southbound between Mills Lane and Swanson Street, will be inoperable during stages of the construction, and a temporary location would be required. Less directly impacted will be the taxi stands on Customs Street, eastbound, east of Albert Street and Quay Street westbound, west of Albert Street.

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Access to on street loading zones either side of Albert Street will be affected during construction.

9.4.6

Freight

Customs Street, Fanshawe Street and Albert Street south of Customs Street, are all listed as routes available for overdimension vehicles and loads. Restricting Albert Street to a single lane in each direction and restricting traffic movements through the intersection of these streets will require rerouting of these vehicles.

QEII Square, as well as the existing Downtown Shopping Centre, should the latter not be redeveloped prior to CRL construction, will be used as the main northern construction site. This will require regular heavy vehicle movements, which are expected to operate 6 days a week.

Spoil to be removed from the Britomart, Queen Street, Downtown Shopping Centre and Albert Street construction areas is estimated to result in a maximum of 256 trucks per day (approximately up to 26 per hour85). However, this has assumed a worst case scenario where all excavations occur simultaneously; it is likely some excavations will be sequential and therefore that total truck movements will be lower. Excavations are expected to occur intermittently over a period of approximately 2½ years as the various stages of construction are carried out.

9.4.7

Coaches

Coach access to the Quay West Suites and Stamford Plaza on Albert Street will be maintained, via left in, left out movements for southbound traffic. Indirectly, coach access to other destinations such as the Copthorne Hotel on Quay Street may be affected by the restrictions at the intersection of Albert Street, Customs Street and Fanshawe Street.

9.4.8

Emergency Services

Emergency service access to properties on Albert Street will be restricted during the construction period. Similarly, emergency services bound for other locations may be delayed on Albert Street, unable to bypass queued traffic due to the temporarily narrow configuration. The restrictions at the intersection of Albert Street, Customs Street and Fanshawe Street will similarly affect emergency service access. Use of alternative routes would need to be discussed with emergency services when preparing the TMP.

9.5 Aotea Station Aotea Station will be located beneath Albert Street and is to extend across the Albert Street intersections with both Wellesley Street and Victoria Street. Construction is to be cut and cover. This would require the restriction of Albert Street traffic to two travel lanes through the length of the cut and cover, and sequentially closing first the eastern, then western side of Albert Street.

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The estimates of maximum hourly truck movements are based on the conservative assumption that the maximum hourly flow will be around 10% of the maximum daily flow

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Pedestrian footpaths are to remain on each side of Albert Street during both stages. During these closures, access to properties on the eastern side of Albert Street is to be maintained.

It is proposed that temporary works at the Albert Street intersections with both Wellesley Street and Victoria Street will be required. These works are anticipated to restrict both of these routes to a single lane in each direction at times. It is of importance however, that the works at these two sites do not occur at the same time, nor at the same time as works at the Albert Street intersection with Customs Street, in order to maintain east-west connectivity across the city centre on two out of three key corridors at all times. This would additionally allow Victoria Street to be used as an alternative public transport corridor, when Wellesley Street’s capacity is reduced. This is fundamental, given the emerging importance of Wellesley Street for bus movements, as shown in Figure 19.

9.5.1

Buses

As discussed in Section 9.4.1, the role of Albert Street is expected to diminish prior to construction of the CRL. Consequently, the effects of re-routing some or all bus services using this corridor are anticipated to be manageable, given the number of north-south corridors available to accommodate some increases in bus services.

Wellesley Street however is understood to become a critical east-west bus thoroughfare by 2016.

During any works at the Wellesley Street intersection with Albert Street, some bus routes are likely to require rerouting.

Victoria Street is the likely candidate for any bus re-routing, given its existing role within the city centre catering for a number of bus services, including Sandringham Road and Dominion Road services. It therefore may be necessary to maintain any bus stop infrastructure within Victoria Street following any introduction of any new service patterns, until such time that it becomes clear as to the role Victoria Street will play during construction of Aotea Station.

There may also be a need for some bus services to make use of Queen Street, in order to route through the city centre without necessarily passing through the Wellesley Street/Albert Street intersection. Any re-routing via Queen Street may require alterations to the signal phasing, to ensure that buses can easily travel though short sections of Queen Street. This may have some impact on pedestrian priority on Queen Street, but any effects should be minimised as much as practicable.

If bus services are to be relocated to Victoria Street, this corridor will be required to be fully operational whilst the role of Wellesley Street is diminished. In addition to the careful staging of construction of the Aotea Station, ensuring that only one east-west corridor is significantly disrupted at any one time, it may be that the future aspirations for the section of Victoria Street, as signalled in the CCMP, may need to be delayed, at least either side of Albert Street, until such time as it can be determined the exact role Victoria Street will play during the construction of the Aotea Station

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Options also exist to limit private vehicle use of Wellesley Street and/or Victoria Street in order to provide the necessary provision for buses along these corridors as required. Again, any limit to private vehicle use will go some way to reducing the impacts about the construction zone, albeit that the rediversion of traffic away from these areas may place unwanted pressure on other parts of the city centre road network. However this may also go some way to further help in suppressing single occupant private vehicle use during the construction works.

9.5.2

Cycles

Albert Street’s shared bus and cycle lanes would cease to operate during both stages of construction.

Cyclists would need to reroute via Federal Street and Queen Street. Auckland Transport’s published cycle network map documents two existing cycle parking facilities on the west side of Albert Street.

Access to both of these facilities would be maintained via the footpath.

9.5.3

Pedestrians

The existing signalised pedestrian crossing outside the Crowne Plaza hotel would be severed during both stages of the construction. This would force pedestrians to use the adjacent crossing at the intersection of Albert Street/Wellesley Street, approximately 45m to the south.

Pedestrian movements either end of the station box, and at the Albert Street intersections with Victoria Street and Wellesley Street, are all expected to remain in operation. Pedestrian movements along Albert Street’s length are similarly expected to remain open, maintaining access to Albert Street properties.

Temporary changes to the signal phasing will be required as a result of the construction works and the changes in traffic flows anticipated through the intersections. These changes are likely to include introduction of “Barnes Dance” pedestrian crossings, both at the intersections of Albert Street/Victoria Street and Albert Street/Wellesley Street. This is a function of the temporary single lane approaches, which will mean that left turning vehicles that give way to pedestrians crossing the side road (under the current signal phasing arrangement) will impede through vehicles. As noted in Section 7, a “Barnes Dance” phase is assumed to be implemented at the Albert Street/Victoria Street intersection in the Do Minimum scenario.

9.5.4

Private Vehicles

Access to the Crowne Plaza hotel’s porte cochere and off street parking is to be maintained at all times, if necessary by a temporary service lane.

No private vehicle accesses would be affected by closure of the west side of Albert Street.

As noted with the section of Albert Street to the north, restricting Albert Street to a single lane of traffic in each direction may have significant effects, due to the reduction in capacity at the main intersections. Some reassignment of traffic is therefore to be expected, to Nelson Street and Hobson Street. Rerouting between Wellesley Street and Victoria Street will also be expected, depending on which route has restrictions during any temporary phase.

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A staged construction approach at the Albert Street intersections of Victoria Street and Wellesley Street should ensure that a single lane operates in each direction. In addition, temporary works at these two locations should not overlap, in order to maintain reasonable east-west connections at all times.

9.5.5

Couriers, Deliveries and Taxis

There is currently a service lane running parallel with Albert Street on the eastern side between Wellesley Street and Victoria Street. This service lane runs below the level of Albert Street and serves the Crowne Plaza. This service lane will need to be closed during at least one stage of construction, impacting on the operation of this business.

In the case of the west closure, minor service vehicle accesses at numbers 101 to 107 Albert Street would be severed. During each construction stage, courier access to properties on the side of the respective closure would be impacted. With no taxi stands on this section of Albert Street, taxis would only be indirectly affected by the reduced traffic lanes through Albert Street.

9.5.6

Freight

Albert Street is listed as a route for overdimension vehicles, and an alternative route will need to be provided.

Spoil to be removed from the Aotea Station construction area is estimated to result in a maximum of 91 trucks per day (approximately 9 per hour), although actual volumes may be significantly lower.

While total station construction is expected to take approximately four years, excavations are expected to occur over only a portion of this period.

9.5.7

Coaches

Coach access to the existing Crowne Plaza hotel porte cochere would be maintained via the temporary service lane during the closure of the east side of Albert Street. Coaches currently using this section of Albert Street for through trips would be expected to redistribute onto either Queen Street or Nelson Street/Hobson Street.

9.5.8

Emergency Services

Emergency service access to properties on Albert Street will be restricted during each stage of the construction period. Similarly, emergency services bound for other locations may be delayed on Albert Street, unable to bypass queued traffic due to the narrow two lane configuration. Use of alternative routes would need to be discussed with the emergency services when the TMP is being prepared.

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9.6 Karangahape Road Station The proposed Karangahape Road Station is anticipated to be located beneath Pitt Street and Mercury Lane, spanning the intersection with Karangahape Road. The station is proposed to be constructed by mined tunnelling, minimising above ground impacts. Providing access to the mined station, a top down shaft is proposed to be excavated in Beresford Street, requiring the closure of this street to Pitt Street. A secondary top down shaft is proposed on property to be acquired to the west of Mercury Lane. Site access will be provided to both of these sites.

9.6.1

Buses

No bus routes are anticipated to be affected during the construction of this station.

9.6.2

Cycles

Cycle trips through Beresford Street will be disrupted by the construction period. However, this is not currently a significant cyclist route, nor it designated as a route for cyclists on Auckland Transport’s published cycling network map.

9.6.3

Pedestrians

There is likely sufficient road reserve on Beresford Street to maintain at least one pedestrian footpath as well as the construction access area. As such, pedestrian effects are expected to be minor.

9.6.4

Private Vehicles

Access into Beresford Street from Pitt Street is currently closed, allowing traffic only to exit onto Pitt Street. A ready alternative egress from Beresford Street exists onto Hopetoun Street. As such, the effects of the full closure of Beresford Street to Pitt Street will be negligible on private vehicles.

9.6.5

Couriers, Deliveries and Taxis

As for private vehicles.

9.6.6

Freight

Spoil to be removed from the Karangahape Station construction area is estimated to result in a maximum 94 trucks per day (approximately 9 per hour), however actual volumes are likely to be lower.

On site loading and waiting space will be provided on both sites. While total station construction is expected to take approximately three years, excavations are expected to occur over only a portion of this period.

9.6.7

Coaches

As for private vehicles.

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Emergency Services

As noted in Section 7, the St Johns ambulance depot and the fire station are both located close to the Karangahape Road Station, but the mode of construction means that the effects on emergency services in this area are likely to be minor.

9.7 Newton Station The proposed Newton Station, like that at Karangahape Road, has an indicative construction methodology of mined tunnelling, minimising the impacts upon the surface transport network. Two vertically excavated shafts will provide access to the mined station cavern, the first is proposed on the west corner of New North Road, Symonds Street and Basque Street and the second is proposed near the corner of Newton Road and Dundonald Street. Site access is to be provided within the boundaries of these properties.

No temporary road works are proposed in order to access these two off street sites.

9.7.1

Buses

No bus routes are anticipated to be affected during the construction of this station.

9.7.2

Cycles

No cycling routes are to be affected.

9.7.3

Pedestrians

No pedestrian routes to be affected.

9.7.4

Private Vehicles

No roads or private vehicle accesses to be affected.

9.7.5

Couriers, Deliveries and Taxis

As for private vehicles.

9.7.6

Freight

Spoil to be removed from the Newton Station construction area is estimated to result in a maximum of 100 trucks per day (approximately 10 per hour). On site loading and waiting space will be provided on both sites. While total station construction is expected to take approximately three years, excavations are expected to occur over only a portion of this period.

9.7.7

Coaches

As for private vehicles.

9.7.8

Emergency Services

As for private vehicles.

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9.8 Eden Terrace Tunnel Portal and NAL Connections Construction between the tunnel portal and Ruru Street is proposed to be cut and cover, while the 280m section between Ruru Street and Nikau Street likely to be mined, due to utilities clashes. The connection works to the North Auckland Line (NAL), are to be constructed at grade and are mostly within the existing NAL designation.

Works in this area are likely to include the following temporary traffic management measures:



The closure of Ngahura Street during construction



The diversion of traffic from the Porters Avenue level crossing to a temporary level crossing while grade separation is constructed



The restriction of road widths on Haultain Street and Fenton Street



Restriction of traffic on the Mount Eden Road rail overbridge to construct the eastern connection to the NAL



Diversion of traffic to a temporary level crossing while the Normanby Road level crossing is grade separated, similarly to allow the eastern connection to the NAL.

9.8.1

Train Services

Dual line operation of the North Auckland Line (NAL) will be maintained throughout the bulk of the construction period by the construction of temporarily realigned lines. However, temporary closures are anticipated during off peak times (overnight, weekends, public holidays and two to four week periods over a Christmas period). This will require replacement bus services to be operated, resulting in minor disruption to passenger rail services, as these are the normal times that rail services are restricted. This has been the case through the double tracking of the NAL and works required as a result of electrification.

9.8.2

Buses

The works on the Mount Eden Road bridge will need to consider the potential effects on buses.

9.8.3

Cycles

Porters Avenue is not considered to be a cycle route. However the effect of the temporary works on cyclists using Mount Eden Road will need to be considered.

9.8.4

Pedestrians

Temporary pedestrian access is required on Porters Avenue during the diversion of traffic through a temporary level crossing.

The secondary pedestrian access to Mount Eden Station, via Ngahura Street, will be closed during construction. A further existing secondary access, via Porters Avenue and Fenton Street should be maintained.

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Private Vehicles

Some Porters Avenue traffic can be expected to reroute elsewhere to avoid delays at the temporary level crossing. The effects of these diversions are expected to be minor, as the flows on Porters Avenue are not high.

The closure of Ngahura Street is not expected to affect vehicular traffic, as all the properties on this cul-de-sac are understood to be required for the tunnel construction area.

The east facing connection to the NAL will require restrictions to be applied to Mount Eden Road and Normanby Road, resulting in delays to through traffic. The staging of these works will need to be designed to minimise the adverse effects. At Normanby Road, a temporary level crossing is anticipated while grade separation is constructed. At Mount Eden Road, staging will allow a single lane of traffic to operate in each direction. If full closure of these rail crossing is required, such closures should not occur concurrently.

9.8.6

Couriers, Deliveries and Taxis

As for private vehicles.

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Freight

The proposed connection of the CRL with the NAL is expected to be used as the primary construction site for TBM tunnelling operations, and for the cut and cover and mined sections at the southern extent of the CRL. This site will see significant numbers of heavy vehicle movements, which are anticipated to occur at least 6 days a week. Access to this site will be provided via New North Road.

Spoil from the tunnel staging area will be removed from the site and is estimated to be a maximum of 667 daily trucks (approximately 67 per hour). This however represents a worst case scenario, where all stages of excavation are carried out concurrently. In actuality, there is likely to be sequencing of excavations, resulting in lower truck volumes. Secondary site accesses will need to be provided via Onslow Road and Brentwood Avenue.

9.8.8

Coaches

No significant coach destinations are likely to be affected.

9.8.9

Emergency Services

The measures described above will lead to modest effects on emergency services, causing them some delay. As such, discussions need to be undertaken with emergency services in the development of the TMP.

9.9 Traffic Modelling The traffic effects of the construction period of the CRL have been assessed using the SATURN traffic model. The assumptions included within the model have been summarised at Section 4.2 and four construction scenarios have been tested for the year 2021.

Test 1 includes the following measures:



Albert Street restricted to one traffic lane per direction, with no bus priorities and with changes to the signal phasing, to allow full pedestrian crossings to be provided at each of the major intersections (Customs Street, Victoria Street and Wellesley Street)



No movements across Albert Street between Customs Street and Victoria Street. Movements on/off Albert Street will be restricted to left in, left out manoeuvres, to either the northbound or southbound carriageway. The speed environment is assumed to be reduced to 30kph



Victoria Street restricted to one lane per direction through the Albert Street intersection



Beresford Square closed to traffic

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All of the buses on Queen Street (between Quay Street and Customs Street) are assumed to be diverted to Commerce Street



Construction traffic movements (i.e. trucks) as identified in the preceding paragraphs.

Test 2 is generally the same as Test 1, but



“Normal” capacity on Victoria Street across the Albert Street intersection



Wellesley Street restricted to one lane per direction through the Albert Street intersection

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

Roughly half of the future east-west bus routes expected to use Wellesley Street have been diverted to Victoria Street for this test



Roughly half of the buses on Queen Street (between Quay Street and Customs Street) are assumed to be diverted to Commerce Street.

Test 3 is generally the same as Test 2, but



“Normal” capacity on Victoria Street and Wellesley Street across the Albert Street intersections



Customs Street restricted to one lane per direction through the Albert Street intersection.

Test 3a is generally the same as Test 3, except that all buses on Albert Street are assumed to be rerouted to Queen Street. Clearly this test could also be applied to Tests 1 and 2.

It is important to note that each of the above tests assume a reduction in capacity along the entire length of Albert Street at the same time as further restrictions at one of the three key intersections of Albert Street (ie Customs Street, Victoria Street or Wellesley Street). The CDR suggests that the cut and cover works along Albert Street may take place in three stages, which would imply that the capacity of other sections of Albert Street may not be affected at that time. This means that the traffic modelling tests represent a worst case scenario of the likely effects during construction.

The traffic flow difference plots between the future Do Minimum and the construction tests are shown in Figure 39 to Figure 54 in Appendix B. Green lines indicate increases in traffic resulting from each construction test, while blue lines indicate decreases. The main effects are predicted to be reductions on Albert Street, and increases on Hobson Street, Nelson Street, Lower Hobson Street and the western end of Quay Street. Some reassignment is also shown between Victoria Street and Wellesley Street, depending on which route is modelled as having temporary restrictions.

The predicted journey times on Albert Street, Victoria Street and Wellesley Street are summarised in Table 12 and Table 13 at Appendix B. The tables indicate the extent of the increases in journey times that can be anticipated on Albert Street in particular, with the greatest increase predicted to be around seven and a half minutes, northbound on Albert Street in the evening peak with Test 2. Other significant increases are as follows:



Along Victoria Street with Test 1, with the greatest increase being around 4 minutes eastbound in the morning peak



Along Wellesley Street with Test 2, with the greatest increase being over 2 minutes westbound in the morning and evening peaks



Along Customs Street with Test 3, with the greatest increase being around 3 minutes eastbound in the evening peak86.

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It should be noted that these results should be taken to be indicative, as they are heavily dependent on the signal timings assumed. For example, the increase in times eastbound on Customs Street in the evening peak could be reduced, but at the expense of times on one of the other approaches

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Test 3a indicates that removing buses from Albert Street will reduce the adverse effects on journey times along that route.

It should be noted that the tests assume that there is no trip suppression during the CRL construction phase. In reality, some non essential movements can be expected to be removed from the network.

This could mean that some trips will not be made, but it is more likely that some people will change modes (eg from car to bus or rail) during the construction phase, or they may choose to park away from areas that they know are temporarily congested, or they may retime their trips.

10 SUMMARY 10.1 Operational Effects The CRL will significantly improve the Auckland rail network and it is expected to offer the following benefits:



It will address the capacity constraints at Britomart, and enable future increases in rail service frequencies across the whole rail network as well as enabling the addition of new rail lines that may be added to the network in the future (such as rail to the Airport and/or rail to North Shore)



It will enable the entire Auckland city centre to be within a 10 minute walk of a railway station, while enabling many more rail trips across Auckland to take place as a continuous ride, without needing to transfer



It will significantly reduce travel times to and through the city centre and people will have rail access to more parts of the city centre. For example, the time for a public transport trip from New Lynn to the future Aotea Station will decrease from 51 to 23 minutes, while a rail trip from Panmure to New Lynn will decrease from 57 minutes to 43 minutes and may no longer require a change of trains at Britomart



The CRL will provide a significant increase in the transport capacity for trips to/from and within the city centre. This is consistent with the growth aspirations for the city, as expressed in the Auckland Plan87



It will also help reduce the growth of congestion in the central city road network and on key bus corridors. This supports the planned refocusing of the bus network in outer areas to act as feeders to the Rapid Transit Network



The CRL will also lead to the removal of two level crossings along the Western Line, between Newmarket and Sandringham Road, with grade separated crossings to be provided at Normanby Road and Porters Avenue

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Page 265 of the 2012 Auckland Plan states that a significant increase in population is expected to be living within and commuting to and from the city centre, while page 253 of the Plan states that the city centre is expected to be the focus of national and international business, tourism, educational, cultural and civic activities

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In addition, the CRL will improve transport choices in and around the Auckland city centre and assist in reducing the environmental impact of the transport system, which is currently heavily reliant on private vehicles, by providing a reliable alternative. It is consistent with the aim expressed in the Regional Land Transport Strategy and the Auckland Plan, of increasing the public transport mode share for trips entering the city centre.

While the CRL clearly relates to substantial investment in the rail system, it will also be necessary to ensure that the CRL project fully integrates with the adjacent transport networks, in the vicinity of each of the stations, in order to optimise the benefits of the CRL. This means:



The provision of facilities for pedestrians in the vicinity of each of the new rail stations, to respond to the significant increases in pedestrian activity, with a particular emphasis around the proposed Aotea station, as this is anticipated to be the busiest of the new stations. This will need to include safe and convenient pedestrian crossings to the station entrances. In theory these crossings (including additional crossings at certain important intersections) could adversely affect conditions for traffic, but this report indicates that these adverse effects should generally be minor88



The provision of convenient bus stops or interchanges (where appropriate) and taxi facilities at each of the new rail stations. It is likely that this may include changes to the future bus services to respond to the CRL, including reductions in some services where decreases in demands are predicted as a result of the CRL, and increases to services that need to complement or interchange with the CRL.

As a result, a Network Integration Plan should be developed within the Environmental Management Plan. This will need to demonstrate how the CRL will integrate with the various transport networks, particularly around each of the proposed rail stations.

10.2 Construction Effects There is the potential for significant adverse effects on during construction of the CRL. It is primarily these effects that need to be mitigated, and this mitigation is proposed in a variety of means. The first and primary mitigation of effects during construction is through the construction methodology, with the majority of the CRL project to be built underground, without affecting the surface transport networks.

Underground construction is not practical at a number of locations, particularly along Albert Street, between the Downtown shopping centre and Wellesley Street, where cut and cover is proposed along this route. The main transport effects during construction will therefore be along Albert Street.

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The exceptions to this are if “Barnes Dance” pedestrian crossing phases are implemented close to the Aotea station. Such a phase is assumed to be implemented in the Do Minimum scenario at the Albert Street/Victoria Street intersection, and the modelling for this assessment has been run without and with such a pedestrian phase at the Albert Street/Wellesley Street intersection

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The construction effects along and across this route are to be mitigated by the development and implementation of the Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP) as outlined in the Environmental Management Framework (EMF), provided as Appendix 1 to the Assessment of Environmental Effects (AEE). The management of the transport effects that will occur during the construction phase will be outlined in the detailed Traffic Management Plans (TMP) which support the CEMP. The details of the TMP will only be provided at that time, but it is recommended that the Environmental Management Plan (EMP), CEMP and subsequent TMP include the following concepts:



Movement is to be retained along Albert Street throughout construction, with the retention of one traffic lane per direction



Local access is to be retained along Albert Street, with left in, left out access to properties on the eastern side, from the southbound carriageway, and left in, left out access to properties on the western side, from the northbound carriageway



Restrictions at the intersections serving the major east-west routes crossing Albert Street (Customs Street, Victoria Street and Wellesley Street) are to be phased to reduce the potential adverse effects to east-west traffic movements. For example, works on these three intersections are to be undertaken one at a time and the works will encroach on one quadrant of the intersection affected at a time89



During the construction phase, travel demand management initiatives will be required, to seek to reduce the demand for travel to and within the city centre by private vehicles, and therefore to avoid further effects



Some temporary rerouting of bus services will be required during the construction of Britomart and Aotea Stations



It may be necessary to defer aspects of certain projects which are identified in the draft City Centre Masterplan, namely the Quay Street Boulevard (west of Queen Street) and the Victoria Street Linear Park (either side of Albert Street). These projects are expected to lead to reductions in capacity in the longer term, within the predicted area of temporary effects during the construction of the CRL.

Other locations where there will be effects during construction will be:



Queen Street at Britomart, between Quay Street and Customs Street



Along Galway Street and Tyler Street (one at a time), adjacent to Britomart



Beresford Street, where access onto Pitt Street is to be closed



Mercury Lane



Porters Avenue, where the level crossing is to be closed



Ngahura Street is to be closed, to accommodate the tunnel staging area



There may also be temporary restrictions on Normanby Road and Mount Eden Road.

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It is noted that north south capacity along Albert Street will be limited to one lane per direction at the other two intersections

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The effects on the road network during construction around the proposed Karangahape Road and Newton Stations are expected to be modest, due to the proposed mined construction methodology.

This report has identified the quantum of truck movements that can be expected to/from each of the construction sites.

The following priority should be given to movements within the city centre during the construction phase:



Pedestrian and public transport should be afforded highest priority, along with other essential movement, including emergency services



Essential vehicle access to properties within or adjacent to the construction areas should be given second priority; such vehicles would include service and delivery vehicles, which businesses depend on



Private car travel should be given lower priority, particularly extraneous traffic which should be encouraged to avoid passing through the city centre.

The development of a Construction Traffic Management Plan should demonstrate:



How the CRL is to be constructed, including how essential (pedestrian, bus and other) movements are to be retained



The timing of closures, restrictions, diversions, or other on street works, and how this timing relates to other aspects of the CRL project, and the relationship of the temporary CRL works with other projects



How access to local properties adjacent to the construction zones is to be maintained



Which routes are to be used by construction related traffic (especially trucks)



The suite of Travel Demand Management measures that are proposed, to reduce the temporary effects during construction.

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APPENDIX A

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SATURN traffic model plots and results: operational scenarios

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This Appendix provides various model outputs from the SATURN traffic model.

The SATURN traffic model has been run without and with the CRL. The with CRL tests include the following changes from the future Do Minimum scenario:



Provision of an additional pedestrian crossing across Symonds Street at the intersection of Symonds Street/Mount Eden Road/New North Road, adjacent to the Newton Station



Removal of the free left turn for traffic from Symonds Street onto Khyber Pass and provision of a signalised pedestrian crossing over this whole approach and provision of a pedestrian crossing over the left turn movement from Khyber Pass Road at the intersection of Symonds Street/Khyber Pass Road /Newton Road



Closure of Beresford Square to traffic



A change in the operation of the Karangahape Road (east) approach to the intersection with Pitt Street. Lane two currently operates for through and right turning traffic, but this will need to be changed to through traffic only, due to the narrowing of Pitt Street outside the Karangahape Station, which is expected to reduce Pitt Street to a single northbound lane at this point



The introduction of a mid block pedestrian crossing on Pitt Street, adjacent to the Karangahape Station.

The above changes have been included in what is referred to as Test 1. Test 2 also includes the above changes, plus it also includes the implementation of a “Barnes Dance” pedestrian crossing phase at the Albert Street/Wellesley Street intersection.

In the following plots, green bands indicate increases in traffic flows between the 2021 Do Minimum scenario and the particular test (such as CRL Test 1) while blue lines indicate a decrease in flows. Flows are what SATURN terms “actual” flows, which are the flows that are predicted to be to get through to the particular links within the single peak hour. In congested networks, these “actual” flows are lower than the demand flows.

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TRAFFIC FLOW DIFFERENCE PLOTS – OPERATIONAL SCENARIOS Figure 28: Actual Flow Differences – between Do Minimum and CRL Test 1: 2021 Morning Peak

Figure 29: Actual Flow Differences around Newton Road – between Do Minimum and CRL Test 1: 2021 Morning Peak

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Figure 30: Actual Flow Differences – between Do Minimum and CRL Test 1: 2021 Evening Peak

Figure 31: Actual Flow Differences around Newton Road – between Do Minimum and CRL Test 1: 2021 Evening Peak

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Figure 32: Actual Flow Differences – between Do Minimum and CRL Test 2: 2021 Morning Peak

Figure 33: Actual Flow Differences around Wellesley Street/Albert Street Intersection – between Do Minimum and CRL Test 2: 2021 Morning Peak

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Figure 34: Actual Flow Differences – between Do Minimum and CRL Test 2: 2021 Evening Peak

Figure 35: Actual Flow Differences around Wellesley Street/Albert Street Intersection – between Do Minimum and CRL Test 2: 2021 Evening Peak

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JOURNEY TIME SUMMARY – OPERATIONAL SCENARIOS Journey time routes included in this assessment include:



Route 1: Victoria Street between Halsey Street and Princes Street



Route 2: Wellesley Street between Halsey Street and Princes Street



Route 3: Quay Street between Lower Hobson Street and Tangihua Street



Route 4: Albert Street between Customs Street and Mayoral Drive



Route 5: Queen Street between Customs Street and Mayoral Drive



Route 6: Customs Street/Fanshawe Street between Nelson Street and Tangihua Street

The comparison between predicted journey times without and with CRL are summarised in Table 10 and Table 11 below: Table 10: Journey Time Summary – 2021 AM Peak (mm:ss)

Do Minimum

CRL Test 1

CRL Test 2

Route 1 Eastbound

05:50

05:55

05:55

Route 1 Westbound

07:55

07:55

08:05

Route 2 Eastbound

08:25

08:25

09:55

Route 2 Westbound

06:55

07:00

07:05

Route 3 Eastbound

02:35

02:35

02:35

Route 3 Westbound

05:30

05:30

05:35

Route 4 Northbound

06:00

06:00

07:30

Route 4 Southbound

05:15

05:15

05:40

Route 5 Northbound

08:00

07:55

08:05

Route 5 Southbound

08:00

08:00

08:05

Route 6 Eastbound

04:15

04:20

04:30

Route 6 Westbound

06:15

06:15

06:20

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Table 11: Journey Time Summary – 2021 PM Peak (mm:ss)

Do Minimum

CRL Test 1

CRL Test 2

Route 1 Eastbound

06:25

06:25

06:20

Route 1 Westbound

11:20

11:30

12:25

Route 2 Eastbound

07:40

07:40

08:55

Route 2 Westbound

09:10

09:15

09:35

Route 3 Eastbound

02:55

02:55

02:50

Route 3 Westbound

06:35

06:40

07:20

Route 4 Northbound

07:00

07:00

09:05

Route 4 Southbound

06:05

06:00

07:20

Route 5 Northbound

09:25

09:20

10:20

Route 5 Southbound

11:40

11:45

12:20

Route 6 Eastbound

05:15

05:15

05:10

Route 6 Westbound

08:50

08:50

09:45

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TRAFFIC OPERATION AT INTERSECTIONS ADJACENT TO NEWTON STATION Figure 36: Volume/Capacity Ratios at Symonds Street/Khyber Pass Road/Newton Road intersection 90

90

Do Minimum – AM Peak

Do Minimum – PM Peak

CRL Test 1 – AM Peak

CRL Test 1– PM Peak

The figures in these plots provide the volume to capacity ratios, expressed as a percentage. For example a value of 50 means 50%. In theory a value of 100% equals capacity, but conditions above 85-90% are said to be at “practical capacity” and conditions deteriorate rapidly above 90%

Technical Report to support Assessment of Environmental Effects (City Rail Link Notice of Requirement): Integrated Transport Assessment Figure 37: Volume/Capacity Ratios at New North Road/Mt Eden Road intersection

Do Minimum – AM Peak

Do Minimum – PM Peak

CRL Test 1 – AM Peak

CRL Test 1 – PM Peak

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TRAFFIC OPERATION INTERSECTION

AT

WELLESLEY

STREET/ALBERT

102

STREET

Figure 38: Volume/Capacity Ratios at Wellesley Street/Albert Street intersection, with Barnes Dance Phase at Wellesley Street/Albert Street Intersection

Do Minimum – AM Peak

Do Minimum – PM Peak

CRL Test 2 – AM Peak

CRL Test 2 – PM Peak

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APPENDIX B

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SATURN traffic model plots and results: construction scenarios

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Four construction scenarios have been tested for the year 2021 Test 1 includes the following measures:



Albert Street restricted to one traffic lane per direction, with no bus priorities and with changes to the signal phasing, to allow full pedestrian crossings to be provided at each of the major intersections (Customs Street, Victoria Street and Wellesley Street)



No movements across Albert Street between Customs Street and Victoria Street. Movements on/off Albert Street will be restricted to left in, left out manoeuvres, to either the northbound or southbound carriageway. The speed environment is assumed to be reduced to 30kph



Victoria Street restricted to one lane per direction through the Albert Street intersection



Beresford Square closed to traffic



All of the buses on Queen Street (between Quay Street and Customs Street) are assumed to be diverted to Commerce Street



Construction traffic movements (i.e. trucks) as identified in the preceding paragraphs.

Test 2 is generally the same as Test 1, but



“Normal” capacity on Victoria Street across the Albert Street intersection



Wellesley Street restricted to one lane per direction through the Albert Street intersection



Roughly half of the future east-west bus routes expected to use Wellesley Street have been diverted to Victoria Street for this test



Roughly half of the buses on Queen Street (between Quay Street and Customs Street) are assumed to be diverted to Commerce Street.

Test 3 is generally the same as Test 2, but



“Normal” capacity on Victoria Street and Wellesley Street across the Albert Street intersections



Customs Street restricted to one lane per direction through the Albert Street intersection.

Test 3a is generally the same as Test 3, except that all buses on Albert Street are assumed to be rerouted to Queen Street. Clearly this test could also be applied to Tests 1 and 2.

In the following plots, green bands indicate increases in traffic flows between the 2021 Do Minimum scenario and the particular test (such as Construction Test 1) while blue lines indicate a decrease in flows. Flows are what SATURN terms “actual” flows, which are the flows that are predicted to be to get through to the particular links within the single peak hour. In congested networks, these “actual” flows are lower than the demand flows.

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TRAFFIC FLOW DIFFERENCE PLOTS – CONSTRUCTION SCENARIOS Figure 39: Actual Flow Difference – between Do Minimum and Construction Test 1: 2021 Morning Peak

Figure 40: Actual Flow Difference for CBD Area – between Do Minimum and Construction Test 1: 2021 Morning Peak

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Figure 41: Actual Flow Difference – between Do Minimum and Construction Test 1: 2021 Evening Peak

Figure 42: Actual Flow Difference for CBD Area – between Do Minimum and Construction Test 1: 2021 Evening Peak

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Figure 43: Actual Flow Difference – between Do Minimum and Construction Test 2: 2021 Morning Peak

Figure 44: Actual Flow Difference for CBD Area – between Do Minimum and Construction Test 2: 2021 Morning Peak

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Figure 45: Actual Flow Difference – between Do Minimum and Construction Test 2: 2021 Evening Peak

Figure 46: Actual Flow Difference for CBD Area – between Do Minimum and Construction Test 2: 2021 Evening Peak

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Figure 47: Actual Flow Difference – between Do Minimum and Construction Test 3: 2021 Morning Peak

Figure 48: Actual Flow Difference for CBD Area – between Do Minimum and Construction Test 3: 2021 Morning Peak

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Figure 49: Actual Flow Difference – between Do Minimum and Construction Test 3: 2021 Evening Peak

Figure 50: Actual Flow Difference for CBD Area – between Do Minimum and Construction Test 3: 2021 Evening Peak

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Figure 51: Actual Flow Difference – between Do Minimum and Construction Test 3a: 2021 Morning Peak

Figure 52: Actual Flow Difference for CBD Area – between Do Minimum and Construction Test 3a: 2021 Morning Peak

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Figure 53: Actual Flow Difference – between Do Minimum and Construction Test 3a: 2021 Evening Peak

Figure 54: Actual Flow Difference for CBD Area – between Do Minimum and Construction Test 3a: 2021 Evening Peak

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JOURNEY TIME SUMMARY – CONSTRUCTION SCENARIO Journey time routes included in this assessment include:



Route 1: Victoria Street between Halsey Street and Princes Street



Route 2: Wellesley Street between Halsey Street and Princes Street



Route 3: Quay Street between Lower Hobson Street and Tangihua Street



Route 4: Albert Street between Customs Street and Mayoral Drive



Route 5: Queen Street between Customs Street and Mayoral Drive



Route 6: Customs Street/Fanshawe Street between Nelson Street and Tangihua Street

The journey time results for each of the test options are summarised in Table 12 and Table 13 below.

Table 12: Journey Time Summary – 2021 AM Peak (mm:ss)

Do Minimum

Test 1

Test 2

Test 3

Test 3a

Route 1 Eastbound

05:50

09:50

06:45

06:55

07:05

Route 1 Westbound

08:05

11:00

09:40

09:15

09:05

Route 2 Eastbound

08:45

08:50

09:10

08:45

08:45

Route 2 Westbound

07:00

07:45

09:05

06:45

06:40

Route 3 Eastbound

02:35

02:35

02:35

02:35

02:35

Route 3 Westbound

05:35

05:40

05:25

05:30

05:25

Route 4 Northbound

06:10

10:00

13:20

11:25

09:30

Route 4 Southbound

05:20

10:35

10:45

11:35

11:15

Route 5 Northbound

08:25

08:30

08:55

08:25

08:55

Route 5 Southbound

08:00

08:35

08:40

08:45

08:50

Route 6 Eastbound

04:15

05:15

05:15

06:10

06:05

Route 6 Westbound

06:15

07:00

06:45

06:50

06:45

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Table 13: Journey Time Summary – 2021 PM Peak (mm:ss)

Do Minimum

Test 1

Test 2

Test 3

Test 3a

Route 1 Eastbound

06:25

08:00

07:20

08:00

08:10

Route 1 Westbound

11:20

14:55

13:55

15:10

14:55

Route 2 Eastbound

07:40

08:50

08:45

08:25

08:35

Route 2 Westbound

09:10

12:25

11:20

08:35

08:20

Route 3 Eastbound

02:55

02:35

02:35

02:40

02:40

Route 3 Westbound

06:35

06:45

06:50

06:40

06:35

Route 4 Northbound

07:00

14:15

14:40

13:55

13:40

Route 4 Southbound

06:05

12:40

11:55

13:30

13:35

Route 5 Northbound

09:25

10:15

11:15

10:25

10:50

Route 5 Southbound

11:40

12:15

12:35

12:50

13:50

Route 6 Eastbound

05:15

06:00

06:00

08:10

08:10

Route 6 Westbound

08:50

09:35

09:45

10:00

09:15