Direction 3: Increase genuine travel choices for a healthy, vibrant and equitable Auckland

Ara 3: Ki te whakapiki tino kōwhiringa haereere, kia ora ai, kia ngangahau ai, kia matatika ai a Tāmaki Makaurau

Many of us lack reliable, safe and affordable choices about how we travel. This means we often depend on using private vehicles for most trips.

A lack of travel choice is often a particular problem for lower income households and in rural areas. Transport costs can be a large and unaffordable part of the household budget, making financial pressures worse.

Giving people more travel choices enables them to travel in a way that best suits their particular needs.

A lack of choice also means that travel is often long and unreliable, with Aucklanders unable to avoid congestion that wastes precious time and reduces life quality.

By developing Auckland’s rapid transit network and improving the frequency, speed and reliability of public transport, we can:

provide more travel choices
reduce the impact of congestion on people's lives
provide more certainty about how long a trip will take.

As Auckland grows it is essential that more people walk, cycle or travel by public transport. This is essential for reducing transport-related emissions. It also has significant health benefits through increased physical activity and the potential to reduce road trauma.

It will also reduce pressure on our roads and free up room for freight and commercial trips, which are reliant on road travel and make major contributions to Auckland’s economic prosperity.

Learn more on Healthy Auckland.

Projected percentages of transport methods will need to be much higher than currently projected for walking, cycling and public transport. Private vehicle usage needs to reduce to align with the Transport Emissions Reduction Pathway (TERP) across the region as well as into the city centre.

People-oriented streets are fundamental to the quality of experiences people have in our urban areas. We must therefore also transform how we design the transport network, so it's about people and places, not just moving vehicles.

Streets are used for a number of purposes, and should be attractive, suitable and enjoyable public spaces for residents, workers and visitors, particularly when travelling by foot.

To provide genuine travel choices, Auckland’s entire street network must be safe and accessible for people of all ages and abilities.

An ideal street, showing a two-way cycleway, separated from road traffic by trees. A large bus, car and train are in the middle of the space, with wide footpaths, including room for people in wheelchairs and outdoor dining.

Ideal street design

Achieving this will require a change in the way we design, manage and operate our streets and transport networks.

Our streets need to better reflect the role they play in making up a large part of our public space and in shaping Auckland's character and the way we live.

At the same time, it is important to acknowledge that moving large numbers of people, goods and services along some key corridors is important for Auckland's economic success. This means a good balance must be struck between transport and place functions, as outlined in Auckland Transport’s Roads and Streets Framework as well as the Transport Design Manual.

Allocating space for vehicles, cyclists, pedestrians, and amenities such as street furniture and trees, is a challenge. This challenge will increase as our population grows.