Northland’s first bus priority lane on horizon for Whangārei’s morning commuters

The priority bus lane is planned from Te Kamō to the Whangārei city. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Northland’s first bus priority lane is on track to appear soon in Whangārei.

The new $2m priority bus lane is planned from Te Kamō to the Whangārei city centre. The lane will be via a clearway south along Kamo Road, to provide morning peak priority for buses into the city.

The priority bus lane is part of the Government and the Whangārei District Council’s (WDC) transport goals to get people out of cars and onto alternative forms of transport. Its funding will be from Whangārei’s $14 million Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency’s Transport Choices programme allocation.

The WDC politicians will tomorrow formally vote on whether to proceed with the $14 million Waka Kotah-funded programme funding for 18 earmarked projects - which are already part of the council’s Long-Term Plan.

WDC road safety and traffic engineering lead Nick Marshall said all the work towards making the 18 projects happen was on target.

Construction on the 18 projects must start by March next year, or earlier as a condition of funding.

Consultation on the new bus lane is currently under way.

Marshall said there would be a cost to council associated with regulations around the priority lane and its policing. These costs would be considered as part of the council’s current Long-Term Plan updating. The consideration would include the potential to invest in technology to enforce the morning clearway.

The priority lane is part of the package funding’s $4.6 million to be spent on Whangārei city bus improvements. This includes upgrading the city’s troubled Rose Street bus terminal by replacing its toilets, shelter and ticketing buildings. This work is already at the detailed design phase.

Another $4.6 million is to be spent on Whangārei’s shared paths and cycle parking as part of the overall funding.

The Whangārei city centre will get its first secured bike parking, with $400,000 earmarked for this at key locations.

There will be upgrades for the Raumanga shared path with $1.55m spent from Tarewa Park to Raumanga Reserve and $1.4m from Second Avenue to Lovers Lane Bridge in Cafler Park. There will also be a $300,000 upgrade of the Avenues walkway around First Avenue to Third Avenue.

Another $4.8m of the total funding will be spent on six new connections or extending the Kamo shared path. This mahi includes linking the path to Whau Valley School, Whau Valley shops and Fairway Drive, as well as extending the shared path to Station Road in Te Kamō.

Meanwhile, new traffic calming is also on the radar as part of the Transport Choices-funded WDC work, with $800,000 for Te Kamō west’s Clark Road and $550,000 for Te Kamō east’s Grant, Wakelin and Boswell Streets.

Raumanga is also in for traffic calming with $950,000 for Tauroa and Fairburn streets plus Hedley Pl.

■ Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air