Kamo Road priority lane
- Project typeTransport and roading
- Project value$1.65 million
- Project scheduleNovember 2024 to April 2025
- Contractor nameDowner
Kamo Road currently carries over 3,000 vehicles during the morning peak. This causes traffic congestion and makes the trip into town much longer.
Both Te Kamo and Tikipunga are growing quickly, creating more traffic than the road can easily handle, and morning traffic is expected to increase.
There is too much traffic for just two lanes (one each way) to take without problems, so we are adding an extra southbound lane.
What we are doing
We have received $1.65 million from Waka Kotahi through the Transport Choices programme to create an extra southbound lane in the morning peak. That way, the road will carry many more cars down the same length of road at the same time than it can now. This should reduce congestion and make the travel time into town shorter for most drivers.
The aim is to get as many people as possible to use the T2 lane, so it is reserved for vehicles that carry more than one person, or are designed for only one person. These vehicles include:
- buses
- vehicles / cars carrying two or more people
- emergency vehicles
- taxis or other passenger service vehicles
- motorcycles
- bicycles
- mopeds.
Reducing vehicle numbers
Many of the morning peak cars / vehicles are carrying only one person.
If we can find ways to get more people to share transport, it should reduce congestion and make the trip faster for most.
Ride sharing and buses
To encourage people to use public transport, Northland Regional Council plans to start running more buses (subject to driver availability) between 7:00am and 9:00am.
This should make the trip into town faster and more reliable for bus passengers. When more people catch the bus, fewer will take their cars and this should help to reduce the number of cars and other vehicles on the road during the morning peak.
Ride sharing is also a good way to reduce the number of cars / vehicles on the road. Pick up a friend or colleague on the way to work and you might have a better journey and halve the costs of parking!
While we are doing the work
We will be managing traffic in the places where the work is going on and we may have to limit parking in those times and places too.
What about parking?
Parking is banned in most of the T2 lane during the morning peak.
Carparks along Kamo Road can be used as normal during off-peak times.
In response to public feedback, we have allowed parking at all times outside the Bank Street Foodmart in Regent.
We have also put 10 extra carparks on Aubrey Street and five on Mains Avenue to make things easier for businesses.
What about pedestrians?
There are many zebra crossings and traffic islands along Kamo Road and Bank Street, which can cause traffic delays at busy times, such as school pick-up. We are putting in crossings with lights (signalised crossings) in several places so pedestrians can cross safely, without causing traffic delays.
These will be at:
- 118 Bank Street (in front of MediaWorks), replacing the zebra crossing
- at the Regent lights in front of Kamo Road and Mill Road
- 28 Kamo Road, replacing pedestrian refuge islands
- 78 Kamo Road, replacing pedestrian refuge islands
- 240 Kamo Road (part of Stage 2 works).
The crossing at Whangārei Primary School will also be upgraded.
How are the old lines (shadow markings) being addressed?
The paint from the old lines was much deeper in the road surface than expected. Removing it would have damaged the road.
A black plastic layer was put over it, but has turned out to be very shiny, causing confusion between new white lines and old 'shiny' lines.
We have found a solution that will cover the old lines. This work will start early next week and take approximately a week, depending on the weather.
All the old lines will be removed completely when the road is resurfaced in future.
When will the priority lane open?
The new lane should be ready after Easter 2025.
Community involvement
From 4 October to 8 November 2023, we surveyed people about the project.
We also held two drop-in sessions so people could talk to project managers, designers and engineers, who could answer any questions related to the project.
The designers and engineers adapted the design for the T2 lane to the feedback, by allowing parking at all times outside the Bank Street Foodmart in Regent and putting 10 extra carparks on Aubrey Street and five on Mains Avenue to make things easier for businesses.
Stage 1 – Moody Avenue south to Bank Street
The last part of Stage 1 is now underway. Green paint is being laid along the T2 lane by the end of January 2025.
Pedestrian crossings with traffic signals will be installed in coming months.
Stage 2 – Adams Place south to Whau Valley intersection
This stage has been approved by Council and work will begin when Stage 1 is complete.
Project funding
The Kamo Road priority lane project is 100 per cent funded by Central Government as part of the Transport Choices programme.
This project is part of our current Long Term Plan 2021-2031 and Transportation Network Strategy, and has been brought forward because Central Government funding was available.
What is involved?
- creating a clearway lane for buses and T2 (vehicles with at least two people)
- removing some median strips and right-hand-turn bays
- installing new signs
- installing six new signalised pedestrian crossings (crossings with lights and buzzers)
- changing some road markings
- painting some sections of the clearway green
- changing some kerbing and footpaths
- changes to some bus stop locations.
What is a priority lane?
A 'bus and T2 priority lane' is a specific road lane created by putting a temporary clearway where there is usually parking. The priority lane is for cars and vehicles with two or more occupants.
Buses can use this lane to move more quickly and efficiently, getting to the front of the queue at busy intersections faster, making public transportation a more attractive option for commuters.
'T2' refers to the minimum number of occupants required in a vehicle to use this lane. 'T' stands for 'Transit' and '2' indicates that at least two people must be in the vehicle.
Vehicles that can use a bus and T2 priority lane include:
- buses
- vehicles with two or more occupants
- emergency vehicles
- passenger service vehicles, e.g. taxis
- motorcycles
- bicycles
- mopeds.
The lane will be marked with signs and road markings to show where it is, what it is for and how to use it.
The goal of bus and T2 priority lanes is to reduce traffic congestion and encourage more sustainable and shared types of transport.
As our cities grow, our transport networks need to adapt and grow with them. Using priority lanes and clearways make today's roads cope with current traffic and help us prepare for future development.
Where will the priority lane be?
The priority lane will run from north of the Whau Valley shops intersection to the Rose Street bus station.
Te Kamo has been chosen as the first location to pilot a priority lane, as it is one of the busiest main roads into the city centre and the majority of the road is already very wide. This means that very little infrastructure change is needed.
Project maps showing changes
Location
Kamo Road, Te Kamo 0112 View Map
-35.698462007737525, 174.3127509994816
Kamo Road ,
Te Kamo 0112
Kamo Road priority lane