MEDIA ADVISORY

24 November 2003

Changes on Wellesley Street East
place emphasis on safety

Auckland City Council today announced the completion of road and pedestrian access upgrade works in Wellesley Street East.

Changes have been made to manage traffic using an area of the central business district (CBD) that is very heavily used by pedestrians.

Councillor Greg McKeown, Auckland City Council’s Transport Committee chairperson says that the Aotea Precinct, library, art gallery, Albert Park and two universities are close at hand. There are many pedestrians in this area, and the possible increase in car movements from the new motorway connection at the top of Wellesley Street East must be handled carefully.

“The Wellesley Street work is a first step towards avoiding, as much as possible, conflict between traffic and pedestrians, with an emphasis on safety. A major change is to encourage traffic trying to cross Queen Street to use Mayoral Drive rather than Wellesley Street,” says Mr McKeown. “There will be a bedding in period while drivers become accustomed to the new arrangements, and I have asked the transport planners to monitor the operation of the changes over the next two months. We do not want to see the Wellesley East area becoming more hostile, like for instance upper Hobson and Nelson Streets, which are also close to the motorway.”

The changes of the Wellesley Street layout are:
- an extra left turn lane to Mayoral Drive from Wellesley Street East
- a pedestrian signal crossing to Auckland University of Technology (AUT)
- traffic restraint island and wider footpath on Wellesley Street East from Mayoral Drive to Lorne Street
- no right turn from Princes Street into Wellesley Street
- no right turn from Wellesley Street into Mayoral Drive
- no right turns from Lorne Street onto Wellesley Street East (from either direction)
- new kerb lines at Mayoral Drive and west down Wellesley Street to Lorne Street
- general streetscaping.

“We expect more traffic to use Mayoral Drive from Wellesley Street East. Mayoral Drive should now be promoted as the preferred route to the city. Concentrated traffic should be diverted from the Wellesley Street area, which is heavily used by pedestrians around the art gallery, library, education institutes and entertainment venues,” says Mr McKeown.

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