Featherston Street and Southwest Te Aro
As part of preparing our city for the future, we are considering ideas for improvements to Featherston Street and to Victoria Street, parts of Dixon, Ghuznee and Willis streets, as well Abel Smith Street (collectively called the Southwest Te Aro project) to make it easier and safer for people to walk, ride bikes, and use public transport.
These ideas include walking and cycling improvements for Featherston Street, along Victoria Street as far as Webb Street, and onto Dixon Street, between Victoria and Taranaki streets, as well as the southern section of Willis Street up to Karo Drive. (Ideas for cycle improvements are also proposed for Abel Smith Street.) We have also identified opportunities for improving the experience for people who walk along and across Ghuznee Street.
We also have ideas for improving travel by bus on Victoria and Willis Streets between the Golden Mile and the start of Brooklyn Hill. We are also considering ideas for improvements on Ghuznee and Dixon Street (between Victoria and Willis Streets) which will make journeys more efficient for people travelling on buses.
Featherston Street
We have some ideas to improve walking and cycling on Featherston Street. These ideas include reallocating vehicle traffic lanes and/or on-street parking to make room for people who walk, ride bikes or travel by bus.
We are considering introducing either a two-way cycleway on the harbour side or one-way cycleways on each side.
Either option would mean that people on bikes could travel in either direction along Featherston Street, while motor vehicles would remain one-way (southbound).
Idea 1:
The main advantage of a two-way cycleway on Featherston Street is that it will connect to the new two-way cycle facility to the north on the harbour side of Thorndon Quay and Hutt Road. This also means more flexibility for people on bikes in peak times; the busier direction can use some of the extra space available for overtaking or riding two abreast, while still leaving space for someone to ride in the less busy direction.
Idea 2:
We are considering the idea of a single cycleway in both directions on Featherston Street. This means:
- For southbound cyclists will ride in the same direction as southbound traffic. People on bikes will make the same kind of movements as people in cars, so the road layout is designed to accommodate such journeys.
- For northbound cyclists, and because the motor vehicle traffic on Featherston is one-way in the southbound direction, people on bikes will be riding in the opposite direction to the traffic.
Victoria Street North
For Victoria Street we have ideas for a two-way cycle lane between Hunter and Abel Smith Streets – this new lane could be on either side of the road. A two-way cycleway has people on bikes going in both directions on one side of the road.
Victoria Street South and Willis Street South
Our ideas for improvements at the southern end of Victoria Street (between Abel Smith Street and Webb Street) and the southern end of Willis Street are complex because of competing demands between people walking, riding bikes, riding the bus, and travelling by motor vehicle, with limited road space available to make improvements. Wellington City Council are also constructing a cycle lane on Brooklyn Hill and Aro Street that needs to be considered in any ideas for improvements on Willis Street.
Our ideas for improvements include:
- On Victoria Street, between Karo Drive and Willis Street (which includes a section of Webb Street), we are considering reducing the number of general traffic lanes (from three to two) to create a southbound uni-directional cycleway improvement option. As noted in the bus improvements section, a southbound mixed bus / bike lane is also being considered if the number of general traffic lanes were to be reduced.
- On Willis Street, between Webb Street and Karo Drive, we are considering ideas for either northbound bi-or uni-directional cycle lane options. As discussed in the bus improvements section, a northbound mixed bus / bike lane is also being considered if the number of general traffic lanes were to be reduced. Connections to and from the Council’s new cycle lanes on Brooklyn Hill and Aro Street would also need to be factored in when designing cycle improvements on Willis Street.
- On Abel Smith Street, we have ideas that will improve the experience for people riding bikes and on buses, but we will need to balance the interdependencies between the options as well as all of the needs of the city.
We have ideas that will improve the experience for people riding bikes and buses as we work to balance all the needs of the city.
Dixon Street
For Dixon Street, between Victoria and Taranaki streets, we are considering ideas to improve the experience for people walking and on bikes.
Idea 1:
Includes a two-way cycle lane on the north side of the road, with the current one-way system for vehicle traffic staying in place. The two-way cycle lane would connect in future to the new cycle lane on Courtenay Place, to be built as part of the Golden Mile project, with the opportunity for a possible two-way cycle lane on Victoria Street. This may require changes to the recent Poneke Promise Dixon Street improvements.
Idea 2:
Includes restricting private motor vehicle access on Dixon Street, either side of the Cuba Street intersection. The restrictions would mostly likely take the form of a road end closure either side of this intersection. Private motor vehicle traffic on Dixon Street, between Victoria and Taranaki Streets, may no longer be able to travel across the Cuba Street intersection. However, people walking and on bikes and emergency vehicles would be allowed to make this movement. The Taranaki Street end of Dixon Street would also be closed, with private motor vehicle access via Inglewood Place.
The restrictions either side of the Cuba Street intersection would mean Dixon Street would effectively be turned into two separate streets for private motor vehicles. That is, to the east and west of the restriction, Dixon Street would be a two-way slow street for private motor vehicles, allowing for local access as well as high priority parking in accordance with WCC Parking Policy Plan 2020. People would be able to ride bikes along Dixon Street, connecting to a possible two-way cycle lane on Victoria Street and at the cycle lane to be built on Courtenay Place as part of the Golden Mile project. People walking across the Cuba Street intersection on Dixon Street would need to look both ways for cyclists and emergency vehicles.
Idea 3:
Includes a dedicated eastbound cycle lane on the north side of Dixon Street (that would likely be unseparated from vehicle traffic). Westbound cyclists would share the road space with existing one-way westbound vehicle traffic. Both eastbound and westbound cyclists on Dixon Street would be able to connect to the new cycle lane on Courtenay Place, to be built as part of the Golden Mile project, and the possible two-way cycle lane on Victoria Street. The existing Poneke Promise improvements, including the footpath extension and outdoor dining areas, could remain in-place.
Improving bus journeys
We have ideas for improving bus reliability that include giving buses priority. We are considering improvements on Victoria Street between Manners and Webb Streets, and along Willis Street, from the bottom of Brooklyn Hill to Boulcott Street. We also have ideas for improvements on certain sections of Ghuznee Street and Dixon Street that will make bus travel more efficient.
Improvements for buses could include bus lanes or allocating on-street parking to reduce the number of cars pulling out from on-street parks in front of buses, improving bus reliability. Improvements could also include in-lane bus stops; where the bus stops within the traffic lane rather than needing to exit and re-enter the traffic lane from a bus bay. An in-lane bus stop also makes it easier for the bus to reach the edge of the footpath, making it easier for people with limited mobility for wheelchair users, or with pushchairs to get on and off the bus.
Installing clearways – where motor vehicles are not allowed to stop - at peak times may also be an option for further improving bus reliability, as would giving buses priority at traffic signals. This could mean letting buses go first, or giving buses longer green lights and shorter red lights.
Limited road space and competing high transport demands means our ideas may require trade-offs. We may need to re-allocate on-street parking to improve bus reliability. Our future designs will always prioritise mobility parking and service vehicles in loading zones, in line with the parking hierarchy outlined in Wellington City Council’s Parking Policy 2020.
Willis Street
Northbound on Willis Street, between Karo Drive and Manners Street, our ideas include:
- Re-allocating on-street parking to improve bus efficiency and reliability (which will also create additional space for footpath widening).
- Providing in-line stops to improve bus efficiency.
- Giving buses priority at intersections where possible.
- Our ideas for bus improvements will need to be mindful of other projects, such as Wellington City Council cycle lane projects on Brooklyn Hill and in Te Aro.
- Victoria Street
On Victoria Street, between Manners Street and Karo Drive, we are considering ideas that would introduce a southbound bus lane. For this, we would need to remove the northbound traffic lane on Victoria Street (between Vivian and Dixon Streets). Dixon Street, between Willis Street and Victoria Street, would need to be changed to two-way traffic to retain access to Edward Street.
On Victoria Street, between Karo Drive, Webb Street and Willis Street, we are also considering ideas that include reducing the number of general traffic lanes from three to two and creating a mixed bus/bike lane. Ideas for this section of the road network are constrained due to limited road space and the high level of competing traffic demands.
Ghuznee Street
On Ghuznee Street, between Victoria Street and Taranaki Street, we have ideas that include:
- Re-allocating on-street parking to improve bus efficiency and reliability (which will also create additional space for footpath widening),
- Providing in-line stops to improve bus efficiency.
- Giving buses priority at intersections where possible.
- Relocating the existing bus stops to either side of Cuba Street/Cuba Mall to provide more direct access to the street.