Transport in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, is defined by factors that include the shape of the Auckland isthmus (with its harboursRecord number of roading projects on the go in Auckland in 2007/08 – Jackson, Bryan; Acting Chairman Transit New Zealand, article / public service announcement in The New Zealand Herald, Saturday 30 June 2007, Page C6 creating chokepoints and long distances for land transport), the suburban character of much of the urban area, a history (since World War II) of focusing investment on roading projects rather than public transport,Backtracking Auckland: Bureaucratic rationality and public preferences in transport planning – Mees, Paul; Dodson, Jago; Urban Research Program Issues Paper 5, Griffith University, April 2006 and high car-ownership rates.
These factors have contributed to a transport system that is highly dependent on private motor vehicles. Several motorways radiating to the north, northwest, southwest and south act as the backbone of the city's road network, with the busiest section of motorway carrying over 200,000 vehicles a day. The use of public transport in Auckland was high until the 1950s but subsequently declined during the second half of the 20th century,Mode of Transport, Figure for New Zealand Regions (from the Travel Survey Highlights 1997–98, New Zealand Ministry of Transport) before experiencing a strong resurgence from the early 2000s. With the motorway network now largely completed, major efforts are underway to increase public transport use to address Auckland's congestion. Recent efforts have also focused on making cycling a safer and more attractive transport option.
Auckland has New Zealand's largest commercial port (mostly used for international commerce) and the country's largest international airport. It also has the Southern Hemisphere's largest marina.
History
Pre-European period Throughout Auckland's pre-European period, its strategic location on the Waitematā and Manukau harbours had important transport implications. Māori hauled waka (canoes) between the harbours at portages, short traversable sections of land that connected the bodies of water. Some of the most major portages were Te Tō Waka, the shortest portage located at Ōtāhuhu, Te Tōanga Waka (the Whau River portage), as well as Te Pai o Kaiwaka, the Waiuku portage which connected the Manukau Harbour to the Waikato River in the south, and Te Tōangaroa in the north-west, connecting the Waitematā and Kaipara harbours overland at Kumeū.
19th and early 20th century
As a port city, Auckland's initial (19th century) urban growth occurred in an intense fashion, concentrated around the harbour in a similar manner to most other mercantile cities, with lack of transportation options limiting development to locations within walking distance of each other. The overcrowding of the inner city eventually created a demand for expansion made viable when new transportation technology appeared around 1900 in the form of streetcars (trams) and railways arriving in Auckland.
Auckland's first tram line, from the CBD to Ponsonby via Karangahape Road, opened on 24 November 1902. As the system grew, it facilitated the expansion of Auckland's built-up area in two ways: in an intermittent linear pattern to the west and south along the railway line, and in a more continuous manner along the main routes. The demand for more living space from people who had been confined to the crowded downtown area coupled with an affordable and reliable transport network led to the creation of many of Auckland's original suburbs, along Great North Road, New North Road, Sandringham Road, Dominion Road, Mt Eden Road, Manukau Road and Remuera Road, forming a new arc of suburban development by 1915.
Auckland first railway, to Onehunga, opened in 1873. Expansion of the railway network facilitated growth in more distant locations such as Ōtāhuhu and New Lynn, while ferries served Devonport, Takapuna and Birkenhead on the North Shore. Auckland's urban development in the early twentieth century is intrinsically linked to its transport networks, and because of their limited reach the city developed in a fairly compact manner to maximise the efficiency of the tram, railway and ferry systems. However, this situation was not to last for long, as even before the Second World War the car was becoming an integral part of life for many New Zealanders, opening up previously unreachable land for development.
Late 20th century The number of cars in New Zealand skyrocketed from 69,521 in 1925 (when registration was first established) to 194,217 in 1938. This growing popularity meant that urban development could break free from the constraints of transport networks and occur anywhere roads were built. This led to a rapid decentralisation of urban growth, today often referred to as urban sprawl, in the 30 years after World War II. In an effort to compete with increasingly popular suburban shopping malls, parking lots and later parking buildings were built in the city centre. The first municipal parking building (Britomart Place) was completed in 1958.
The tram system was dismantled in the 1950sHistory of Auckland City – Chapter 4 (from the Auckland City Council website. Accessed 7 June 2008.) and subsequent efforts to improve the rail network were not implemented. Meanwhile, a substantial motorway network was developed that facilitated urban growth to the north, northwest and south. These decisions led to Auckland becoming a highly car dependent city.
Auckland Airport moved to its current site near Māngere in 1966, having been previously located in Whenuapai.
21st century Continued strong population growth, combined with cheaper car imports, led to growing traffic congestion across much of Auckland in the 1990s and early 2000s.
In response to growing congestion, central and local government increased transport investment from around $500 million a year in 2000 to over $2 billion in 2015. This increased investment largely completed Auckland's motorway network, funded the upgrade and electrification of the city's rail network, and supported construction of the Northern Busway.
Despite these improvements, rapid population growth means that transport is still a major challenge for Auckland, with congestion costing the city around $1.3 billion a year. In 2009, Paul Mees, an Australian academic who had advocated for greater public transport adoption said Auckland had "the most unbalanced transport policies of just about [any city] in the world" alongside other academics who believed the city had underinvested in public transportation.
Road transport
Overview
There are over 7,000 km of roads in the Auckland region made up of motorways, arterial roads and local streets. All motorways in Auckland are state highways, owned and operated by the New Zealand Transport Agency. These routes have multiple lanes in each direction, speed limits of 80–100 km/h and limited access. Most arterial roads and local streets are owned and operated by Auckland Transport (AT). Some arterial roads (mainly in rural areas but also state highways 20A and 20B that provide access to Auckland Airport) are classified as state highways and are owned and operated by the New Zealand Transport Agency. These routes range from multi-lane arterial roads with over 50,000 vehicles a day to unsealed rural roads.
Motorway network
An extensive motorway network was planned for Auckland in the 1950s and 1960s. Auckland's first motorway was a 3.2 kilometre section of the Southern Motorway, between Penrose and Mt Wellington, that was opened in 1953. By 2017 there was over 220 km of motorways in Auckland, carrying over 900,000 trips per day on the following routes: Northern Motorway (State Highway 1 between the Auckland city centre and Puhoi). This motorway includes the Auckland Harbour Bridge and is the main connection between Auckland and Northland, as well as the key route linking the North Shore with the Auckland isthmus. Southern Motorway (State Highway 1 between the Auckland city centre and the Bombay Hills). This motorway includes the Newmarket viaduct, passes through the Central Motorway junction and is the main connection between Auckland and Waikato, as well as the key route linking South Auckland with the Auckland isthmus. Northwestern Motorway (State Highway 16 between the Auckland city centre and Whenuapai). This motorway is the main connection to the northwest part of Auckland, links to the Waterview Tunnel (thereby being the key route between the city centre and Auckland Airport) and forms part of the Western Ring Route. Upper Harbour Motorway (State Highway 18 between Westgate and Albany). This motorway is the main connection between West Auckland and the North Shore, via the Upper Harbour Bridge. Southwestern Motorway (State Highway 20 between Waterview and Manukau). This motorway forms a large part of the Western Ring Route that bypasses central Auckland, provides access to Auckland Airport and includes the Māngere Bridge and Waterview Tunnel. Because of Auckland's geography and road network layout, many motorways also have arterial road functions and are used for short-distance trips. Access to the motorway network is controlled through ramp signals, which regulate the flow of traffic onto the motorway. While this causes delays and vehicle queues when getting onto the motorway, it produces smoother through flows on the motorway itself.
Major arterial roads
Around 16% of Auckland's overall road network is classified as either a primary or secondary arterial road. These roads generally have a speed limit of 50 km/h in urban areas and serve a wide variety of functions, providing for the movement of people, goods and services as well as public transport services, cycleways, on-street parking and access to businesses and residences. + Major arterial roadsNorthern AucklandWhangaparaoa Road, Hibiscus Coast Highway, Coatesville-Riverhead Highway, East Coast Road, Albany Highway, Dairy Flat Highway, Oteha Valley Road, Constellation Drive, Wairau Road, Glenfield Road, Onewa Road, Taharoto Road, Northcote Road, Lake RoadWest AucklandHobsonville Road, Brigham Creek Road, Don Buck Road, Lincoln Road, Te Atatu Road, Great North Road, Rata Street, Clark StreetCentral AucklandNew North Road, Carrington Road, Mt Albert Road, Dominion Road, Balmoral Road, St Lukes Road, Greenlane (East and West), Remuera Road, Manukau Road, Broadway, Great South Road, Ellerslie-Panmure Highway, Te Horeta Road, Neilson Street, Church StreetEast AucklandPakuranga Road, Ti Rakau Drive, Botany Road, Te Irirangi DriveSouth AucklandHighbrook Drive, East Tamaki Road, Chapel Road, Great South Road, Harris Road, Mill Road, Redoubt Road, Mangere Road To best balance their wide variety of different functions, at peak times some roads have bus or carpool lanes, while on-street parking is frequently restricted.
Key infrastructure Key bridges, tunnels and interchanges are critical to the functioning of Auckland's road network. Major pieces of infrastructure include: Auckland Harbour Bridge. Opened in 1959, this bridge is 1,020 m (3,348 ft) long, with a main span of 243.8 m, rising 43.27 m above high water. It forms part of the Northern Motorway and is the critical link between the North Shore and central Auckland. The bridge was extended in 1969 by constructing cantilevered 'clip-on' lanes at both outer sides of the original construction, giving it 8 lanes in total (from 4 lanes before). As this eventually was still not enough to manage growing traffic loads, a traffic management solution involving a movable barrier was installed, giving it 5 lanes per dominant direction depending on the time of day.