Options we considered
Ten options were initially developed for a second public transport corridor—eight permanent and two interim. After evaluation, two interim routes (Featherston Street and Harbour Quays) were shortlisted and compared with a “Do Minimum” option, which would keep all buses on the Golden Mile.
Under the Do Minimum option, future bus journeys could take around 28 minutes by 2034—slower than walking from Courtenay Place to the Railway Station.
Following detailed analysis, Harbour Quays was selected as the preferred route because it:
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scored higher in both the Multi-Criteria and economic analyses
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outperformed Featherston Street in four of five key criteria (route legibility, network capacity, business impacts, and future cycle routes)
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offers faster, more reliable bus journeys with fewer impacts on Featherston Street
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provides better activation of the Harbour Quays area and fewer disruptions during peak hours.
Corridor options
We explored two main options for the new bus route:
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Featherston Street – Split Route: Northbound and southbound buses would take different streets, with some on the Harbour Quays and some on Featherston Street.
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Harbour Quays: Buses would run in both directions along the Quays. This option scored highest in evaluations, was the preferred choice, and is the basis for this project.
Bus stop locations
We considered factors such as:
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Ideal spacing between stops (250–400m)
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Access to major destinations along the route
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Connections to other transport hubs, including the Golden Mile
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Safe pedestrian crossings
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Bus accessibility and ease of turning
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Impacts on general traffic
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Infrastructure needs and ease of construction.
This process initially identified 12 stops (6 each way), which were later refined to 10 stops (5 each way).
Bus lane options
We looked at different bus lane approaches:
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All-day bus lanes: Not needed outside weekday peak times based on service levels.
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Transit lanes (T2/T3): These would be hard to enforce and offer little benefit.
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Peak-hour bus lanes: The preferred option, aligning with heavy bus usage during weekday morning and afternoon peaks.
Tell us what you think
If you have explored the proposed plans and want to share your ideas, our online form takes 3–5 minutes to complete and requires no registration. You can share your thoughts on the proposals, add detailed comments, and upload relevant documents or photos. Submissions are open until Sunday 14th June.
Prefer paper? Download the form (257KB PDF)
If you need help with making a submission, please email us at harbourquays@wcc.govt.nz or visit one of our drop-in sessions to speak to the team.