July update: New two-way bike lane
We’re aware of some issues at the newly opened Mulgrave/Thorndon Quay/Bunny Street intersection and we’ve been working to improve things. We’ve listened to your feedback and have already adjusted the signal timing to reduce delays and improve the flow for people on bikes. We'll continue to fine-tune signals in the area, but meanwhile here’s how to navigate the area:
- When the bike light is green, cyclists can go straight into Featherston Street or turn left into Bunny Street.
- When the bike light is red, please wait — it’s not safe to proceed in either direction.
- Left turns into Bunny Street occur during the pedestrian phase. Please take care and watch for people crossing — there’s a slight delay in the green to give them a head start.
- From Bunny Street or Stout Street, use the right turn traffic lane to access the cycleway. If there’s no vehicle to trigger the Bunny Street turn light, use the button on the right.
- Want to turn right from the cycleway? Use the hook turn box on Bunny Street to enter Bunny Street West. There's also a hook turn on Whitmore, if you want to turn right there.
More on this as soon as we have an update, meanwhile thank you for your care and patience!
He tāone e hāngai ana ki te anamata
A city fit for the future
We've rebalanced our streets to give people more sustainable transport options in Wellington. The upgrade of Thorndon Quay was part of connecting our northern suburbs through to the city, making it safer and easier for more people to walk, bike, scoot or use public transport.
Project at a glance
Thorndon Quay is one of the most important commuter routes for Wellingtonians. Each day during the week, about 10,000 people travel this route by bus, making it the busiest bus route outside of the city centre. Hundreds of people also travel this route by bike, and this number is expected to increase significantly when Te Ara Tupua opens in 2026, providing a safe cycle route between Hutt Valley and Wellington.
Construction started in late 2023 and was completed 15 July 2025.
To make it easier for more people to use sustainable transport options, we've made a range of improvements:
- Peak hour bus lanes into the city to improve bus travel times
- A two-way cycle path on the seaward side of the route to avoid intersections and the bus interchange
- Five signalised pedestrian/bike crossings, two of which are raised
- Improved lighting and planting, along with mana whenua designed cultural elements to mark the location of underground awa (streams).
These changes are designed to make travel along Thorndon Quay safer, more efficient, and more enjoyable for all.
The upgrade is now complete, but if you have any further questions, feel free to contact the project team at thorndon@wcc.govt.nz.
Before the upgrade got underway, we talked with the community about the design - including businesses on the route - about two options for how we could manage construction. Most people told us they wanted us to get construction done in larger or multiple sections over a shorter time frame, so this was the approach we followed.
We planned the construction process with the help of acoustic and traffic management experts, balancing the need to have Thorndon Quay open for two lanes of traffic with separation for cyclists during the daytime with our efforts to minimise noise during night works.
Our goal was to carry out construction in sections along the 2km route, to keep traffic flowing as smoothy as possible and minimise the impact on local businesses and residents.
This project was originally part of Let's Get Wellington Moving (LGWM), a partnership programme between NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Greater Wellington Regional Council and Wellington City Council. The overarching goal was to help move more people in Wellington with fewer private vehicles. When LGWM was dissolved in early 2024, Wellington City Council took over responsibility for delivering the Thorndon Quay project.
- 2020 - Development of project objectives and options for a proposed solution
- May-June 2021 - Public consultation on project objectives and proposed solution
- June 2021 - Wellington City Council approve traffic resolution to change angle parking to parallel parking to improve safety
- November - December 2022 - Public consultation on designs and traffic resolution for Thorndon Quay
- 24 August 2023 - Koata Hātepe, our Regulatory Processes Committee, approved the traffic resolution which confirmed the design
- Late 2023 - Construction begins on Thorndon Quay
- March 2024 - Wellington City Council takes over responsibility for Thorndon Quay project
- August 2024 - Koata Hātepe, our Regulatory Processes Committee, makes changes to the design of the project in response to feedback and funding changes, removing one pedestrian crossing and changing two others from raised platforms to level crossings.
- July 2025 - Project completed on time and under budget.