With implementation of the new bus network in South Auckland coming up in October, Auckland Transport are consulting on the designs for the bus station in Mangere Town Centre and the bus stops in the Otahuhu Town Centre. Both of these improvements are also being classed as part of the East-West Link Connections project. Both upgrades are due to start in August and be finished in October.

The two stations have been major advocacy projects for the Māngere-Otahuhu Local Board says Māngere –Ōtāhuhu Local Board Chair, Lemauga Lydia Sosene.

“Both projects are significant milestones for the community and it is great to see them getting underway.”

“These high quality projects will help deliver safer, more practical and connected local bus services and complement other works underway in both centres to improve and rejuvenate the local communities.”

Mangere

“The new station in Māngere will be extended to accommodate seven parked buses (two more than currently), new shelters to extend the covered passenger area and a covered connection to Māngere Town Centre. It will also include a toilet adjacent to the bus shelter, new cycle racks, an additional westbound lane for traffic and paving and landscaping of the area around the bus station.

In case you’re unfamiliar with the area, here’s where the town centre is and the area affected is shown in yellow.

Mangere Town Centre Bus Station Upgrade - Location

And here’s what’s planned for the town centre

Mangere Town Centre Bus Station Upgrade - Plan

Mangere Town Centre Bus Station Upgrade - Plan 2

The shelter and other station amenity upgrades are good however there are a few things that appear to be changing that AT haven’t mentioned. Most notable is that there now appears to be two westbound lanes rather than just the one that currently exists. In addition, the cycle lane appears to have moved to the outside of the bus station and is just a line of paint. It’s crazy that in this day we still have AT staff proposing crap, even more so that AT currently have an active project trying to improve walking and cycling connections to the town centre, including using protected cycleways. Our friends at Bike Auckland have more to say on this too.

Here’s what it currently looks like from Google Street View.

Mangere Town Centre Bus Station Upgrade - current

Otahuhu

In Ōtāhuhu the existing bus station on Avenue Road will close. It will be replaced by new bus stops and bus shelters installed on both sides of Avenue Road, retaining a familiar bus stop location for existing passengers.

In October, many south Auckland buses will travel between the town centre and the new bus station at Ōtāhuhu train station.

Once again, the area affected is shown in yellow

Otahuhu Centre Bus Upgrade - Location

And here’s what’s planned

Otahuhu Centre Bus Upgrade - Plan

Otahuhu Centre Bus Upgrade - Plan 2

It’s not clear what’s happening with the old Otahuhu Bus Station but I believe it is privately own by Infratil so I’m guessing it will be developed or sold. These new stops are likely to be fairly busy with a couple of frequents and other services passing through on their wait to or from the Otahuhu Bus/Train interchange. In some ways it’s a little suprising that AT didn’t just turn this short section of road into a transit mall given there are a number of other nearby streets that can handle general traffic. That would have also allowed for cycle lanes on this street for people to use to access the station

Auckland Transport are going to hold two information days about the upgrades:

Ōtāhuhu
11am to 2 pm, Thursday, 14 July 2016 and Saturday, 16 July 2016 – Toia, (Community Centre), Mason Ave, Ōtāhuhu

Māngere
11 am to 2 pm, Tuesday, 19 July 2016 and Friday, 22 July 2016 – Māngere Town Centre

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37 comments

  1. I’m not sure why this is part of the ‘East-West Connections’ project. Surely this is a core part of the Southern Bus Network implementation that would have gone ahead regardless of a motorway 5km to the north, and mentioning EW Link is just PR nonsense….

    1. A rebuilt Princess St interchange is also part of the east west link even though it would not be thought to be part of it.

      1. Post your feedback now. Just gave it both barrels. Don’t hold back. For nearly $2 billion we deserve a better outcome than just the proposed new motorway. $2 billion buys a lot of Skypaths and South Auckland bus stop upgrades

      2. East West connection needs to go back to the drawing board, start again and incorporate a real sea port with direct connections to road, rail and air freight. That’s what this road project is actually about it is just they have missed the boat on it or really don’t know what they are doing with our money.

      3. I hear they water blasted a bus shelter in pukekohe and fixed a bus stop seat in howick too. They must be part of the east West connection and their efforts to improve public transport!

  2. Surely for a “town center upgrade” you start with walking and cycling priorities, and build vehicle access (if applicable) around that….not the other way around?

  3. Why on earth are cars allowed in a major bus interchange?!

    At the very least the could have made the straight through movement at the west end and the right turn at the east end bus only.

  4. agree re making the road a transit mall, there is a road at the other end of the current depot which is probably 50 metres away and parallel to avenue road. Also with the Mangere interchange is there only one way in and are buses going to use the roundabout to get in to the interchange when coming from onehung?

  5. I guess the main problem with banning cars from Avenue Road is that a lot of traffic use it to get across to Mason Avenue. Mason Ave provides access to the very large recreation centre/community centre/library and the 2 big churches in that area. The churches and the recreation centre generate a lot of traffic and it would cause major traffic congestion on the other roads if Avenue Road was closed off.

    1. Nah; that’s no real issue; traffic adjusts; there are so many cross streets there, the real problem is all the intra-block parking accessed off Avenue Rd, along with the most vile of all urban land-uses; the double obesogenic fat and sugar pushing, inactivity enabling; drive-through fast-food outlet. Death merchant.

      1. People will just ignore it being bus only anywaysince there is no enforcement. may as well Make it bus only to deter a few at least.

      2. Which cross streets are you talking about? From the High St / Great South Rd intersection south to Princes St, Avenue Rd is the only one I’ve ever seen.

        1. Critrion St, King St, Gordon Road. And seriously, where are you going to or from that going to Princes St or Gt South Rd actually costs much time?

        2. None of these streets cross Great South Rd. Criterion St is a one way service lane that only allows exits to the left. King St and Gordon Rd only run between Great South Rd and Atkinson. Avenue Rd is the only street that runs through the middle of the town centre East to West and gives important access for residents to churches, the supermarket, the community facilities to the west of the town centre. If a dedicated road for buses is so important why not lobby for King St?

      1. Anywhere to the east of Atkinson Ave and Great South Rd. I live in Tamaki Ave. To go to the supermarket my only viable route is Fairburn heading east (you can’t turn right safely from Fairburn onto Great South Rd), Church St, Avenue Rd, Hall Ave.

      2. Yeah avenue road and mason ave is a cross suburb locally route. The other main road alternatives like princes st and station road often have looking queues even outside rush hour. I guess that is why the buses will use it to get to the station.
        Other side streets just feed into the otahuhu main street which is not appropriate for a cross suburb route.

  6. I think they should add in a dedicated pedestrian lane with grade separation for people playing Pokémon Go

    1. For anyone playing the Papatoetoe train station is a hot spot for them, it’s only a mater of time before someone falls in front of a train.

    1. I find the name “Māngere Town Centre” interesting. I’d never think of calling that a town centre. That’s a mall in the middle of a big parking lot.

  7. Disappointing to say the least. What do we have to do to get good cycle network design outside of the CBD? This isn’t about budgets, this is about simple shit design work.

    1. Don’t shoot the messenger because there are at least 2 really positive aspects to the proposed designs. AT are engaging with the everybody and looking for constructive critique on the proposals. With this in mind they have invested in quality design panels that communicate clearly the design intent. This opens up the field to a wide range of input including from cycling special interest groups. If you feel so strongly that the design can be improved you could put pen to paper and post it here?

  8. The old Otahuhu bus station is no longer privately owned but has been acquired by AT. It must continue to operate for some months after the new Avenue Road bus stops are open due to contracted route requirements, But not for long.

  9. No indication that Otahuhu will finally get electronic destination / timetable boards. From what is shown on plans posted these will remain the preserve of the leafy suburbs.

  10. Everytime I see the current Otahuhu bus station it reminds me of just how disgusting we used to have it in New Lynn and how much New Lynn has grown up.

    1. Has New Lynn really ‘grown up’ or has it just had a lot bigger share of the AT pie spent on it than Otahuhu?

  11. Just want to know what’s happening to the seaside park route as there’s not many buses for there and if like me you have to go one direction to seaside park and another to head for Otahuhu centre

    1. Route 409 Otahuhu TC to Seaside park with its infrequent services

      Is being being replace with new route 324 which will depart Mangere TC to Otahuhu TC via Favona (taking in some of the Rt 304 plus new roads) after Otahuhu (avenue rd) will follow the same route as the current 409 service to Seaside Park and return.

      Service will be hourly 6am to 7.30pm 7 days per week and 30mins week day peak. (Maybe starting 1hr later or finishing 1hr earlier on a sunday)

      During the week its a cut of hours from the last service being around 11pm… but its a huge weekend improvement.

      Clearly… the more people that use it… hopefully later trips can be added.

      One wonders why trips didnt finish at 9pm or 9.30… lets see how it runs after October 30

  12. Ooooooh bus stops! Lucky old us!! Maybe we’ll even get some information boards (that work). Welcome to the 21st century, Otahuhu.

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