Auckland traffic is getting worse - midday weekend traffic now exceeds morning rush-hour levels. Auckland Transport (AT) is proposing changes to bus and T3 lane hours to increase traffic flow, but what is the long-term solution to Auckland’s traffic woes?

The city’s traffic congestion problem will cost $2.6 billion a year by 2026, and modelling suggests that Aucklanders sit in congestion for 29 million hours a year, according to a council-commissioned report.

Auckland Transport road network optimisation manager Chris Martin said more vehicles were trying to move around Auckland at midday on weekends than at the busiest hour during the morning rush.

“Very busy periods are now stretching into afternoons and weekends.”

AT is proposing to open both T3 lanes along Manukau Rd and Pah Rd in Epsom and a bus lane on Great South Rd in Greenlane an hour earlier at 3pm, instead of 4pm.

Martin said there would be “productivity gains” by starting most bus and transit lanes an hour or two earlier.

“There will be some parking impacts, but the collective benefits of getting people through as efficiently as possible are needed to get the city and the economy cranking.”

Average volume of traffic per lane at monitored intersections in Auckland. Photo / Auckland Transport

Mayor Wayne Brown said he was an advocate for practical solutions to traffic congestion, as it was critical for economic growth and productivity.

“One of my key policies as mayor is to get Auckland moving, and right now, Aucklanders are not moving anywhere in a hurry.

“AT are starting to make small changes following my direction, but they need to go harder and faster to make a difference to Auckland traffic.”

Brown said he liked some of AT’s projects, such as the NorthWest busway and replacing railway level crossings with bridges, but was “not convinced” by the rest of its plans.

“We’ll also have greater democratic oversight of these low-cost solutions after transport reform, when council gets full control of Auckland Transport, ensuring elected members make the decisions on what will work best for Auckland.”

Brown is advocating for a “time-of-use charge” to manage demand on the city’s motorways at peak times.

He said congestion could be addressed with smart technology, making public transport a more attractive option and focusing investment on affordable projects that made a difference.

“The latest AI-powered technology means we can soon fix the annoying traffic lights that hold everyone at red for ghost cars and pedestrians.”

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown. Photo / Michael Craig

The AA’s Auckland spokesman, Martin Glynn, said it was not just about how quickly Auckland was growing, but about where that growth was happening.

“A lot of it is in the outer parts of the city, and we know that the further away from the centre of the city people live, the more likely they are to rely on their vehicles, and their trips are more likely to be longer in distance.”

In 2024, Auckland was ranked as the 77th-worst congested city out of 500 cities across 62 countries.

Glynn said the AA supported opening lanes earlier where there was clear evidence it would enable more people to move along an entire road, but didn’t expect bus passenger and T3 numbers to be sufficient to reduce congestion in the remaining lanes.

AA policy director Martin Glynn says it’s not just about how fast Auckland is growing, it’s also about where that growth is happening.

“Congestion is a huge drag for Auckland - it’s up there with the cost of living in the things that most frustrate Aucklanders about living here. Unfortunately, there’s no easy solution, and it’s expected to continue to get worse as the city grows.”

Auckland needed significant improvements to public transport, but this wasn’t a magic fix as most Aucklanders were expected to rely on private vehicles for the foreseeable future, Glynn said.

“This includes optimising traffic light phasing, addressing intersection bottlenecks where possible, removing parking on some roads to provide an additional lane at the busiest times, introducing clearways and, on some major routes, transit or bus lanes.”

University of Auckland urban planning senior lecturer Mohsen Mohammadzadeh said changing the hours of bus/T3 lanes was a potentially effective short-term measure, but far from a comprehensive solution.

“From my perspective, the long-term solution lies in integrating transport planning with urban development strategies that promote higher densities and mixed land use.

“Without these complementary changes in urban planning and transport policy, simply adjusting bus lane hours will offer limited benefits and is unlikely to generate the systemic behavioural change Auckland urgently needs.”

Mohsen Mohammadzadeh, urban planning senior lecturer at the University of Auckland.

Mohammadzadeh said Auckland had pursued a low-density, car-dependent model of urban growth, favouring highways over investment in mass transit systems such as trams since the 1960s.

“The problem is not just that Auckland is growing, but how it is growing. The dominant approach to urban development continues to entrench car dependency and make public and active transport less viable.

“If public transport remains infrequent, unreliable, both during and outside of peak hours, poorly connected across different neighbourhoods, and is often perceived as unaffordable, then simply extending the operating hours of priority lanes will not produce meaningful shifts in travel behaviour or significantly alleviate congestion.”

Auckland’s increasing weekend traffic exposed the limitations of a network built around commuter peaks, he said.

“Equity is a major concern for me. Many low-income individuals and families live in outer suburbs or peri-urban areas and must travel long distances to reach employment, education and essential services. In these areas, public transport is often limited, unreliable or unaffordable.”

Reductions in parking, without offering affordable, accessible and reliable alternatives, risked exacerbating existing inequalities, he said.

Jaime Lyth is a multimedia journalist for the New Zealand Herald, focusing on crime and breaking news. Lyth began working under the NZ Herald masthead in 2021 as a reporter for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei.