General questions

SH1 One-Way System Operational Review questions

General questions

What is the Shaping Future Dunedin Transport Project and why do we need it?

Led by Connecting Dunedin, the Shaping Future Dunedin Transport project is a review of Dunedin’s central city transport system. It is being done in response to the new Dunedin Hospital development, which is being built in our central city, between the two State Highway 1 roads. The project is about re-thinking the future of Dunedin's central transport system to see if it can be used to support major developments, such as the new hospital and better enhance the central city for everyone.

We’ve done some initial thinking on what we could do. This includes ideas to improve transport choice and safety, enhance our street environment and provide better bus, walking and cycling experiences. We've also thought about what changes may need to happen to the road network to improve safety and the quality of our streets. This includes options for how State Highway 1 runs through the central city.

Who is involved?

The project is led by Connecting Dunedin - a partnership between Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency Dunedin City Council and Otago Regional Council. Mana whenua, the new Dunedin Hospital team, University of Otago and KiwiRail are also involved.

How will this project benefit me?

This project aims to make travelling around the central city safer and easier for people however they choose to travel; whether by bus, driving, cycling or walking. It also seeks to improve the attractiveness of our streets.

What exactly are the proposed changes looking to achieve and what could these look like?

The changes aim to create a transport system that works better for people in Dunedin while taking the construction and operation of the new hospital into account.
These include:

  • Making it easier and safer to get around on foot and by bike, and developing commuting and parking options, such as:
    • improved walking routes to the new hospital and other destinations such as Toitū, the Railway Station, Queens Garden and the Chinese Gardens (This would include better pedestrian crossings at key intersections)
    • safety measures for walkers including more Barnes Dance crossings and moving e-scooter parking off footpaths
    • connecting the cycleway network
    • creating a safe, central city bike parking hub. In other cities these hubs provide showers, lockers, sheltered parking, bike repair facilities and a cafe
    • 'park and ride' hubs for cars and improved street parking sites
    • working with businesses around how and when employees travel to work
    • improving the look, feel and appeal of the streets through a range of enhancements, including landscaping and tree planting.

Building on gains of the new improved public transport network and opening of the central city Bus Hub. While details of any improvements are yet to be finalised it's likely to include among other things:

  • fares
  • timetables and frequency
  • bus stops
  • Park-and-ride facilities
  • giving buses greater priority on the roads

Changes to the roading network and traffic speeds, e.g:

  • potentially removing the State Highway 88 designation from St Andrew Street and reassigning it to Frederick Street where it connects to the one-way system. This would prevent having a busy street running through the new hospital
  • improvements to the harbour arterial road (Thomas Burns Street) behind the railway station. It will handle larger traffic volumes and provide an alternative route bypassing the city centre and avoiding the new hospital during and after construction.
  • a slower speed zone of 40-50km/hr on the two routes around the hospital
  • safety improvements to key intersections.

What changes are proposed to the one-way system?

One of the ideas is to investigate changes to how the one way (SH1) operates:

Keeping the one-way system

This retains the current one-way system, although part of it in the central city area will become a 40km/h slow-speed zone. The separated cycle lanes would remain on both one-ways and would extend to the Oval. There could be improved pedestrian crossings at key intersections of the one-ways and parking is not affected. Improvements include trees, landscaping and seating.
The main east-west through route on St Andrews Street could be relocated to Frederick Street. The Harbour Arterial would also be upgraded to provide a bypass route.

Changing to a two-way system and making Cumberland Street outside the new hospital a local road

Work would cover SH1 from Pine Hill Road to Andersons Bay Road and include making the current one-way system two, two-way roads. The arterial route will remain on the existing southbound route, passing behind the new hospital. A solid median strip will separate the two lanes and there will be no cycleway and minimal parking along this road.

The existing northbound route will become a local road. The speed limit of this road, which will pass in front of the new hospital is reduced. A two- way separated cycleway will be provided and extend to the Oval, parking is retained, there will be improved pedestrian crossings at all intersections and more pedestrian crossing points. The area will be made more attractive through improvements such as tree planting, landscaping and seating. The main east-west through route on St Andrews Street could be relocated to Frederick Street. The Harbour Arterial would also be upgraded to provide a bypass route.

Why can’t the central city roading network be left the way it is?

The roading network needs to change because of the new hospital and the need to improve safety for pedestrians, cyclists around the hospital, including during its construction.

What are slow speed zones?

Slow speed zones are sections of the road with reduced speed limits to make it safer for all users – vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists.

Where would the slow speed areas apply?

The slow speed areas differ slightly for each roading option:

  • Keeping the one-way system - Police Street to St David Street would have a 40km/h speed limit.
  • For Option 2 – vehicles would need to slow down to 30km/h on the two-way road in front of the hospital. The two-way arterial road (Castle St, Cumberland St and Andersons Bay Rd) would have a 50km/h speed limit, including where it passes behind the new hospital and in front of the railway station.

How do you know the changes won’t cause traffic problems?

We’re using computer traffic modelling that predicts people’s likely travel choices in different situations to help us understand to see what the impacts may be.

How will traffic flow be impacted?

To help reduce congestion, motorists will be encouraged to use alternative roads such as an improved harbour arterial (Thomas Burns Street) or, alternatively, take the bus, walk or cycle. These changes will also provide better connections between the new hospital and central city, allowing people to move easily between the two areas.

What are you planning to do about parking in the central city?

We are planning to improve parking options. This could include park-and-ride sites at Mosgiel and Burnside and new commuter parking sites on the harbour arterial road (Wharf and Thomas Burns Streets) and at the southern end of the city centre, linked to walking routes and bus services to the city centre. The harbour arterial parking site would support the current and future Dunedin Hospital and avoid hospital-related construction traffic.

Shouldn’t we be investing in future technologies rather than current technologies? There is evidence that transport vehicles will soon change dramatically.

We aren’t ruling out the adoption of new technologies. This is a fast-moving space and our project aims to be adaptable.

Are commuter rail services part of the project?

Not in the short term. Right now, there’s plenty of capacity on most Dunedin bus services to serve the city well for the next few years. However, we’re not ruling out commuter rail in the medium to longer-term given the convenient location of Dunedin Railway Station to the CBD and the fact the main south line passes through significant growth areas such as Mosgiel. Dunedin City Council is looking at the future of rail for both freight and passengers.

How are we addressing Dunedin’s growing population?

We’ll be asking people to think differently about how they travel around Dunedin. For example, if everyone shared their car with one other person, traffic volumes would drop by 40%. If everyone worked from home one day a week, traffic volumes would drop by 20%. More flexible working hours would reduce congestion around the 8.30am and 5pm peak times. There is spare capacity in the bus system and Dunedin’s cycling and walking networks.

What is the cost of this project?

The initial stage of this project, getting feedback from and preparing the business case, will cost about $450,000. This will then be followed by a more detailed business case on the preferred option, including developing more robust funding and cost options and how these would be delivered to align with the hospital construction period years.

Costs will depend very much on the final designs, how these are applied, and the quality of materials used. We need to do more work before we know exact costs.

Who is paying for this?

Funding for the initial stage of this project will be largely met by Connecting Dunedin. Opportunities for investment from other partners will be explored as part of the detailed planning.

How can I be kept informed?

Subscribe here(external link)

(The newsletter will also be available on the Connecting Dunedin website and its Facebook page).

SH1 One-Way System Operational Review

What lead to the review?

In late 2021, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency endorsed the Shaping Future Dunedin Transport Programme Business Case jointly developed with the Dunedin City Council (DCC)and Otago Regional Council (ORC). It included an enhanced one-way system as part of wider transport improvements driven by the new Dunedin Hospital build. Dunedin City Councillors voted for continuing discussions with Waka Kotahi on the future form oft he SH1 one-way system, with the two-way option as a starting point.

What was being reviewed?

The 2021 Shaping Future Dunedin Transport Programme Business Case was reviewed using updated transport modelling to confirm the functionality and performance of both the one-way and the two-way options on SH1. This was to see which of these two options would deliver the safest and most accessible connections to the new Dunedin Hospital and surrounding areas, and attractive landscaping to create people friendly spaces. The review also covered the functionality and performance of SH88 St Andrew Street between the two new Dunedin Hospital blocks.

Were health and well-being outcomes covered?

A Health Impact Assessment was commissioned by the Local Advisory Group to the new Dunedin Hospital project on the transport programme options. This identified the main health and well-being outcomes and provided suggestions on how these might be achieved to improve the design of what ends up being delivered. The review concluded both one and two-way options for SH1 could improve health and well-being outcomes.

What were some of the suggestions for achieving these?

  • Lower speed limits
  • Better highway crossing facilities including everyone crosses at once Barnes Dance signals
  • Greater pedestrian focus on St Andrew Street and linkages to the Central City BusHub
  • Traffic reductions, including heavy vehicles, in the vicinity of the new hospital
  • Greater safety for cyclists at intersections and better integration of cycle connections north of the CBD
  • No e-scooters usage on footpaths around the new Dunedin Hospital
  • Development of Park and Ride facilities
  • Better parking management and availability of mobility parks in the CBD
  • Seating and landscaping to create more people friendly surroundings on the highway links to the new Dunedin Hospital and nearby areas.

Were urban design considerations part of the Shaping Future Dunedin Business Case review?

Yes, mainly around the urban design potential of the one-way and two-way options by reallocating road space and amenity improvements at key mid-block locations. It’s important that all the urban design elements of highway connections to the new Dunedin Hospital are functional and enhance the look and feel of this area.

What did the review of traffic modelling show?

The one-way option sees a small reduction in operational performance of SH1 compared to what currently exists, with less traffic due to the lower speed environment and greater use of the Harbour Arterial. The two-way option has less overall network capacity than the one-way. However, the complexity of this configuration for many drivers, would see more traffic switching to the Harbour Arterial and other central city roads. This is expected to increase central city travel times and cause longer delays at some key intersections.

The review looked at possible options for SH88 St Andrew Street - what were some of the suggestions?

  • Reduce road width and traffic lanes
    • Two traffic lanes (banned right turns from internal link)
    • Three traffic lanes (ban single right turn)
    • Three traffic lanes (retain back-to-back right turn lane).

Fewer traffic lanes on SH88 St Andrew Street would:

  • allow wider footpaths and/or space for kerbside activity such as landscaping and seating
  • mean less traffic on St Andrew Street and at adjacent intersections
  • enable easier installation of extra pedestrian facilities such as Barnes Dance and mid-block crossings.

Modelling shows fewer traffic lanes and banning turns has little impact on the performance of the wider road network in the area. Removing turning movements would free up more space for people friendly spaces and pedestrian crossings.

What were some of the key findings of the review?

  • Both one-way and two-way options offer more people friendly spaces that are landscaped and have seating
  • Improvements under either option would change how the highway currently operates
  • The one-way option offers a marginal reduction in operational performance compared to the existing highway configuration and shifts traffic to the Harbour Arterial By-Pass that’s widely used by trucks
  • Both highway options could deliver appealing people friendly surroundings on highway links to the new Dunedin Hospital. Reallocation of space, particularly some on-street parking would be needed to improve the pedestrian environment in this constrained highway corridor
  • The one-way option provides the best overall balance of amenity and pedestrian access improvements across the length of both the north and southbound SH1 corridors
  • The two-way option would see more traffic using the Harbour Arterial and other central city roads due to increased movement complexity for drivers at SH1 intersections
  • A two-way option would increase central city travel times and see poorer levels of service at some key intersections
  • Both St Andrew Street (SH88) options provide opportunities to increase pedestrian, amenity, and safety, through reducing traffic volumes on this road between the two new Dunedin Hospital blocks.