Waihorotiu Waihorotiu Queen Street

Introduction 

Since 2020, Queen Street has evolved from a vehicle-dominated, four-lane thoroughfare into a vibrant, green, two-lane street with significantly more space dedicated to people, place-making and active modes of transport. 

Covid-19 Emergency Response 

The changes to Queen Street, which have occurred incrementally, were kick-started in 2020 by an emergency tactical urbanism response to the Covid-19 pandemic which included temporary measures to provide space for pedestrian social distancing. 

Vehicle lanes were reduced from four to two to allow for expanding footpaths. New, temporary kerb lines / barriers were provided by traffic cones initially and then upgraded to white hit-sticks, ‘sugar cube’ concrete blocks and planter boxes as part of a quick-to-install response. Temporary bus platforms were provided to ensure continued access to public transport in the new street layout. 

The temporary measures, although functional, were criticised by local businesses for their cheap aesthetic which undermined the character of the city centre.  

Access for Everyone Pilot

In 2021, as Covid requirements eased across the city, work began on a co-design process with Queen Street users and stakeholders to trial low-cost ways to lay out the street that could be quickly adjusted, adapted, improved or removed. 

The spatial reallocation from the Covid response project, which included more pedestrian space and a reduction from four to two traffic lanes (a single lane per direction), essentially remained but its aesthetic was upgraded, through the co-design process, to timber boardwalks, alongside seating and native planting. 

This new phase served as a staged transition toward more permanent infrastructure, while testing and gathering data on the layout, reduced traffic volume, pedestrian flows and impacts on businesses. 

Permanent Upgrade

The co-design journey continued, taking learnings from previous temporary trials to inform the permanent upgrade that would include widened, basalt footpaths, native planting, the Waihorotiu Path and an Essential Vehicle Area. Construction for this phase began in January 2022. 

Traffic Reduction & Essential Vehicle Area 

To improve the pedestrian experience, it was important to continue to reduce general traffic in the street. The addition of a new Essential Vehicle Area (EVA), between Wellesley Street and Wakefield Street limits vehicle access to buses, bikes, goods and emergency vehicles to reduce congestion, air and noise pollution.

Additional measures to reduce general traffic include: 

• Prioritised loading and servicing activities by removing general parking on Queen Street between Customs Street and Mayoral Drive. Queen Street offers only loading and servicing spaces along the length of the project area with P30 mobility parking around the arts precinct.   
• A peak hour bus lane (4pm-7pm), heading north, between Shortland Street and Customs Street. 

No-Dig Approach

A ‘no-dig’ construction approach was adopted which referred to surface level upgrades, avoiding major excavation or underground works. The project focused on installing modular basalt paving on top of the existing surface, using planter boxes and surface-mounted furniture for a faster delivery, lower costs and fewer road closures and disruptions for local businesses and residents. 

Waihorotiu Path

At the heart of the upgrade lies the Waihorotiu Path — a 3.5-metre-wide multi-use path from Mayoral Drive to Shortland Street for people walking, on bikes or riding e-scooters. Named after the waterways that once carved across the land, the path daylights knowledge of the stream that continues to flow under the street. 

Located between the footpath and the vehicle lane, the path is designed to separate slower-wheeled users from pedestrian traffic, improving safety and flow. It is visually distinctive from the main footpath and includes safety cues such as wayfinding cultural patterns, textural changes and signage. These elements work together to provide a buffer of protection for shoppers and others using the footpath. 

Fort Street Pocket Park 

As part of the A4E strategy to reduce general traffic on Queen Street, the intersection of Fort Street and Queen Street was blocked off to traffic and the Fort Street Pocket Park created. It offers a flexible piece of public realm furnished with modular seating, planting and artificial turf. It is a place to rest and pause in the downtown area.  

Planting Strategy  

The planting strategy aims to bring native flora back into the street and increase biodiversity through the installation of more than two hundred steel planter boxes.  

Species selection and planter box colours vary by precinct, adding meaning and narrative to the streetscape. Species were chosen to reflect the three native ecosystems that existed along the length of the street creating a transition from harbour edge to valley reflecting the historical Waihorotiu landscape –  

1. Coastal edge (downtown): harakeke, rengarenga lilies, sedges 
2. Wetlands and stream margins (central Queen Street): toetoe, tī kōuka, mikimiki 
3. Lowland forest (uptown/Aotea): kōwhai, karamu, mānuka, ferns 

Response from Businesses 

Local businesses have responded favourably to the changes with Ian Cavit of furniture store chain Studio Cavit Luxury says the upgrades to Queen Street and the waterfront make the city centre an attractive place for new businesses.    

Grant Partridge of Partridge Jewellers says “In order for Queen Street to fulfil its potential as the main street in New Zealand, I believe the prioritisation of pedestrians in its new design will be a move in the right direction. Pedestrianisation has great potential as being a way of bringing people together in a similar vein as other international cities.” 

Conclusion 

The Queen Street project, completed in 2023, is an example of how the city is moving from a car-focused environment to a place that prioritises people, putting into practice the vision of the City Centre Masterplan.  

The project has evolved over many stages since 2020, with learnings from each phase informing the next.  

Measures to reduce general traffic while improving public transport access, public realm and pedestrian amenity have resulted in a safer, cleaner, more vibrant streetscape where people choose to visit, enjoy and stay. The elements that make up the street – the planting, the furniture and the paving have been carefully selected to ensure the street identity is uniquely Tāmaki Makaurau.