Roads

There is little land available for building new roads in the urban area of Auckland city. When combined with the increasing demand for road travel, it becomes necessary to make better use of the current road network.

A key challenge for the council is to keep Auckland moving within the constraints created by the city's geography, infrastructure nearing its capacity, high levels of development and scattered work and education destinations.

Planning is well advanced for building the region's motorway network and Auckland City will continue to work with NZ Transport Agency as a top priority.

Pedestrians crossing a busy intersection.

Road rule changes

From 27 February 2005 the Land Transport (road user) Rule 2004 came into force.

The new rules take into account the country's changing traffic environment over the past 30 years, including the increase in the numbers of vehicles on the roads particularly in Auckland.

The main changes in the road rules include:

noisy vehicles - it is an offence to operate equipment in, or on, a vehicle in a way that creates excessive noise
pedestrian crossings - drivers now have to give way to pedestrians on both sides of the crossing unless the crossing is divided by a raised traffic island
roundabouts - multi-lane roundabouts throughout the country are to be marked so they require drivers entering and leaving to follow a clearly marked path
parking - the traditional 'P' parking restrictions will now apply on weekends unless stated otherwise
buses - buses carrying passengers will not be allowed to move at any time with the bus doors open
safety belts - in a private vehicle it is the driver's responsibility to make sure you wear a safety belt if you're under 15. If you're over 15 it is your responsibility.

For more detailed information on the new road rules visit www.landtransport.govt.nz/road-user-safety/new-road-rules/