Keeping Epsom/Greenlane moving in the afternoon

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About this project

Manukau Road, Pah Road and Great South Road are some of Central Auckland’s busiest roads, connecting people to schools, businesses, healthcare facilities, public transport and key destinations across the city.

Manukau Road and Pah Road each carry up to 36,000 vehicles daily, while Great South Road carries up to 18,000 vehicles daily. These routes also support frequent bus services, helping move large numbers of people through the area every day.

As Auckland grows, we need to make the best use of the road space we already have. Our investigations found congestion regularly begins from around 3pm, particularly during school pick-up times, and continues through the afternoon peak. Our approach to making the best use of our roads is guided by the Room to Move strategy which outlines our plan to deal with roads that are struggling to cope with the wide variety of demands placed on them.

To improve traffic flow, support reliable bus journeys and help move more people through these busy corridors, we consulted on a package of low-cost changes that can be implemented quickly with minimal construction disruption.


What we heard

From 12 May to 1 June 2025, we asked for feedback on a proposal to change weekday afternoon operating hours of existing T3 lanes and bus lanes on Manukau Road, Pah Road and Great South Road from 4pm - 7pm to 3pm - 7pm. We received 235 submissions from residents, businesses, road users and stakeholder groups.

While people supported improving public transport reliability and helping more people move efficiently along these busy corridors. However, most feedback reflected concerns about the proposed operating hour change.

Key themes included:

  • Concerns that extending T3 lane and bus lane operating hours would reduce parking availability for customers and businesses.
  • Questions about whether the changes would reduce congestion and improve travel times.
  • Concerns about traffic flow and safety, particularly around the Greenlane intersection.
  • Suggestions to improve cycling safety, traffic signal operation and enforcement of existing lanes.
  • Feedback from business associations about the potential impact on customer access and parking.

Thank you to everyone who shared feedback and local insights, read the feedback summary report here.

Engagement outcome

We carefully considered all feedback alongside traffic data, road network performance and parking availability.

We are moving forward with the following changes:

  • Extend afternoon clearway operating hours on Manukau Road north of Silver Road to include 3pm - 7pm. This section already operates as a morning clearway. Extending the time restrictions in the afternoon will help improve traffic flow for those heading towards Newmarket and the motorway.
  • Install a short section of broken yellow lines outside 80 - 88 Manukau Road to support safe through movements along this road. This will help improving visibility and traffic flow.

Albert-Eden Local Board endorsed the changes above (see page 10).

  • Manukau Road and Pah Road
    • Extend weekday (Mon - Fri) afternoon T3 lane operating hours from 4 pm - 7 pm to 3pm - 7pm.
  • Great South Road
    • Extend weekday (Mon - Fri) afternoon bus lane operating hours from 4pm - 7pm to 3pm - 7pm.

Why: Starting the bus lane earlier will help buses move more reliably as afternoon congestion begins to build, making better use of the existing road space and supporting the growing number of people travelling by public transport.

We acknowledge the concerns about the potential impact of changes to on-street parking, particularly for businesses near Greenwoods Corner. We understand that parking is an important consideration for local businesses and customers and that parking is available in the surrounding area.

Both Albert-Eden (page 10) and Puketāpapa (pages 6 and 7) Local Boards did not endorse the change of operating hours.

Following our escalation process to decision makers, this proposal was given approval to proceed due to its wider network benefits and alignment with our strategic direction to improve congestion and public transport reliability using low-cost, high-impact improvements.

To better understand the potential impacts, we undertook a parking assessment to look at parking availability and how spaces are currently being used. This helped us understand how the proposed changes could affect local businesses and customers and ensure our decisions were informed by evidence. We found there is sufficient parking available within a short walking distance of shops and businesses along these roads, with additional spaces available on nearby side streets.

When: We will install the bus lane changes in late August and early September 2026, with the new bus lane operating hours coming into effect from 7 September 2026. Read the roadworks notification letter for more information about the works, timing and what to expect during installation.

These changes will help improve bus reliability, support more predictable journey times and make better use of existing road space as Auckland continues to grow.


About this project

Manukau Road, Pah Road and Great South Road are some of Central Auckland’s busiest roads, connecting people to schools, businesses, healthcare facilities, public transport and key destinations across the city.

Manukau Road and Pah Road each carry up to 36,000 vehicles daily, while Great South Road carries up to 18,000 vehicles daily. These routes also support frequent bus services, helping move large numbers of people through the area every day.

As Auckland grows, we need to make the best use of the road space we already have. Our investigations found congestion regularly begins from around 3pm, particularly during school pick-up times, and continues through the afternoon peak. Our approach to making the best use of our roads is guided by the Room to Move strategy which outlines our plan to deal with roads that are struggling to cope with the wide variety of demands placed on them.

To improve traffic flow, support reliable bus journeys and help move more people through these busy corridors, we consulted on a package of low-cost changes that can be implemented quickly with minimal construction disruption.


What we heard

From 12 May to 1 June 2025, we asked for feedback on a proposal to change weekday afternoon operating hours of existing T3 lanes and bus lanes on Manukau Road, Pah Road and Great South Road from 4pm - 7pm to 3pm - 7pm. We received 235 submissions from residents, businesses, road users and stakeholder groups.

While people supported improving public transport reliability and helping more people move efficiently along these busy corridors. However, most feedback reflected concerns about the proposed operating hour change.

Key themes included:

  • Concerns that extending T3 lane and bus lane operating hours would reduce parking availability for customers and businesses.
  • Questions about whether the changes would reduce congestion and improve travel times.
  • Concerns about traffic flow and safety, particularly around the Greenlane intersection.
  • Suggestions to improve cycling safety, traffic signal operation and enforcement of existing lanes.
  • Feedback from business associations about the potential impact on customer access and parking.

Thank you to everyone who shared feedback and local insights, read the feedback summary report here.

Engagement outcome

We carefully considered all feedback alongside traffic data, road network performance and parking availability.

We are moving forward with the following changes:

  • Extend afternoon clearway operating hours on Manukau Road north of Silver Road to include 3pm - 7pm. This section already operates as a morning clearway. Extending the time restrictions in the afternoon will help improve traffic flow for those heading towards Newmarket and the motorway.
  • Install a short section of broken yellow lines outside 80 - 88 Manukau Road to support safe through movements along this road. This will help improving visibility and traffic flow.

Albert-Eden Local Board endorsed the changes above (see page 10).

  • Manukau Road and Pah Road
    • Extend weekday (Mon - Fri) afternoon T3 lane operating hours from 4 pm - 7 pm to 3pm - 7pm.
  • Great South Road
    • Extend weekday (Mon - Fri) afternoon bus lane operating hours from 4pm - 7pm to 3pm - 7pm.

Why: Starting the bus lane earlier will help buses move more reliably as afternoon congestion begins to build, making better use of the existing road space and supporting the growing number of people travelling by public transport.

We acknowledge the concerns about the potential impact of changes to on-street parking, particularly for businesses near Greenwoods Corner. We understand that parking is an important consideration for local businesses and customers and that parking is available in the surrounding area.

Both Albert-Eden (page 10) and Puketāpapa (pages 6 and 7) Local Boards did not endorse the change of operating hours.

Following our escalation process to decision makers, this proposal was given approval to proceed due to its wider network benefits and alignment with our strategic direction to improve congestion and public transport reliability using low-cost, high-impact improvements.

To better understand the potential impacts, we undertook a parking assessment to look at parking availability and how spaces are currently being used. This helped us understand how the proposed changes could affect local businesses and customers and ensure our decisions were informed by evidence. We found there is sufficient parking available within a short walking distance of shops and businesses along these roads, with additional spaces available on nearby side streets.

When: We will install the bus lane changes in late August and early September 2026, with the new bus lane operating hours coming into effect from 7 September 2026. Read the roadworks notification letter for more information about the works, timing and what to expect during installation.

These changes will help improve bus reliability, support more predictable journey times and make better use of existing road space as Auckland continues to grow.

Page last updated: 26 Aug 2026, 09:20 AM