50 Victoria Street
Private Bag 6995
Wellington 6141
New Zealand
T 64 4 894 5400
F 64 4 894 6100
www.nzta.govt.nz
8 February 2022
Richard Young
[FYI request #18005 email]
REF: OIA-9262
Dear Richard
Request made under the Official Information Act 1982
Thank you for your email of 20 December 2021 requesting the following information under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the Act):
1. Daily traffic volumes that used the bridge from 1/1/2016 -31/12/2017 and 1/8/21 to data
(sic) (or as close as you have) as this data is not available on your TMS web site (Ref
01N29424). If it is available, to provide this in the same CSV format as the TMS system.
The attached spreadsheet titled ‘Daily Count AHB_2016-17’ provides data for the 1 January 2016 to
31 December 2017 period. Please note that information for some days is not available due to technical
issues with the equipment on those dates. The attached spreadsheet tilted ‘Daily Count AHB_2021’
provides data is for the period 1 August 2021 to present (data run in December).
2. Please also can you provide the reason for the 12 months of Direction 2 'missing' data
at site 01N29424 in 2019 and if it is available, to provide this in the same CSV format as
the TMS system.
There was an equipment and loop failure which Waka Kotahi replaced as part of the resurfacing work
completed in 2020. As a result, data for 2019 is not available.
3. The highest southbound weekday peak hour traffic volumes (06:00-07:00, 07:00-08:00,
08:00-09:00 MF) for each month since 1/1/2018 along with the date and the number of
lanes open to southbound traffic on that occasion. (01N29424)
4. The highest northbound weekday peak hour traffic volumes (16:00-17:00,17:00-18:00
MF) or each month since 1/1/2018 along with the date and the number of lanes open to
northbound traffic on that occasion. (01N29424)
The attached spreadsheet titled ‘Max_V_per_month_Jan-2018-to-Aug-2021’ contains the maximum
weekday peak volume per week for each month. This data is produced from the site near Stafford
Road as the TMS site 01N29424 was not available from 2018 to 2020 to produce the data due to
equipment and loop failure. The Stafford Road site provides a good representation of the Auckland
Harbour Bridge traffic volume. Tabs are provided for both Northbound and Southbound traffic.
5. The bridge's theoretical flow capacity (vehicles per hour) in each direction for each for
the movable barrier configurations.
The lane configuration (weekday only) is as follows:
• 5 am to 10 am – 5 lanes Southbound and 3 lanes Northbound
• 10 am to 3 pm – 4 lanes in each direction
• 3 pm to 10 pm – 5 lanes Northbound and 3 lanes Southbound
• 10 pm to 5 am - 4 lanes in each direction
The assumed theoretical capacity of the bridge is 9000 vehicles per hour for 5 lanes, 7200 vehicles
per hour for 4 lanes, and 5200 vehicles per hour for 3 lanes.
6. On the basis that that traffic volumes have reduced and that the Agency has no
imminent concerns about overloading please provide the briefing material that the
Board's chair was provided with (both written and transcripts of verbal discussions, to
the best of his recollection) that resulted in him telling the Select Committee that
converting one existing lane of the Auckland Harbour Bridge was 'not practical... and
has been ruled out' (51.00-51:10 on the select committee recording).
The advice provided to the Waka Kotahi Board relating to the permanent reallocation of a lane on the
Auckland Harbour Bridge for walking and cycling will soon be made available on the Waka Kotahi
website at www.nzta.govt.nz/planning-and-investment/nz-upgrade/proactive-release-of-nz-upgrade-
programme-documents/. I am therefore refusing this part of your request under section 18(d) of the
Act as the information you are requesting will soon be publicly available.
Under section 28 of the Act, you have the right to ask the Ombudsman to review my decision to refuse
parts of this request. The contact details for the Ombudsman can be located at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz.
If you would like to discuss this reply with Waka Kotahi, please contact Official Correspondence, by
email to [email address].
Yours sincerely
Neil Walker
National Manager Maintenance and Operations
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