Knights Road Connection Project

Consultation has closed.

The Knights Road Connection Project came to completion in July 2021 when the Council made decisions about the next steps following two on-road trials. Find out more about what was decided here

The Knights Road Connection Project was one of several pilot projects funded by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency that aim to create more people-friendly spaces in our towns and cities. The Innovating Streets programme provides the resources and support for Councils to work with their communities to find solutions that work for the people that use the streets and spaces the most.

Creating streets and spaces that areContinue reading

The Knights Road Connection Project came to completion in July 2021 when the Council made decisions about the next steps following two on-road trials. Find out more about what was decided here

Creating streets and spaces that are more people-friendly make it easier to choose active modes of transport. This is important because New Zealand has a goal of 40% mode shift towards active transport and public transport by 2030. Working towards this goal will reduce congestion, help to meet climate targets and improve health. It's a big shift in a short time, and so this iterative way of working allows solutions to be tested quickly and cost effectively in the real world by all affected road users while change to the layout can still be made.

The aim is for more people to feel comfortable using active non-motorised modes of transport (bikes, scooters, e-scooters etc) for some of their shorter, regular journeys, or for the last kilometre after public transport. This will reduce the congestion and pressure on off-road parking, freeing up space for people for whom active modes are not practical. For people to feel comfortable using active transport there needs to be a safe, convenient and connected network that goes to the places people need to go to.

We’re trialling a new road layout along Knights Road connecting Waterloo Station to the Lower Hutt CBD. The aim of the trial is to make the journey a safer and more attractive connection regardless of how you choose to get around.

The new layout will create better connections between the Lower Hutt CBD, local schools, homes and workplaces and the public transport and active transport facilities at Waterloo station. The purpose of trialling these changes on the road is so that everyone who uses the road can see and feel the new layouts while there is still the potential to change them. We want to hear what is working, and what is not.

Our vision

Our bold goal is to find, through temporary trials, a design that becomes an attractive, well used shared-mode connection between Waterloo Station and the Lower Hutt CBD. We want students from local schools, and staff at local businesses to use the new road layout for commuting, improving the experience of all those that use the route.

Through the trial we are working with road users to find a safer layout for all modes of transports. Children on bikes, people on e-scooters and people walking on the footpath should feel safe using thing key connection, creating real transport choice.

Why did we choose Knights Road?

In Lower Hutt and across Wellington there is a lot of investment in shared paths and off-road cycleways, such as the Wainuiomata Shared Pathway, the new Beltway route under construction, the increasingly popular Hutt River Trail and the Melling to Ngauranga cycleway. These types of facilities are generally seen as safe, and allow travel between local suburbs and are close to public transport. What is missing is connections between these key routes, at key points, to the places people want to go - especially schools, shopping areas and workplaces.

Knights Road is the connecting road between the public transport hubs at Waterloo Station and Queensgate.
It is the link between the new Beltway route and Lower Hutt's CBD.
There are six local schools on or near by Knights Road, and congestion at pick up and drop off times is an issue for all of them.
Speed data along Knights Road showed that an unacceptable number of vehicles are exceeding 50km/h and some are driving at very high speeds for an urban environment.
It is a wide road with enough space to trial changes to the road layout.

On this basis, a Knights Road connection to improve the connectivity of existing and planned shared paths and cycleways was first proposed as part of an urban cycleways package that included the Wainuiomata Shared Path (completed 2019, the Beltway Cycleway and the Eastern Bays Shared Path.

What has happened so far?

First trial road layout

From July to October 2020, the Knights Road Connection project team ran a series of workshops and engagements with residents, schools and the local community to better understand their experiences on Knights Road, what is working well and what might need to change to make the connection work better for more people.

Based on the feedback we trialled a temporary road layout in Knights Road during March 2021. You can find out more about the results of that trial here or read the full report here

Pop-up park at event on Friday 4 DecemberEngagement at Queensgate

Amended trial road layout

Based on community feedback and data from the first trial, we are trialling an amended road layout. You can find out more about it here

How to get involved?

We are trialling the temporary changes in real time, using your recommendations to find the best solution for the space and the community. We need to hear from you about what works well and anything that isn’t working from the trial layout.

We'll be posting regular project updates, running surveys and Facebook polls, and collecting your ideas on how you want the space to work.

Thank you to the more than 300 of you who have filled in the online surveys. These are now closed, so that we can collate and understand your feedback. You can still share your ideas on the project page, attending a workshop or pop in session and/or emailing us.

Share your idea here

Your feedback will be used alongside real-time traffic monitoring to help inform what might happen next.

Consultation has closed.

Council committee approves permanent changes to Waterloo intersection

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Last week we let you know that a Council committee was preparing to decide on next steps for the layouts that have been trialled in Knights Road in 2021. Councillors met on Tuesday 20 July 2021 and approved the recommendations to:
- bring forward the programmed work to better link the Beltway Cycleway to Waterloo Station
- do general repairs and safety improvements which were raised by an independent safety review and the community
- make permanent the trial layout outside Waterloo Station.
These recommendations include a range of recommended repairs and safety improvements to Knights Road, including the introduction of speed calming measures at intersections; surface repairs to footpaths and the road; and safety improvements at crossings.
The Committee acknowledged that Knights Road is a critical link in the network of cycleways and shared paths and that the layout should be considered in the context of the full network. In June 2021 Council announced increased investment in the RiverLink Project and in transport initiatives, including provision for bikes and faster wheels.
As a result of that, the Committee agreed to:
- ask Council officers to produce a business case examining options and cost implications for Knights Road in the context of the wider network for bikes and faster wheels, before a decision is made on the best option for Knights road
- leave the Knights Road trial in place, including the safety improvements, for a period of up to 12 months from July 2021.
The committee decision brings this phase of the Knights Road trial to an end. We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone in the community who helped co-design the trials and shared their experiences.
Our final newsletter is available here .

Recommended next steps for Knights Road Connection

In late June we let you know that we had collected all the feedback and data on the amended layout in Knights Road. We said we were preparing a report for Hutt City Council's Infrastructure and Regulatory Committee for its meeting on 20 July, including options to assist Councillors to decide what happens next. The report is now published and Councillors will make a decision on the recommendations on Tuesday 20 July 2021. We will update you on their decisions.

In summary, the report recommends the committee agrees to:

bring forward the programmed work to better link the Beltway Cycleway to Waterloo Station
do repairs and safety improvements which were raised by an independent safety review and the community
make permanent the trial layout outside Waterloo Station
retain the amended layout westbound on Knights Road (the May trial layout) and extend it to Bloomfield Terrace when practicable
approve in principle an eastbound separated pathway on another road.

Find out more about what's proposed in our latest e-newsletter.

Next steps for Knights Road Connections project

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Thank you to everyone in our community who has shared their experiences of the trial layouts in Knights Road in recent months. We have collected all the feedback, and we are preparing to send a report to Hutt City Council's Infrastructure and Regulatory Committee on 20 July. It will include options to assist Councillors to decide what happens next. We will keep you updated on the decision.

Minor safety improvements
We intend to make some minor safety improvements to the trial layout in early July, weather permitting. It is important to make the layout as safe as possible regardless of what decision is made about its future. You can find out more about the safety improvements in the link to our latest electronic newsletter.
Thank you for your feedback and engagement

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A big thank you to everyone who has shared their views and experiences by filling in a survey, attending a workshop or drop-in session, sending an email or calling in.
The surveys are now closed, and we are pulling together all of the feedback, and all of the data to inform what happens next
Save the date! Feedback opportunities

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We can now confirm the dates for all the feedback opportunities for the amended trial.
Workshop - 2-4pm, Sunday 23 May at Lower Hutt Event Centre. Please RVSP to auahaevolvingspaces@huttcity.govt.nz
Online surveys - From Monday 24 May you can complete one of the surveys on this project page. We'll publish the links when they are live, and you'll also be able to find them by scrolling to the 'surveys' section of this page.
Printed surveys - From Monday 24 May, we will deliver printed surveys to residents of Knights Road and surrounding streets. The printed surveys are available to the wider community from Hutt City Council's offices in Laings Road.
Queensgate display - Visit our stand at Queensgate on Thursday 27 May. We will have survey forms available all day. Team members will be at the stand between 11am and 1pm and from 5pm until 9pm to answer questions and discuss your feedback.
You can also email us at auahaevolvingspace s@huttcity.govt.nz to share your experiences of the amended layout.
Just like the first trial, we will also capture the experience of different road users through photos, videos and interviews. We want to understand how the layout works for people walking, scooting, cycling and driving as well as residents, children, people with disabilities, older people and emergency services. This will help us keep the people using the road at the centre of our decision-making.
Feedback welcome on Knights Road amended layout

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As we explained in our last project update, we're still waiting for the final part of the amended road layout to be installed before we invite formal feedback - but in the meantime we'd love to hear about your experiences of the new layout. You can email us at auahaevolvingspaces@huttcity.govt.nz with any observations, good experiences or concerns. We will update you soon on when the final materials (the raised kerbs) will be installed. Check out our latest e-newsletter for other news.
Full installation of amended trial is delayed

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Full installation of the amended trial layout in Knights Road has been delayed by the supply of materials coming from overseas. We now estimate the trial will be fully installed in mid May but we do not have an exact date yet.
What does the amended trial look like?
The amended trial provides a separated pathway on the south side of Knights Road, positioned between the footpath and the parking spaces, with a one-metre buffer between the pathway and parked cars. See the image above.

This layout came from feedback and data from the first trial and is similar to successful layouts in other cities around Aotearoa New Zealand.

The markings for the parking spaces, buffer zone, separated pathway and median area are already in place.
The materials that are held up in the port at Auckland are the 50mm raised kerbs which will be installed between the parking spaces and the buffer zone. The kerbs are designed to provide a physical indication of the protected space.
What does the delay mean?
Anyone parking beside the buffer zone should check that their vehicle is within the parking area and not taking up space in the buffer zone. Once the raised kerbs are in place, drivers will find it easier to know they’re correctly parked.

Cyclists and others on ‘faster wheels’ in the separated pathway need to be mindful that, until the raised kerbs are in place, there’s potential for the buffer zone to be incorrectly used by drivers.

The delay in the supply of materials also means that we will not start seeking community feedback until late May, when the trial has been fully in place for about a week. We will update you when we know the dates for the start of the online and printed surveys.
What is unaffected by the delay?
The trial layout at Waterloo Station intersection stays the same in this amended trial. Data from the first trial shows the layout has greatly improved safety for pedestrians at this intersection.

We are still investigating options for a trial layout better linking the Beltway to Waterloo Station. This work is unaffected by the delay of materials for the Knights Road trial.
What happens next?
Data and community feedback will be collected during May and early June, and then a decision will be made in June about whether the trial layout remains in place, is adapted or is removed.

The full report on community feedback and data collected from the first trial layout is available here
Amended Knights Road layout trial to get underway

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We are preparing to start a second road layout trial in Knights Road, with an amended layout. The layout has been informed by community feedback and data from the first trial including concerns about the loss of on-street parking, and visibility getting into and out of driveways.
The purpose of the second trial is to test a layout that aims to provide safer journeys for all modes while making sure the road still functions well for all users.
What did we learn from the first trial?
Results from the first trial showed perceptions of safety improved. People have felt safer when using active modes of transport such as cycling to get to school and work. At the Waterloo Station intersection, our data showed drivers slowed down when approaching all pedestrian crossings and were travelling at more consistent speeds. The changes to the layout at this intersection made traffic flow more predictably and efficiently. Journey time for drivers down Knights Road remained unchanged overall.
The feedback from the first trial also showed that the community supports having a separate pathway to provide a safe space for people on bikes, scooters and other micromobility modes in Knights Road. However, the pathway separator did not provide enough separation and created some problems for some road users. The loss of on-street parking was a problem for lots of people during the trial. Another strong theme was the need for a better connection between the beltway, the central city and other shared paths and cycleways.
The full report on the March trial is available on this page under 'Documents'
Knights Road connection trial – phase 2
The trial of a new layout in Knights Road and a investigation boardwalk connection to the beltway is scheduled for late April until June 2021. Data and community feedback will be collected during May, and then a decision will be made in June about whether the trial layout remains in place, is adapted or is removed. There will be lots of opportunities for you to share your views about the trial, and we will keep you posted on that.
What are we trialling this time?
The second trial will provide a separated pathway on the south side of the road positioned between the footpath and the parking spaces. A one-metre buffer between the pathway and parked cars will be added and the median strip will be retained but reduced in width. The north side of the road will revert to the pre-trial layout. This illustration shows how the new layout will look.

Layout for phase 2 trial
There will be a small (50mm) raised kerb installed between the parking spaces and the buffer to provide a physical indication of the protected space.

This layout aims to:
- provide better protection for pathway users
- provide easier access to driveways
- enable rubbish collection and street-sweeping.
- restore most of the on-street parking on the south side of the street. Some of the parking space will still be required to allow for rubbish collection and turning movements.
Trial connection to the beltway
We are also exploring trialling a three-metre wide timber ‘boardwalk’ to provide a clear and safe link from the end of the current beltway to Waterloo Station and Knights Road. This should provide a safer route for pedestrians, cyclists and users of scooters, e-scooters, mobility scooters and wheelchairs. The proposed trial layout is similar to one in Nelson.

Boardwalk solution in Nelson

Waterloo intersection trial
The new pedestrian crossing layout and speed cushions at the Waterloo intersection will remain in place for the second phase of the trial.
The pop-up park on Birch Street will also stay in place for the next phase. It’s the ‘home’ of the project and a place to stay informed about what’s coming up and how you can give feedback.
Read the latest e-newsletter

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Our latest e-newsletter provides an update on what has been happening in the project. This edition shares the main themes from the community engagement on the trial layout.
https://bit.ly/3cAFLp8
Thanks for completing the surveys!

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A big thank you to the more than 300 people that have filled in an online survey for the Knights Road Connection trial.
We are now collating all of your feedback, alongside the hard copy surveys, emails and ideas.
We'll be sharing the themes from that feedback at this Sunday's drop-in session, and online from next week.