Dominion Road

Dominion Road is an arterial road in Auckland, New Zealand, running north-south across most of the central Isthmus. The road is also a major public transport route which carries 50,000 bus passengers each week,^[1] making it one of the few roads in Auckland on which similar or greater numbers of people travel by public transport than by private car.^[2] It achieved some fame by The Mutton Birds' 1993 song, titled "Dominion Road".^[3]

The street which passes through mostly suburban areas (and several town centres), has been described as having a colourful mix of shops, exemplified by areas like the "United Nations of restaurants" around the Balmoral town centre. However, there are also claims that the street's development has been held back by uncertainty about future roading / public transport development plans for the last decade, which prevented investment certainty, and led to low shop rents.^[4]

Route

The southern end of Ian McKinnon Drive, where it becomes Dominion Road.

Dominion Road in the 1900s, showing its origins as a typical "tram era" street.^[3]

The road begins in Eden Terrace as a continuation of Ian McKinnon Drive, which itself begins at upper Queen Street. Ian McKinnon Drive becomes Dominion Road south of a grade-separated intersection over New North Road (grade separation of non-motorway intersections is rare in Auckland). The road then continues in a straight line for almost 6 kilometres (the longest straight stretch of road on the Auckland Isthmus), going through the suburbs of Mt Eden, Balmoral and Mt Roskill until bending slightly just before its intersection with Richardson Road at the Mt Roskill South Shops. Dominion Road Extension then continues until it ends at Hillsborough Road in Waikowhai, overlooking the Manukau Harbour on the southern side of the Auckland isthmus.

1960s Dominion Road Motorway proposal

Dominion Road, in the extremely car-centric transport plans for Auckland of the 1950s and 1960s, featured as a proposed new motorway route south from the CBD.^[5] However, with the exception of the oversized Ian McKinnon Drive / New North Road interchange, this proposal never came to pass.

2010s Public transport upgrade proposal

In late 2010, a proposed Council upgrade to the road, which was to focus on improving public transport and cycling links (via 24/7 bus lanes and cycle lanes), created substantial public debate.^[4] Conflicting views existed on whether the necessary removal of parking (a good part of which was to be reinstated in side roads as extra angle parking) would significantly harm the road, reducing amenity for locals, and endangering the street's shops. Further heavily criticised was the concurrent proposal by the Citizens & Raterpayers-dominated Council to remove the bus lanes, and instead replace them with transit lanes allowing cars.

The proposed upgrade was eventually tabled to be revisited only after the elections creating the first unified Auckland Council.^[2] The new Council decided in 2011 to proceed with a less extensive plan, that would provide only some extensions and upgrades of bus lanes and cycling facilities, and would retain parking in the bus lanes outside of peak hours, a move that was pplauded by a large part of the local residents and business owners. Road widening designations, and previous Council land purchases worth about $20 million, that would have allowed for the more extensive works, will partially be lifted / sold on around 2012, as soon as the extents of the new scheme are known.^[4]

Mutton Birds song

There has been debate in New Zealand as to where exactly "halfway down Dominion Road" is (as mentioned in the song), as an extension has been built to this road. However, the extension was built after the song was written. The song's music video suggests that halfway down Dominion Road is the intersection of Peary Road and Dominion Road, and much of the video's footage shows the area between the road's Balmoral shops and Mt. Roskill shops.

References

1. ^ "Dominion Road 2016". Auckland City Council. http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/auckland/transport/dominion/default.asp. Retrieved 22 November 2008. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Push for bus lanes in centre of road". The New Zealand Herald. 22 December 2010. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/local-government/news/article.cfm?c_id=250&objectid=10696190. Retrieved 5 January 2011. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "Dominion Road". Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage / Te Manatū Taonga. http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/auckland-places/11/4. Retrieved 5 January 2011. 
4. ^ ^{a b c} "The Big D". Aucklander. 28 July 2011. 
5. ^ Mees, Paul; Dodson, Jago (1 February 2001). "The American Heresy: Half a century of transport planning in Auckland". Presentation to joint conference of New Zealand Geographical Society / Australian Institute of Geographers conference, University of Otago, Dunedin. Urban Planning Program, Faculty of Architecture, Building & Planning, University of Melbourne. http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~cthombor/Pubs/AKtransportMees.rtf. Retrieved 9 February 2011. 

External links

• Urban Route 4 – Dominion Road at Auckland Motorways (private website)

Coordinates: 36°53′48″S 174°44′39″E / 36.8968°S 174.7443°E / -36.8968; 174.7443