Dominion Road
Encyclopedia
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, 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. It achieved some fame by The Mutton Birds
' 1993 song, titled "Dominion Road".
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.
. 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.
The proposed upgrade was eventually tabled to be revisited only after the elections creating the first unified Auckland Council
. 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.
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.
Arterial road
An arterial road, or arterial thoroughfare, is a high-capacity urban road. The primary function of an arterial road is to deliver traffic from collector roads to freeways, and between urban centres at the highest level of service possible. As such, many arteries are limited-access roads, or feature...
in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, 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, 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. It achieved some fame by The Mutton Birds
The Mutton Birds
The Mutton Birds was a band from New Zealand formed in 1991 by Don McGlashan, Ross Burge, and David Long.-History:All three members came into the band with experience: McGlashan came from Blam Blam Blam and The Front Lawn, guitarist Long had played in the Six Volts and Burge had played in the...
' 1993 song, titled "Dominion Road".
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.
Route
The road begins in Eden Terrace as a continuation of Ian McKinnon Drive, which itself begins at upper Queen StreetQueen Street, Auckland
Queen Street is the major commercial thoroughfare in the Auckland CBD, Auckland, New Zealand's main population centre. It starts at Queens Wharf on the Auckland waterfront, adjacent to the Britomart Transport Centre and the Downtown Ferry Terminal, and runs uphill for almost three kilometres in a...
. 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
Balmoral, New Zealand
Balmoral is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand that is bordered by Mount Eden, Epsom, Mount Roskill and Sandringham and is located approximately 5 km from the centre of Auckland. It was named around the turn of the 20th century and derives its name from Balmoral Castle, the Scottish country...
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
Waikowhai
Waikowhai is an Auckland suburb.Waikowhai is under the local governance of the Auckland Council.According to the 2006 census, the combined districts of Waikowhai East and Waikowhai West had a population of 7839....
, overlooking the Manukau Harbour
Manukau Harbour
Manukau Harbour is the second largest natural harbour in New Zealand by area. It is located to the southwest of the Auckland isthmus, and is an arm of the Tasman Sea.-Geography:...
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. 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. 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
Auckland Council
The Auckland Council is the council for the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It began operating on 1 November 2010, combining the functions of the existing regional council and the region's seven previous city and district councils into one "super council" or "super city" governed by a mayor, 20...
. 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.
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.
External links
- Urban Route 4 – Dominion Road at Auckland Motorways (private website)