Auckland rush hour

[BoroCraig]

Hi,

Could anyone tell me when the rush hour starts in Auckland? I think we will be living North of Auckland but will be working from an office on the South side of the Bridge. I'm used to driving upto an hour to get to work so would like to know when it starts so as to avoid it. Also, the reverse - getting back across the bridge to go home?

One other thing, car parking - what does it cost to park the car for the day around the South Shore area (Pitt Street if anyone knows it)?

Many Thanks

[gil]

Hi BoroCraig,

Can't answer precisely as I live in south-east auckland, but yesterday had a meeting at 06.30 in CBD, called for that ungodly hour by the other party who lives up near Whangaparoa (sp?) and wanted to avoid the rush hour....

Car parking in Sky City (closest car park to my office) is about $30 a day. Luckily, I now have free parking in the one under my office building!

Gil

PS when I arrived at my office 06.25 for that meeting, I got a call to say the other person had overslept!!

[KerryS]

There isn't a South Shore area of Auckland? Pitt St is in Newton.
There is on street parking on the local residential streets - I can't think of any public car parks in the vicinity, but if working for one of the companies along there, many of them have their own staff car parks under the buildings.

It's not really possible to comment on the commute, as each area is very different. But the bridge is notorious for congestion in rush hour into and out of the city.

[CityBlue]

I work in Pitt Street in the CBD and live on the North Shore (Browns Bay)
25Km door to door.

My contracted hours are 8:30 to 5pm. I usually leave the house by 06:45 and arrive in Pitt st at 07:15 - 07:30 depending on traffic. That way I can do 'overtime' in the morning and leave about 16:30. If I leave at 16:30 I am home by 17:05 to 17:30 latest. If for any reason I do not leave before 16:50, it is usually easier for me to stay in work until gon 17:20 just to give the traffic a chance to clear the chaotic 5pm rush. Its amazing how much of a difference 20 mins can make.

Parking is not easy near pitt st and it is best if your work has a carpark you can use. There are pay carparks around though I'm not sure how much per day.

Hope this helps - but I suppose it depends on how flexible you and your hours are.

feel free to ask any other questions you have - I will help if I can

[CityBlue]

Also - I just had a thought that you have to 'learn' which motorway on ramps are best for beating the traffic.

for example. I avoid the closest on ramp to my work because the motorway narrows from 3 lanes to 2 and the people joining add to the mess and there are motorway on ramp signals which only let one car through at a time.

I drive 3 mins round the corner and join where the motorway is wider and does not have on ramp signals.

[Familyofmonkeys]

We live in Albany on North Shore. OH leaves about 6.45am as it gets really busy after 7am. In the afternoon traffic coming over the bridge starts to get heavy at about 3.30pm and by 5pm it is awful. Most people we know here start work really early and finish early too...so they can get over the bridge before the rush starts.

As for parking, you can get early bird parking (i.e. before 8am arrival) in quite a few car parks for about $8 to $12 per day. But, a considerable number of people in North Shore use the buses as it works out far cheaper. OH pays $135 per month for the bus and travels from the Park & Ride near the stadium. There are buses every 7 minutes now and the service runs from very early until very late into the evening, plus it only takes 20-25 minutes into town now the new bus lanes are all open.

[BoroCraig]

Thanks everyone - I'm used to early starts so will check with employer to see if i can start early, leave early too. I regularly leave home here at 5.30am and get home around 6.30pm however this is one of many reasons why we are moving so I don't want want to get in the same rut.

Hardest problem is figuring out where we will want to live (I'm sure that's been the same for everyone). We where looking at the Hibiscus Coast upto Orewa/Gulf Harbour but will look closer to Auckland too - all depends on rental costs really.

Anyway, I'll stop babbling.

Thanks to all

[CJ22]

Rental costs seem to go from around $500 per week close to the bridge to about $350 per week as you get to the furthest extremes of North Shore City. The size of the property doesn't seem to make much difference, as far as I can see. This over-simplifies it a bit. For example, properties closer to the bridge but in out-of-the-way places not near to the trunk roads will generally be cheaper. And there are obvious hot-spots where the prices start to get outrageous. But, depending on you family size, you're probably looking at between $400-$500 per week in NSC.

My boss-to-be mentioned that there's now a dedicated bus-lane from NSC to the CBD, so bus travel may well be the quickest way if you're based in the CBD. We're looking at living close to a ferry terminal, but more because it would be cool

[CityBlue]

After my original posts, I have to say I am trying the new bus lane for the next 2 weeks so I will let you know how I get on.

so far I have got the bus at 06:50 to 07:15 (just north of Browns bay) and been dropped off in CBD by 07:30 to 07:40. Very clean and comfortable - and I can read my book all the way!!.

(I am toying with the idea of banking the money we have for a second car and using the bus daily - might feel different in winter )

[Familyofmonkeys]

(I am toying with the idea of banking the money we have for a second car and using the bus daily - might feel different in winter )

That is exactly what we are doing. So far OH has had no bad experiences of buses. Even if one is slightly late, they are so frequent he has never had to wait more than 5 minutes for a bus. Even in winter, you could always get a small run around car and get bus from the park & ride.....better than having to drive into town in all the traffic and saves on car parking too.