Brand new cycle routes and clever gapfillers are on their way all over Tāmaki Makaurau! We can’t wait. So many more Aucklanders will be within reach of the safe cycling network by Christmas. Here are the big ten projects that have us buzzing with excitement, plus some improvements that deserve an honorable mention.
Central
- Great North Road cycleways
Due: rideable right now, with the official opening coming soon. After almost two decades of advocacy, these lovely, smooth protected lanes from K’ Road to the Grey Lynn Shops are here. They are wide enough to ride side-by-side – a dreamy option for school runs and date nights alike.
- CRL and K’ Road precinct
Due: CRL is on track to open in the second half of the year and we can’t wait for the bike+train trips! The area around the new Karanga-a-Hape Station is looking stunning – and it’s mostly open to ride through, with care. There are now dedicated lanes along both sides of Pitt St, a new protected cycleway the length of East St and Canada St (past the entrance to Te Ara i Whiti, our magenta marvel), and clever bike-safe connections via Galatos St and Mercury Lane. Plus, a bonus two-way protected cycleway on Vincent St, linking Pitt St through to Aotea Square, Federal St, Queen St, and Te Wai Horotiu station. This one took concerted advocacy to maintain the people-friendly elements against car-brained idiocy, so make sure you explore its peaceful environs when you visit.
- Te Hā Noa / Victoria Street
Due: late 2026. The green vision of a linear park on Victoria Street is already a reality: Victoria Street West opened in August 2025. It creates a continuous connection all the way from the bottom of College Hill to Queen St. The remainder of the Victoria Street cycleway from Queen St to Albert Park will be complete in late 2026. This route is a key part of the City Centre Masterplan for the smoother, more efficient flow of people, bikes and buses through the city centre. It runs right past the entrance to the soon-to-open Te Waihorotiu City Rail Link station. Advocacy got us there!
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- Honorable mention: Ian McKinnon Drive improvements. Due: by July 2025. This fixes a risky and confusing section. It’s where a connector path from the Northwestern Shared Path comes onto Ian McKinnon, under the Newton Road overpass.
Inner West
- Surrey Crescent in Grey Lynn
Due: imminently. Surrey Crescent from the Grey Lynn shops and Old Mill Road from the top of Bullock Track to the Garnet Rd intersection are getting permanent safety improvements for people on bikes and on foot. It’s a huge and long-awaited win, especially for families at Grey Lynn School. There are still some ropey bits around the Richmond Road intersection and at the Grey Lynn shops end. Those will need tweaking. And of course, a huge opportunity here to continue the improvements all the way along Old Mill Road and Garnet Road, to join up with the Pt Chevalier and Westmere cycleways.
- Honorable mention: Unitec development connections. We don’t know the precise timings on these, but they’re going to be very useful as extensions and connections for Pt Chev, the Northwestern Path, and Waterview Path.
Eastern suburbs
- Te Ara Ki Uta Ki Tai, the Path of Land and Sea from Glen Innes to Tāmaki Drive
Due: December 2026. The Eastern Suburbs will get the final instalment of their path of land and sea –the completion of the long awaited great eastern shared path. Te Ara Ki Uta Ki Tai (previously called the Glen Innes to Tāmaki Drive Shared Path) is a 7km-long path. It connects Auckland’s eastern suburbs from Merton Road in Glen Innes to the Waitematā Harbour and on into the city centre. The builders are busy working on Stage 4, the Hobson Bay Boardwalk. It will be, they promise, complete at the end of the year, possibly even sooner. Once it’s complete, the regional bike network will have two fully extended “wings” – this one matching the NW path – and can really start to fly!
- Links to Glen Innes
Due: by July 2026. The Glen Innes end of Te Ara Ki Uta Ki Tai, mentioned above, brings you to the centre of another cycleway project. Links to Glen Innes is a network of protected cycleways around the suburb – a brilliant facility for the many new residents coming to the area. We’re still pushing hard to get the ‘on hold’ Merton Road West bit right.
- Honorable mention: Stage 2 of Tāmaki Path in Glen Innes. Due: sometime around Dec 2026/Jan 2027. It’s an extension northwards of the existing and well-loved Tāmaki Shared Path, connecting it to the path at Wai-O-Taiki Bay and to Fernwood Place Playground. There are also new sections linking the Tāmaki Path to Taniwha Street. The tracks along the Ōmaru Creek are being renewed in the same project.
South
- Manukau Cycle Network
The many improvements in this project add up to an improved east-west cycle connection across Manukau along Cavendish Drive, with improvements on surrounding streets also. While the wider Manukau Cycle Network will be delivered over the coming years, Stage 1, including the Cavendish Drive protected lane, will be ready to enjoy this year.
Honorable mentions go to:
- Great South Road improvements. Due: before July 2026. As we write, AT are putting physical separators along the existing painted cycle lanes for 2km along Great South Road, from Papatoetoe to the junction with Te Irirangi Drive in Manukau. Pop-up separators were previously trialled here, demonstrating the value. This will extend the benefit of the Manukau Cycle Network project mentioned above. Another section of protection heading south from this one may come later.
- Māngere West Cycling Improvements. Opened: December 2025. This isn’t a 2026 opening, but it gets an honorable mention because it’s new and it’s awesome! It’s a direct bike route from Ngā Hau Māngere Bridge (and the Auckland isthmus beyond) to existing bike lanes on Bader Drive and the shared path to the airport along George Bolt Memorial Drive. You heard me right, not only is this a great route for Māngere locals, but you can ride this route from anywhere on the cycling network to Auckland Airport! Shout out to MP Lemauga Lydia Sosene and Bike Auckland’s Barb Cuthbert for their tenacious campaigning for this to happen. It took years, but people power got us there.
West
- Hobsonville Road Cycleway
Due: November 2026, with some elements available sooner, fingers crossed. This runs from the Northwestern Shared Path in Westgate to the existing Hobsonville Point Road cycleway leading to the Hobsonville Point Ferry Terminal. It passes close to no fewer than six schools along the way. From the Hobsonville Point end, you can also head to the North Shore via the SH18 cycleway and the Upper Harbour Drive cycleway. What a brilliant connection! Advocacy helped to make sure the design has proper protection in place.
- Te Whau Pathway: Horowai Connection
Due: March 2026. One day, Te Whau Pathway will be a continuous connection from the Northwestern Shared Path at Te Atatū South past New Lynn all the way to Green Bay along the Whau river. That’s still a wee way off. But very soon, we’ll be riding the first, thrillingly beautiful boardwalk section, connecting the Northwestern Cycleway just east of the Te Atatū bike underpass (another advocacy win) to Horowai (Roberts Field) in Te Atatū South. Far from roads, Te Whau Pathway brings the community back into contact with its beautiful waterway, and provides safer access for kids to get to local schools.
North
- Oteha Valley Road shared path. Due June 2026. This shared path runs along Oteha Valley Road (Albany) between the end of the Northern Corridor and Albany Highway. Bike Albany and Bike Auckland have campaigned for a long time for improved safety along here, noting the issues on it since 2017! Fixing this will plug a dangerous gap and provide better connections to Albany’s shopping centres. Shout out to Upper Harbour Local Board’s Anna Atkinson for her tenacious leadership on this.
Honorable mentions go to:
- Rosedale Road improvements. A short section of walking and cycling path will be constructed along the southern side of Rosedale Road, fixing a dangerously narrow section between the traffic light-controlled crossing and the Jack Hinton Drive intersection. Jack Hinton Drive connects riders through Rosedale Park to the SH18 shared path. The improvement means people can get safely from Rosedale streets to the SH18 shared path and the wider cycling network.
- Shakespeare Road shared path. Due end July 2026. A section of shared path along the southern side of Shakespeare Road will link Smales Farm Station on Taharoto Road to North Shore Hospital Dr and the hospital. AT will also improve how the path goes around the bus stop where it meets Wairau Road. We’re delighted to see the Local Board requesting these improvements. More please!
What are you looking forward to cycling in 2026?
What have we missed? Kia ora to our Waiheke readers! What are you looking forward to?
Send us your ideas: communications@bikeauckland.org.nz.
