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City centre movement pilot

Wider footpaths, greener spaces and one-way streets are making the city centre nicer and easier to move around.

May update: Road improvements confirmed for city centre

More parking and safer intersections are among improvements that will be made to Tauranga city centre streets in response to community feedback.

The changes come after a survey of more than 1300 people found they want a more vibrant city centre that is easier to move around.

The survey also identified concerns about the one-way traffic system being trialed in the city centre – including parking, confusion, and reports of people feeling unsafe at key intersections.

Many people said they wanted Grey Street and The Strand to remain two-way streets for traffic.

Balancing this feedback, a City Future Committee meeting heard that making the trial one-way street system permanent had many benefits. It would serve the city centre’s new art gallery, library and community hub by offering wider footpaths and space for taxis, bus shelters and large passenger vehicles.

On 19 May 2026, the committee resolved to make the one-way pilot system permanent while addressing community concerns by:

adding an estimated eight to 11 angled parking spaces on Wharf and Willow streets, partly by replacing the Willow Street cycle lane
where possible, making other improvements to parking and loading bays on Wharf, Spring and southern Willow streets
retaining Grey Street and The Strand as two-way streets in response to feedback from businesses and other city centre users
making Willow Street more pedestrian-friendly to link the new civic centre with Masonic Park and the waterfront, with vehicles still able to share the space with pedestrians
making safety improvements to intersections in the existing one-way system.

Improvements to the one-way system are expected to be made within existing budgets.