Motivated by the debate over whether busy streets within central city areas should be one-way traffic flow or two-way, a Masters’ project researched how this decision might be best made by local decision makers.

The literature review found that were there are a range of reasons why streets are converted from one type of flow to another; the most common reason cited in the literature for converting one-way to two-way is to contribute to central city regeneration. However no clear link appears to have been established between the type of street system – one-way or two-way – and economic viability. It was also found that aspects such as pedestrian safety on one-way and two-way streets remain areas of strong debate.

A series of industry interviews were undertaken, aimed at better understanding the views of various industries involved in planning our built environment, primarily transport and urban design; and the views of these professionals can often be in conflict.

Dunedin is considering the conversion of two central city streets from one-way to two-way and this real world case study is used for testing the framework that has been developed from the Masters’ project. The paper outlines the case study including use of the framework that was tested at a workshop held with Dunedin City Council and New Zealand Transport Agency staff.