Major Auckland roading and transport announcements are being backed by industry leaders but say more needs to be done.
The Government and Auckland Council released a $28 billion 10-year funding package on Thursday with 8.4b going into a rapid transit network and light rail to the airport.
Major roading projects include Penlink to connect the Whangaparaoa Peninsula and the Northern Motorway and the Mill Rd extension from Takanini and Drury to take pressure off the Southern Motorway.
National Road Carriers chief executive David Aitken says the roading projects are “great news”.
“But now we need to get on with it … There has been some detail on the projects being done in stages, with planning for future-proofing.
“By the time Penlink is built the two lanes won’t be adequate, so they might as well build the four lanes straight away.”
Aitken says he is still looking for details on the revised lower cost plan for the East West link between Sylvia Park and Onehunga.
“It is the key piece of infrastructure for greater Auckland and easing the congestion problem.”
Aitken says the NRC cannot envisage the East – West link working on a different route from that which has already received Environment Court approval.
The proposed route is designed to take pressure away from Onehunga and the Church St – Nielsen St corridor, which carries over 6,000 heavy freight vehicles a day as well as other traffic, he says.
Meanwhile, the New Zealand Automobile Association is questioning what impact the projects will have on easing congestion.
AA spokesman Barney Irvine says the project list lacks important details on transport benefits.
“The number one transport concern for Aucklanders is congestion, but the plan provides hardly any detail on congestion outcomes.
“We still don’t have any information about what benefit – if any – we’ll see in terms of travel times and the cost of congestion.
“Aucklanders are facing a double-whammy of a national fuel tax hike and an Auckland regional fuel tax to help pay for this, and in return they expect to see real progress on de-congestion.”
Irvine says firm congestion targets need to be set for Auckland, with performance against those targets regularly reported on.
He is supportive of the the increased focus on road safety, with $910 million proposed across a range of areas.
“As a road safety advocacy organisation, this is music to our ears.
“We can’t wait to work with the officials to make it happen,” Irvine says.
