The New Zealand Council for Infrastructure Development (NZCID) and the New Zealand Automobile Association (NZAA) are jointly calling for a transport accord between Auckland Council and central government, because both parties believe the two current budget options being touted by council are not up to scratch.
The two longterm plan budget options for transport funding currently being put up for public discussion by Auckland Council are not satisfactory in their view and the NZCID and NZAA are calling for a third to be considered.
Both are calling for an alternative strategy to be developed that delivers better outcomes for Auckland.
“Neither the cheaper option nor the more expensive option is going to address Auckland’s traffic problems in the long term, or deliver on the public’s expectations, ” says NZCID
chief executive Stephen Selwood.
“So our message for officials is: It’s time for Plan C.”
Selwood says that the starting point for a new approach needs to be a transport accord between local and central government.
“At the moment, the Government is rightly concerned about the outcomes that result from the proposed transport investment and land use plan,” says Selwood. “You can’t make long-term decisions about the Auckland transport network when the results are so poor and council and government are so far apart.”
According to Selwood, Mayor Len Brown has clearly stated his desire to reach an accord with central government and transport Minister Simon Bridges has also signalled Government’s willingness to engage.
As part of an accord, Selwood says that central government and Auckland Council need to agree on an improved transport investment strategy, and ensure that urban intensification and transport investment are better integrated.
If they decide to look more seriously at a motorway network charge, he said, they need to make sure it’s also considered from a demand management perspective – not just as a way to raise revenue – and that the combination of intensification, transport investment and demand management improves accessibility and provides meaningful travel-time savings for users.
Selwood says that many other stakeholder groups – from the public transport lobby to the freight lobby – are saying similar things.
AA infrastructure spokesman Barney Irvine says the congestion gains of the more expensive option (the Auckland Plan Network) were underwhelming, despite Aucklanders paying an extra $300 million per year through rates, fuel taxes or a motorway charge.
“Congestion is expected to get worse over the next 20 years, regardless of which option we go for,” he says. “After that, it might ease under the Auckland Plan Network, but only by a little. When you think that most households would be paying $350 extra a year – with regular motorway users paying up to $1500 more a year – you have to question whether it’s worth it.”
