Traffic congestion charges under scrutiny
Authorities will forge ahead with a ‘‘compelling case’’ to charge Aucklanders a road user tax to ease congestion.
The Auckland Council and the Government have been investigating ‘‘congestion pricing’’, charging road users at different times of the day and locations throughout the city.
It is to encourage road users to change the time, route or way they travel. A report into congestion pricing to be presented to the Auckland Council planning committee on Tuesday said congestion was getting worse and trips across the city could take 40 to 55 per cent longer in the future.
‘‘This means that Aucklanders’ access to jobs, education and other opportunities will become more difficult, negatively impacting both the productivity and liveability of the city.’’
The report, titled ‘‘The Congestion Question’’, builds on the Auckland Transport Alignment Project – the council’s 30-year vision for Auckland’s transport system, released in 2016.
It said congestion would become more widespread, even after significant investment in roading and public transport, unless congestion pricing was introduced, the report said.
A scheme that applied across the entire city might be the best long-term solution but a staged rollout starting with smaller scale options was likely to be the best approach, it said.
There were many international examples of congestion pricing successfully easing congestion - in some cases reducing congestion by up to 30 per cent, which was similar to the reduction Auckland experienced during school holidays.
However, implementing congestion pricing in Auckland would be ‘‘uncharted territory’’ due to the city’s widespread congestion, heavy car dependency and dispersed commuting patterns.
Automatic number plate recognition technology was likely to be the best technology to charge motorists but GPS technology could be an option in the future.
Congestion pricing is separate from fuel tax. Auckland mayor Phil Goff said in the past every week there were 800 new cars on Auckland’s roads.
The Congestion Question report said 33 per cent more of Auckland’s main roads were congested in morning peak hour traffic than in 2014.