Residents willing to pay to fix Lake Rd snarl-ups

Some locals caught up in one the most dreaded roads in Auckland — Lake Rd on the North Shore — are prepared to pay a targeted rate for a $70 million-plus upgrade.

A survey by the Automobile Association of 800 Devonport peninsula members found half favour the most expensive of three options to upgrade the heavily congested arterial route in and out of Devonport, home to the Royal New Zealand Navy.

The survey followed consultation by Auckland Transport on three options to improve Lake Rd.

The first two options, costing between $10m and $40m, would provide the fewest benefits and take five to 10 years to build. The third option, costing $70m-plus, would involve buying properties, road widening, major disruption and take more than 10 years to build.

It would, however, provide “a greater scale and range of benefits”.

AA senior infrastructure adviser Vanessa Wills said the survey results highlighted the level of frustration the road caused for local residents, and it was clear from the feedback that the status quo would not be tolerated for much longer.

Earlier this year, the Herald revealed a quarter of the city’s busiest roads, including Lake Rd, are already

Locals see this as a clear opportunity to bite the bullet; fix it once and fix it properly.

congested during the morning and evening peaks, up from 18 per cent three years ago.

On weekdays, the intersection of Lake Rd and Esmonde Rd is a chokepoint for 32,000 vehicles. Lake Rd is regularly clogged up at weekends.

“Locals see this as a clear opportunity to bite the bullet; fix it once and fix it properly. They don’t want to see half-pie tinkering only to have more roadworks again in 10 years’ time — they want significant and substantial investment right now, and if it means paying for the high-level option, then that’s something they’re willing to look into,” Wills said.

Of the 49.3 per cent of respondents who opted for the $70m option, half of those said they were prepared to pay a targeted rate. About two-thirds of those said they would be willing to pay a targeted rate of between $50 and $200 a year.

A total of 29.8 per cent of respondents favoured the mediumlevel investment and 8 per cent the $10m investment. The remaining 12.9 per cent favoured none of the options.

Devonport-Takapuna Local Board chairman Grant Gillon said Auckland Transport was finalising a business case for the options. If there was a funding shortfall then the board was willing to consult local residents on a targeted rate, he said.

The local board favoured progressing the middle $40m option to see what it looked like, Gillon said.

He said there could be resistance to a targeted rate if the council introduced a regional petrol tax for projects outside the North Shore.

An Auckland Transport spokesman said its preferred option was the medium investment approach.

Vanessa Wills, AA senior infrastructure adviser