Aucklanders want rapid transit, so hurry up
Here’s the good news for the Government. The vast majority of Aucklanders are on board with the rapid transit plan that is — ironically — moving forward very unrapidly for the city.
Our latest survey of AA Members showed near universal (91 per cent) support for the idea of expanding Auckland’s rapid transit network — one of the highest levels of support we’ve ever recorded on a transport project or issue.
The more difficult news is that people’s expectations about what rapid transit will deliver are as high as they are for the All Blacks at the Rugby World Cup, and there is one thing that they want above all others — less congestion.
Survey responses showed that decongestion is valued more highly than any other potential benefit of rapid transit; 76 per cent consider it crucial or very important. The vast majority of respondents believed projects like rapid transit to the Airport and Northwest would have a meaningful de-congestion impact.
The survey responses show how far the rapid transit debate has evolved in the past few years. Before, people were asking whether Auckland really needed public transport on this scale; now, the only questions are what, when and how much.
But it also highlights a risk of overpromising and under-delivering.
Many Aucklanders have false hopes rapid transit will be a congestion silver bullet and politicians have a responsibility to tell the decongestion story honestly and responsibly. Most de-congestion benefits won’t be felt for a long time (until well after construction).
Some other key out-takes from the survey were:
● AA Members believe rapid transit must provide appealing alternatives to car use (over 70 per cent considered this crucial, or very important). To lure people out of their cars, therefore, rapid transit services will need to be fast and direct — matching, or bettering, car travel times.
● Construction costs should be spread across all existing funding sources (fuel tax, general rates, targeted rates, general taxes), rather than fuel tax alone. New sources, including the sale of publicly owned assets, need to be looked at.
● However it’s funded, the programme needs to be affordable. Project design and phasing needs to line up with what Aucklanders and all New Zealanders can realistically and willingly pay, and must not crowd out investment desperately needed in other areas of the transport sector. We can’t lose sight of the fact that the bulk of people will continue to get around in cars, and there needs to be enough money in the kitty to keep general traffic flowing.
● There’s a lot of talk about using private finance to allow projects to start sooner. This needs to be looked at, but it’s not “free money” and can’t be used to divert attention from questions about whether what we are getting actually represents value for money.
The views of Auckland AA Members show people want the Government to deliver a high-quality rapid transit plan. Unfortunately, the work done so far in the form of light rail to Auckland Airport has fallen well short of the mark, with confused objectives and clumsy engagement with the public and industry. To secure lasting public buy-in for its rapid transit programme, the Government will need to demonstrate the benefits stack up, the costs are manageable, and money is being wisely spent.
In scale and cost, rapid transit will eclipse anything our transport sector has seen before. Auckland and New Zealand need them to get it right.
The vast majority of respondents believed that projects like rapid transit to the Airport and Northwest would have a meaningful decongestion impact.