Congestion charges on Auckland roads five years away

Auckland roads will remain free to drive on for at least five years after the latest work by officials on congestion pricing.

Three years after the Government and Auckland Council agreed to investigate congestion pricing in response to rapid population growth and traffic chaos on the city’s roads, officials are suggesting weekday tolls of $1.50 to $3.50 from 2025.

Tolls would be rolled out over the following 10 years once the city has much better public transport.

Lobby groups said they were cautiously open to the idea of congestion charges as a means to control Auckland’s winding traffic jams.

However, they warned authorities that the congestion charge should only be implemented as a way to ease congestion and should not be seen as a cash grab for the council.

Officials from six government agencies, Auckland Council and Auckland Transport have been working on a project called The Congestion Question (TCQ) to identify how to get people moving more efficiently in the Super City.

A technical report looked at 26 options and found congestion pricing would bring significant benefits for all Aucklanders, including more reliable journey times across New Zealand’s largest city, increased business productivity, improved air quality and lowered vehicle emissions.

The report found that having an access charge for private vehicles to enter key areas of the city during peak times from Monday to Friday would have the most impact and be fair for all.

Priority-based and distance-based charges were considered but using access charges means travellers who live in outer suburbs without access to public transport are not faced with higher costs for longer trips.

The suggested charges would improve the performance of motorways and main roads by between 8 and 12 per cent and have about the same impact on overall road efficiency as seen during school holidays.

“While congestion charging is just one tool in a larger toolbox, it’s still important for creating an efficient and integrated transport system,” said Adrienne Young-Cooper, the chairwoman of the Auckland Transport board.