Minister sets out plans for harbour crossings

No room for cycle or light rail in picture Simeon Brown paints for Aucklanders

There will be no spending on any infrastructure to allow cycling across the Auckland harbour under the coalition Government, and no light rail line, either.

Transport and Auckland Minister Simeon Brown outlined the plans yesterday in a speech to the Committee for Auckland, an organisation of business and civic leaders.

Instead, the focus, he said, is now on “providing extra lanes for traffic” and “enhancing the existing busway”.

Previous statements by Brown have pointed in this direction, but this is the first time he has made the position clear. He did not say if he preferred tunnel or bridge options.

He said expanding the harbour-crossing capacity would be “the most significant land transport project in New Zealand history”. For that reason, the Government was not rushing into decisions, he explained.

He called the previous Government’s plan for tunnels for light rail and private traffic “unachievable”.

After the earlier news that light rail to the airport will not proceed, yesterday’s talk marked the death of both of the Labour Government’s major transport projects in Auckland.

The minister also confirmed the proposed busway on the northwest motorway route will be “a dedicated highway” and a “world-class bus corridor”, which suggests it will be separated from other traffic all the way.

This differs from the existing bus lanes on that route, which merge into other traffic lanes at some points. Even the Northern Busway doesn’t meet this criterion, as it merges with other traffic to cross the bridge.

As Minister for Auckland, he spoke of three key areas to address: The cost of living, crime and transport.

In relation to the first, he referred to Thursday’s announcement that the Auckland regional fuel tax would be cancelled. “This is about reducing the cost of living,” Brown said.

And the Government wanted the rest of that tax collected to be spent on “priorities”, not “speed bumps, cycle lanes and bus lanes”.

He said “tackling the long-term causes of crime is a big task”, but while that would be happening, the Government was focused on a “crackdown on gangs” and a “crackdown on serious youth offending”.

In transport, its priorities are “unlocking economic potential and enhancing quality of life”.

This means “reducing travel times and increasing the reliability of the roading network”.

“Fixing potholes and other maintenance are important, but . . . the Government [also] wants to build transport infrastructure that supports and enhances our way of life rather than detracts from it.”

The minister said he was currently writing a new Government Policy Statement that would make the transport programme clear.

“Roads of National Significance” will be back, including Mill Rd in the far south of the city and the East West Link through Penrose and Ōnehunga.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has previously criticised this approach, saying Auckland should be leading the planning process and these may not be roads the city needs.

In the meeting, Sir Peter Gluckman, of the research agency Koi Tū , said he hoped Auckland would see much better planning co-ordination between central and local government. “This is my plea to you,” he told the minister.

Asked if there was a timeline for the introduction of “time-of-use charging” on the roads, also known as congestion charging, Simeon Brown said no proposal had gone to Cabinet yet. “But it is in our coalition agreement with the Act Party for this term, and we want to move quickly.”