The government and Auckland Council have agreed on Terms of Reference to establish a project to investigate smarter transport pricing in Auckland
“Alongside our current multi-billion dollar transport investment in Auckland, we need to look at new ways of managing demand on our roads to help ease congestion,” Finance Minister Steven Joyce says.
“Smarter transport pricing has the potential to be part of the solution.”
Transport Minister Simon Bridges says work undertaken last year by the government and Auckland Council found that smarter transport pricing could help make a big difference in the performance of Auckland’s transport system.
“Smarter transport pricing could involve varying what road users pay at different times and/or locations to better reflect where the cost of using the roads is higher (i.e. where there is congestion).
“This could encourage some users to change the time, route or way in which they travel.
“It is essential that we carefully consider the impacts of pricing on households and businesses.”
A key factor will be the access people have to public transport and other alternatives, Bridges adds.
“The government has also made a clear undertaking that any form of variable pricing will be primarily used to replace the existing road taxes that motorists pay.
“This is about easing congestion, not raising more revenue,” he insists.
The Smarter Transport Pricing Project will undertake a thorough investigation to support a decision on whether or not to proceed with introducing pricing for demand management in Auckland.
Officials from the Ministry of Transport, Auckland Council, Auckland Transport, the New Zealand Transport Agency, Treasury and the State Services Commission will work together and engage the public to develop and test different options.
The first stage of the project, which will lay the groundwork for assessing pricing options, is expected to be complete by the end of 2017.
“Any decision on the use of a demand management tool like road pricing is still some years off,” Joyce says.
“We look forward to receiving advice from officials as this work progresses.
“The government and Auckland Council will then consider the project’s findings.”
The move has met with the approval of the EMA, which says the outcome “cannot come fast enough”.
In response to an announcement by the Government and Auckland Council to investigate transport pricing, the EMA said it wants to see action to address Auckland’s congestion problems.
“We believe, by addressing this issue sooner rather than later, we will see an uplift in the city’s productivity,” says EMA CEO Kim Campbell.
“It’s no secret that business is suffering as a result of the worsening congestion on Auckland’s roads.”
Conditions are becoming worse by the day, he claims.
“Whether that’s staff trying to get to and from work, tradespeople trying to get around town to several jobs or businesses trying to get goods to respective customers, congestion is impacting businesses’ bottom line.”
The Auckland Transport Alignment Project (ATAP) identifies congestion charging as the key to managing the volume of traffic on the city’s congested roads.
But it sets out a 10-year time frame for introduction, Campbell notes. “That’s too far away when the problem for Auckland business and residents is already urgent.
“We can’t afford to wait this long for some smart new piece of technology that may not yet exist.
“There may be interim options that could manage this pressing problem for the benefit of the regional and national economies.
“In a city that’s growing as fast as Auckland, we need to get ahead of the game and unlock the city’s potential.
Business will be right behind this initiative and will be looking for a concrete action plan, once the investigation is completed,” Campbell adds.
However, the Green Party believes the government needs to “vastly improve” Auckland’s public transport before it introduces tolls on Auckland’s roads, or it risks further punishing people who live on the edge of the city.
“Aucklanders need to have access to reliable, fast, affordable trains and buses before road pricing is introduced to discourage people driving into the city,” says the party’s transport spokesperson Julie Ann Genter.
“It would be incredibly unfair to sting people in the pocket for driving into Auckland when there is simply no other option for them.
“For people living around Hobsonville, Howick, Orewa or working near the airport, there simply aren’t busways or rail lines that can get them into the city quickly.”
Many Aucklanders have been pushed to the edge of the city to find affordable housing and they have no access to good public transport, Genter notes.
“It’s unfair to say now we’re going charge you if you use the motorway to get to work.“Aucklanders want to use public transport, but we need to have a comprehensive rail and bus network in place first before we can expect people to ditch their cars,” Genter insists.
