Auckland mayor Wayne Brown calls National's road plan 'idiotic'

Auckland mayor Wayne Brown has come out swinging against politicians on the election campaign trail, telling those in central government to stop making promises while expecting Aucklanders to foot the bill.

Speaking to RNZ's Morning Report, Brown said National's $1.75 billion Mill Road project was "idiotic".

"I'm an engineer and I know what I'm talking about," he said.

"I've designed roads and built roads and owned roads and sold roads.

"A sensible transport system should be made rationally on the basis of what are the needs of the public and public transport and private transport to deliver goods and people practically around the city.

"You don't do a road just to get re-elected. You don't do railway crossings so the Greens can become famous. They are done for rational reasons to promote a good, efficient transport system within the costs that are available to fund it."

His comments follow National's commitment to starting construction on Mill Road, one of its Roads of National Significance, if it leads the next government.

It will allocate money from the 2028 budget so construction can begin later that year.

National's transport spokesperson Chris Bishop said "after years of debate and discussion about Mill Road, National in government is getting on with it".

Brown also took aim at the Green Party announcement it plans to fund the removal of level crossings along Auckland's Western line - an announcement that was almost upstaged by a near-miss on the railway crossing.

Brown said while level crossings need to be worked on, it wasn't for the Greens to make it happen.

"It's none of their business. They're supposed to be fixing the economy. That's what they're supposed to be doing. It's our business," Brown said.

"If they had been done rationally, they would have been included in the original quotes when they started the City Rail Link years ago, but they didn't. So it's up to us to do that slowly, as demand finishes. It's not a re-election thing."

"It's not how you get things done. None of those parties will even get a majority to do anything they promise.

"Promising all sorts of things and then they can say, we were going to do it, but Winston said we couldn't do it or whoever some of the other people's names are," Brown said.

The Green Party also announced plans for an overnight rail service between Auckland and Wellington, passenger rail between Christchurch and Dunedin, and to extend the Te Huia train route to Tauranga.

"Where public transport has been invested in, it's well used, saving people time and money every day. But for a lot of New Zealand, public transport options remain expensive and infrequent, especially when travelling long distances," Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson said last week.

"We want to connect our cities and our country with alternative ways to travel that will save people money, connect our communities and give New Zealanders real transport choices."

Brown wouldn't be drawn on details, but said he was also working on removing five sets of traffic lights within the central Auckland area.

"Modern countries like China have cameras up there that are linked to a computer, so if there's nobody there, you don't waste a green light on having a green light on a section with nobody in it."

When asked which lights may be removed, Mayor Brown said, "you'll find out."