The Premium Debate: Subscribers weigh in on congestion charging considered for Tauranga

Traffic on Cameron Rd in Greerton in 2020. Photo / George Novak

OPINION

Congestion charging is being seriously considered for Tauranga in a bid to get more cars off the road. Also known as road pricing, congestion charging generally involves drivers paying a fee to use select roads during select times. It has been used in cities such as Singapore and London as a single-occupancy car disincentive. The prospect of charging surfaced at a Bay of Plenty Regional Public Transport Plan Hearings subcommittee meeting as a tool to create behavioural change known as "mode shift" to alternative forms of transport.

Read the full story here: Congestion charging tipped as solution to Bay of Plenty city's traffic woes

Have your say by going to bayofplentytimes.co.nz or rotoruadailypost.co.nz and becoming a Premium subscriber.

I agree with Heidi Hughes 100 per cent. We need to introduce this and use the money to build a people-centric public transport service eg with on-demand smaller buses etc.
- Kat M

Considering the roads flow so easily during school holidays surely the first thing to do is establish exactly who is clogging the roads, where are they travelling from/to and then build transport systems that actually deliver a service people can use during peak times. All the rest of this is just huffing and puffing.
- Bruce I

In response to Bruce I: Very true. Too many children are being driven to school instead of walking. Parents would be better off investing in decent wet weather gear, setting up walking buses and getting wee Johnnie off his backside.
- Colin O

In my opinion, Tauranga council is negligent by not investing in roads. Then, when the inevitable congestion occurs, it wants to tax people for council negligence. The question has to be asked, why are Tauranga's roads so terrible and suffering from underinvestment?
- Jeremy H

Instead of the council in my view wasting $450 million, allowing for inflation, on a new and totally unnecessary Civic Centre, wouldn't that money be much better spent and appreciated by many more residents on the urgently required roading upgrades to re-energise the whole city and not just the look good areas? Reopen closed roads such as Links Ave and others that helped to keep the city moving at a reasonable pace. Bringing back democracy is the only way out of this mess that the council has got us in and the sooner the better.
- Bill C

Why annual food prices rose at the fastest rate in 13 years

Rising crime, rising interest rates, rising food prices, rising rents, co-governance, a health system in crisis, education achievement decline, high truancy rates, record high house prices and a social housing crisis with nearly 30,000 on the waiting list. None of this will be the fault of the government according to them.
- Ross J

That's what happens when you lock down a country, lock out the workers and print money thereby increasing the value of farming land. Oh, don't forget the wholesale repurposing of massive swathes of horticultural land for new housing. 100 per cent Government created.
- Anna M

Truly disgraceful! I am a pensioner and they put my rent up so high I had to go to the social welfare office to beg. Never begged in my life, always worked hard. Worst day of my life.
- Tina W

When I was growing up, people who could eat takeaways, order school lunches etc ... were considered rich. Now it is people who can afford to buy fruit and vegetables. If we want a healthier society, we should scrap GST on fruit and vegetables. It would save us heaps of money long-term.
- Nicole F

We have hardly bought any fruit this year. A few bananas, that's it. Plant some trees on your back lawn and you will have fruit forever. Feijoa, mandarin, orange, pear, peach. All are easy to grow. Buy a bag of potatoes for $7 and you can eat cheap.
- Garry R

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