$5 road tax, $2 petrol, $8 for parking - time to take train

By BERNARD ORSMAN

A proposal to charge motorists $5 to drive across Auckland has been condemned by the Automobile Association.

A draft plan to get people out of cars and into trains also suggests doubling the price of petrol to $2 a litre and charging up to $8 an hour for parking.

It is estimated that these measures would lead to a further 10 million to 15 million rail journeys a year. At present, there are 2.24 million rail journeys.



The plan, prepared by Auckland political bodies using the Boston Consulting Group, says the measures are only an indication of what could be tried. Testing and consultation would be needed as part of a broader regional transport solution.

The AA's northern regional manager, Stephen Selwood, said the authors of the rail business plan were looking through "rail tinted glasses" if they thought Aucklanders would accept such measures.

Mr Selwood said the combined effect would cost motorists $250 a week - $100 to fill up the car, $50 in tolls, and $100 in parking fees.

"All this to entice an extra 10 to 15 million annual passenger trips on to the bright shiny new rail system," he said.

Mr Selwood said 97.5 per cent of Aucklanders used roads and the most efficient way to beat congestion was to look at the under-investment in roads and the $2 billion road funding shortfall.

The backbone of the public transport system for Auckland would always be buses, so building dedicated bus lanes on new motorways and local roads would vastly exceed rail in satisfying customer needs.

But Professor Peter Newman, a world authority on transport solutions and the mastermind behind Perth's rail success, said the commitment by Auckland to build a modern rail system was a wonderful breakthrough after a 50-year bias towards roads.

"Auckland is in desperate need of a quality rail system and the people will use it in droves. A fast, quiet electric rail service will undoubtedly be as successful as Perth, if not more so," Dr Newman said.

The Auckland Mayoral Forum is lobbying the Government for changes in proposed legislation to allow "congestion" charges like in London, where Mayor Ken Livingstone introduced a daytime charge of $14 for motorists entering the central city, and other measures such as a petrol tax.

The Minister of Transport, Paul Swain, will attend tomorrow's forum meeting to discuss greater funding flexibility to complete the motorway and public transport network by 2010. Forum work shows it will cost $5 billion to complete the network but there is only $2.6 billion from normal sources.