Auckland roading bonanza

By CATHY ARONSON

Auckland has won the largest slice of the transport pie to get the city and economy moving again.

Out of the record $1.1 billion national transport vote announced yesterday, Transfund allocated Auckland a record 33 per cent of its total expenditure after councils and businesses lobbied the Government for more support.

The $320 million package includes improving Spaghetti Junction, Grafton Gully extension, a second upper harbour bridge between Hobsonville and Greenhithe, State Highway 20 extension to Mt Roskill and a new interchange at Esmonde Rd.

The funding has been hailed by Auckland councils and businesses as a leap forward in solving Auckland's transport woes.

Mayor John Banks said Auckland needed a triple bypass to unclot central, western and eastern Auckland.

Mr Banks said the Transfund votes solved central and western problems, but the Government should pass legislation to allow privately built public toll roads, which would help build important networks such as the Eastern Corridor.

"Auckland has missed out on its fair share of national funding and it's all about catching up in a region that has been well behind."

The Auckland Mayoral Forum wants to complete the roading network, begun in the 1960s, within the next seven years.

Auckland Business Forum and Chamber of Commerce chief executive Michael Barnett said congestion cost $1 billion a year in lost income, time and pollution.

"There is a bigger problem in Auckland, which has an economic impact on the rest of the country, so there equally should be an expectation for more, so we can get the problem fixed."

In March, as part of its transport package, the Government announced its intention to create legislation to enable private investment in public roads.

The package allocated an extra $227 million for transport, by increasing petrol tax by 4c a litre, with extra funding for alternatives to roads.

Yesterday, for the first time, Transfund's funding decisions were based not just on the benefit-cost ratio, and considered public transport and regional development.

It allocated nearly $27 million for regional development and $3.67 million for cycle lanes and walkways. An extra $20 million went towards passenger transport and $20 million to alternatives to roading.

Most councils welcomed the passenger transport funding.

But the Automobile Association said its members resented paying petrol tax for non-roading projects.

Spokesman George Fairbairn said motorists should not have to pay for community problems.

"There is some concern the balance has swung too far," he said.

"Regional developments should be payed for by the community, not road users."

National transport spokeswoman Belinda Vernon said the Government had not confirmed its new public transport and regional development policies in legislation.

She said Transfund had to change its funding criteria to meet the Government's policy.

Transfund chief executive Martin Gummer said the board had sought legal advice and could operate within the existing legislation, which required Transfund to consider Government policies.

He said it was not the reason it had not made specific allocations in the new categories of regional development and walking and cycling.

WHERE THE MONEY GOES

Funding for Auckland's motorways tripled to $160 million.

* It includes improving the Spaghetti Junction, Esmonde Rd interchange, building the second Upper Harbour Bridge between Hobsonville and Greenhithe and extending SH20 through to Mt Roskill.

* Local roading projects include median barriers on George Bolt Drive and a passing lane on SH1 adjacent to Hungry Creek in Rodney District Council.

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