Auckland transport goal: 30 minute work commute

The report if focused on how to fix Auckland's transport problems. Photo / Derek Flynn

Getting Auckland motorists to work within 30 minutes during the morning rush hour by 2045 is one of the focuses of a report outlining how to fix the city's transport problems.

For the first time, central and local government have agreed to work together to find solutions for the city's transport issues and on Friday they released the Auckland Transport Alignment Foundation Report.

The report sets out a common local-central government vision of the transport challenges facing the city and the objectives and measures of success that will guide transport decision-making in the coming decades.

Auckland's population is growing at three per cent a year, or more than 800 new people a week. And over the past two years, the city's economy has been growing at an extra $3 billion a year. Nearly a third of this growth will occur beyond 20km of the city centre. This growing population will put pressure on Auckland's transport networks, the report said.

One of the key performance indicators of the future framework will be to make jobs accessible by car within 30 minutes and by public transport within 45 minutes during the morning peak. A spokesman said this travel time will be from anywhere in the city and will be a measure of how successful the transport solutions, like the City Rail Link, are.

The report also explores the impact of future technologies -- including how role autonomous cars and ride-sharing will change public transport and whether they will "blur the distinction between public and private transportation".

It found Auckland lags behind Australian cities in travel time reliability, public transport and the overall size of its available labour pool.

And the freight industry is projected to grow in size by 78 per cent.

But the report recognises there has been "a very significant increase" in transport investment by the Government over the last decade which has contributed to a number of major roading improvements and upgrades to arterial routes, among other upgrades.

Auckland mayor Len Brown said the report as a "giant step forward" in agreeing Auckland's transport investments. It was clear that the views between the council and government were extremely close in thinking, he said.

"For decades, Auckland local government and various governments bickered about the city's transport issues but no more."

Mr Brown said the united approach is crucial to Auckland's continuing success as a highly-sought after place to live and do business in.

AA spokesman Barney Irvine said the report was "exactly the sort of shared thinking that's been missing in the Auckland transport debate in the past".

He said one of the key elements of the report was the focus on achieving more out of Auckland's existing transport plan.

"What it shows is that, under the current plan, the outlook for congestion and public transport performance is really pretty grim, particularly if you live in the South or the West of the city."