KEY POINTS:
Cutting tens of millions of dollars from Auckland City's cycling, walking, public transport, footpath and school safety budgets makes a mockery of Auckland being a world-class city, says Cycle Action Auckland.
Co-chair Barbara Cuthbert yesterday said cutting the cycling and walkway budget from $27 million to $4 million over the next 10 years would have a devastating effect on the number of people adopting active transport options in the city.
"The recent 10 per cent decline in traffic volumes is evidence that more of the city's residents want to connect with their local shops, parks and work by walking, cycling and public transport," she said.
Transport improvements are among the areas worst hit by hundreds of millions of dollars of proposed cuts to core services as Mayor John Banks and his Citizens and Ratepayers allies prepare a new 10-year budget.
They have chosen to make deep cuts to the big-spending programme inherited from the previous council so they can hold rates to the council rate of inflation.
Transport general manager Don Munro and his staff have put forward about $850 million of cuts to various transport projects for the new budget.
The biggest cut is $405 million from the Auckland-Manukau Eastern Transport Initiative, which will still cost ratepayers $345 million over the next decade.
Property-buying and design costs will continue to be the main expenditure for the $1.3 billion project that has still to get full buy-in from the Government's Transport Agency.
But it is cuts to smaller ticket items, such as cycling and walking, school safety programmes and the popular footpath renewal programme that are likely to face the greatest opposition from ratepayers and lobby groups.
Labour councillor Leila Boyle said the cuts came at a time when council research showed people wanted more travel choices, such as walking and public transport.
Barbara Cuthbert said improved cycleways and walkways were not only good for the community, they were also vital for tourism. As well, they attracted Government subsidies of at least 53 per cent.
Walk Auckland spokesman Andy Smith said that when people were walking and cycling more it was incredibly short-sighted to be cutting back.
"It's good to get out and walk for physical and mental health reasons. What they are doing is making it worse for people."
Mr Munro said he supported the council's strategy to promote alternative modes of transport.
New cycleways for Otahuhu, Onehunga, Waikaraka and Avondale would proceed but that would be about it for the next 10 years.
Asked if it hurt to cut spending on cycleways and walkways, Mr Munro had no comment.
"We still have the same vision. But this is about a budget for the times and operating within the constraints of affordable rates increases and being realistic about what we can afford."
The previous transport programme had been very ambitious and not able to be fully implemented, he said.
The footpath renewal programme had been averaging 80km to 100km a year and the budget cuts would take it back to the bottom end of that figure, Mr Munro said.
Two road projects likely to be axed are the $20 million Tiverton Rd and Wolverton St link with State Highway 20 and the $46 million Neilson St link to a widened motorway at Onehunga.
