Bus lanes challenge for transport chief

Photo / Steven McNicholl

Auckland's new transport kingpin says the new Super City council will have to try to match the needs of both drivers and bus passengers when setting its bus lanes policy.

"We are going to have to mix and match," David Warburton told the Weekend Herald yesterday.

Aucklanders were aware of the role of public transport in easing traffic congestion and knew what needed to be done, he said.

"Transport is the No 1 issue faced by many Aucklanders and I'm looking forward to leading the team at Auckland Transport as it plays its part in making Auckland greater."

Dr Warburton - who is head of a Melbourne consulting firm, and a former Wanganui District Council chief executive - was named yesterday as interim chief executive of the new Auckland Transport agency, which will spend $680 million a year of ratepayers' money.

And he admits he will have his work cut out sorting out traffic issues in the country's most congested city.

Asked how accountable his agency would be to Auckland ratepayers, he said a priority would be to establish effective lines of communication with local boards from its head office by the Henderson train station.

But although he told the Herald he enjoyed returning to Wanganui, where he continues to serve as a Government-appointed member of the district's health board, he also said that as a former Aucklander he looked forward to moving back to the region after nine years.

"This is an exciting time for the city - I welcome the opportunity we have to address Auckland's transport challenges," he said of his appointed leadership of an organisation which will have more than 1000 employees, and in which he will draw an annual salary of $535,000 plus an incentive bonus of up to $55,000.

Dr Warburton, 60, holds a doctorate in environmental engineering and is chief executive for Australia and New Zealand of infrastructure consulting firm CPG, which is part of Downer EDI and provides traffic management services among other functions. He will take up his new job next month until June 30, 2012.

His appointment follows a difficult international search for talent by the Auckland Transition Agency, which was stood up by shortlisted candidates from London and Perth and was faced with the unusual position of recruiting second-tier managers before filling the top position.

Agency executive chairman Mark Ford described the new chief as "an outstanding candidate for the role".

"His background includes significant infrastructure leadership and he is experienced in working collaboratively with local government and other stakeholders."

Dr Warburton said his recollection of Auckland transport when he left the region in 2001 was of badly congested roads.

Although he believed some improvements to traffic flows had been made in the past year, there was still much to be done.

But addressing Auckland's transport woes would be a "points match" rather than a "knockout punch" and the agency would need to promote a range of choices through the different communities it would serve.

Dr Warburton said he spent three years as Wanganui District Council chief executive under Michael Laws as mayor but would not be drawn on a comparison between the challenges of that role and of managing transport for the Super City.

He said he had never had any problems with Mr Laws.