Clearer vision being sought for regional transport plan

The regional transport committee wants the transport blueprint to give more urgency to central city rail. Photo / Glenn Jeffrey

Public consultation on Auckland's 30-year transport planning blueprint has been delayed for a month after regional politicians denounced a draft document as lacking vision.

The Auckland Regional Transport Committee sent its draft strategy back for a partial rewrite, directing officers to beef up public transport aspirations and give urgency to a central Auckland rail tunnel and airport links.

That leaves a tight timetable for consultation to be wrapped up by Christmas, allowing public hearings early next year so Auckland Regional Council can adopt the final document by a statutory deadline of April.

The deadline for updating the region's 2005 transport strategy has already been extended by ministerial consent for a maximum allowable 18 months, leaving the committee in a difficult position amid shifting Government policy directives.

Wednesday's committee resolved that chairwoman Christine Rose advise Transport Minister Steven Joyce of progress in preparing the new strategy and point out a difference in direction between the proposed document and the Government's policy statement on transport funding.

The three-year statement has added almost $1 billion for state highway construction and given priority to seven "roads of national significance", partly by diverting money earmarked by Labour for public transport, walking and cycling projects.

The committee noted differences over the Government's assessment of priority projects, but offered to work with the minister and officials to resolve these.

Regional council chairman Mike Lee said Auckland's public transport system was at a critical point and the Transport Minister was not sympathetic.