George Wood: Co-operation logical way to clear the traffic hurdle

George Wood

As New Year dawned in Auckland, I was one mayor with my resolution clear.

In December 2003, the Government gave us a $1.62 billion transport present. Auckland and its mayors were excited. Santa Clark had come to town.

Now, one year on, with Government legislation passed, we have moved into an era of transport governance, planning and funding.

Last year will go down as the year of change, but this year should be the year of difference. We have set up a framework and now we have to make it deliver what we all know Auckland needs - better transport.

We have a new Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA), funds and assets transferred from Infrastructure Auckland (IA) to the Auckland Regional Council (ARC) for transport funding.

And from July, fresh regional government funding will start to flow. The pressure is now on to deliver results and live up to our expectations.

This year is crucial for making good on some key transport promises. The people want us to deliver in key areas.

We all know what they are: better public transport and more people using the buses, trains and ferries; real progress on major road projects; a regional body working across council boundaries to integrate transport; and an agreed and funded regional transport strategy

There are some very positive signs. Transit is in the middle of its biggest road-building programme in Auckland. Major works in the region include Spaghetti Junction and the Greenhithe Bridge.

We have secured Government funding for key projects such as the Esmonde Rd interchange upgrade and the northern busway. Major construction will begin this year on these projects, with Busway park-and-ride stations on schedule to open towards the end of the year.

You would think that would make a mayor relax a little, especially in this holiday season. But we cannot afford to do that yet in Auckland.

ARTA is shaped in the image of its parent, the ARC. It has a long way to go to forge its own identity and prove itself a force for good. It has yet to win the full confidence of councils. We are all desperate for it to be our friend and not our foe, but it has seven councils to please. How do you do that and keep your parents happy too?

Of course, we will give the organisation time to prove itself. But, as councils, we must watch it carefully. It is the body on which ride many of our hopes and dreams.

It came about as a result of our lobbying. We saw it as the panacea for many of our woes and the saviour of our dream of delivering an integrated transport system for New Zealand's largest city. We have a vested interest in making it work, but our vested interests may also get in the way.

Then there are the funding battles still to come. Although we have a new regional transport body, its funding is far from decided.

At present we have a money merry-go-round, with an assett owning body, Auckland Regional Holdings, controlled by the Auckland Regional Council, negotiating a funding agreement with ARTA.

And ARTA will eventually control our funding-go-round with the Government's funding agency Land Transport New Zealand.

Who will decide how much funding ARTA will get? What projects and activities will it fund? Will councils have a say?

Previously, councils at least knew the system they were dealing with. We applied to Infrastructure Auckland and were assessed for grants towards capital funding for regional transport projects. We also applied to Transfund New Zealand for Government funds for roading.

Now, Transfund is also gone and the plan is for ARTA to eventually co-ordinate local road funding with Land Transport NZ.

With this move, the future of funding for our projects has become temporarily uncertain.

I want to see a balanced but positive approach from the ARC in line with our expectations that the Infrastructure Auckland $1.18 billion nest egg will pay for ferry, bus and rail facilities and be available quickly.

I also want to see the Government make a decision on road pricing. I am convinced that some kind of network pricing to manage travel demand and provide dedicated funding for transport improvements is going to be necessary at some stage.

A well-researched document from central and local government, known as the Joint Officers Group report, came out in December, 2003. It made it clear a decision on road pricing was urgent. The lead-in time required was estimated at four to six years.

The potential revenue will also affect funding for the regional transport strategy, including levels of debt. So a decision is urgent.

We cannot just build our way out of congestion. We need projects that increase our road capacity. We need to avoid creating yet more traffic and concentrate on easing congestion.

I eagerly await the Government report on road pricing, expected this year.

But better public transport has to come first. We have to make progress towards our target of 35 per cent of people travelling on the Harbour Bridge using public transport by 2011.

The number of public transport boardings has been increasing for much of the past 10 years, particularly since 2000 and particularly in bus patronage.

However, last year, although train patronage increased 30 per cent, the bus figure was at a stalemate.

With Auckland's population increasing, we can't afford to rest. We need to be constantly working to push up those public transport user numbers, with better services and integrated ticketing a priority.

On the North Shore we are putting in bus priority measures and want faster progress on ferry terminal upgrades and building the northern busway and its stations.

I want ARTA judged on performance, not politics. If it gets more people using buses, ferries and trains, then I'll be happy.

* George Wood is Mayor of North Shore City.