Faster, slower on city highways

Commuters may find it hard to believe, but Auckland cars are moving faster mid-morning and evening.

However, the morning rush-hour is getting worse.

Less traffic congestion and more public transport patronage are two emerging trends, says the Auckland Regional Council's 300-page State of the Auckland Region report.

It says people are spending less time on the motorways and are making more use of public transport. Cycling is also making a comeback after 30 years of decline.

Delays on the motorway have decreased between 10am and noon and 4pm to 6pm, monitoring in March by traffic consultancy Beca shows.

Evening peak travelling times had declined consistently for the past three years because of motorway expansion, infrastructure spending and a slowing in growth of vehicle kilometres travelled, the ARC said.

The central motorway junction upgrade, the toll road to Puhoi, State Highway 20, the Northern Busway, Greenhithe deviation and Esmonde Rd interchange work were all responsible for cars moving faster.

The average Auckland motorway delay between 10am and noon dropped from 15 seconds a kilometre in 2008 to 13 seconds a kilometre last year.

Evening peak delays fell from 59 seconds a kilometre to 45 seconds a kilometre last year.

Average-day delays fell from 55 seconds/kilometre in 2007 to 53 seconds in 2008 and 49 seconds last year.

The ARC was not sure what to make of this positive three-year trend, calling it too early to judge.

Morning peak delays 7.30am-9.30am are getting worse from 79 seconds/kilometre delay in 2008 to 85 seconds last year.

Even state highway travel times are showing signs of improvement.

Auckland's 33.3 million public passenger boardings in 1994 rose to 58.6 million last year. Train patronage grew 97 per cent to 7.6 million passenger trips annually in the year to last June.