Ferry wharves for Cup cleanup

By CATHY ARONSON

Auckland councils plan to spend $35 million to buy and spruce up Auckland's ferry wharves before the America's Cup next year.

Most of the wharves have no shelter, toilets or lighting because their owner, Ports of Auckland, invests only in its cargo wharfs.



Auckland City Council transport planner John Duthie said that eventually the Downtown ferry terminal would have pedestrian cover, toilets, electronic timetable displays and loudspeaker announcements.

A small part of Queens Wharf would be bought and turned into 30 carparks and a drop-off area for taxis, cars and buses.

It would be linked with cover and signs to the Britomart bus and train transport terminal, across the road near Queen Elizabeth Square.

Other improvements would be carried out at Devonport, Birkenhead, Northcote Point, Bayswater and Half Moon Bay.

Infrastructure Auckland is due to decide next month on a request by the Auckland, Manukau, Waitakere and North Shore City Councils for a $34.8 million grant to buy or lease the wharves from Ports of Auckland.







If successful, the councils may hand over the assets to the Auckland Region Transport Network, a local authority trading enterprise set up last year to own the region's rail corridor.

North Shore transport planning manager Peter Clark said the councils had to own the ports to provide equitable access for operators.

"You have to think about the whole journey, from stepping out of the house to sitting in the office. No one is going to hop on the best ferry in the world if they have to wade through mud and rain for the last part of the trip."

He said the councils had to spend a lot upgrading the wharves because Ports of Auckland had not maintained them.

Ports of Auckland spokeswoman Bronwen Jones said its core business was cargo handling and it was not worth investing in public ferry wharves. It would sell only 3000 sq m of Queens Wharf, which carried 900,000 tonnes of vehicle and tropical fruit cargo imports annually.

The councils also face an annual $600,000 to $1 million shortfall in operating expenses, which could cause a fare increase of 12c to 29c a trip.

Mr Duthie said the councils had asked the regional council for subsidies to cover the extra cost.

Each year about 3.6 million single trips are made on ferries, including 1.5 million by tourists. Journey numbers have grown by 10 per cent in the past decade since the ferry fleet was upgraded and services expanded.

Average use of ferries has increased by 13 per cent since last year, but there is still room for growth. Morning peak services are 42 per cent full and afternoon peak is 31 per cent full.

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