Few attend Auckland road-tolls meeting

More public meetings to discuss anti-congestion funding schemes in Auckland are unlikely in the near future, given the poor turnout at a meeting in Birkenhead last night, says a Labour Party organiser.

About 20 people attended the meeting at Birkenhead Primary School on the North Shore, organised by the Labour Party to hear concerns about possible solutions to the city's traffic woes.

Labour list MPs Darien Fenton and Ann Hartley, with North Shore City councillor Tony Barker, fronted up to the group, many of whom were worried about a proposal that could impose a $6 charge on commuters across the harbour bridge.

A Transport Ministry study made several suggestions to get motorists on to public transport, but the bridge proposal - enforced between 6am and 10am Monday to Friday - has created the most alarm on the North Shore.

Outside the meeting, Labour Party organiser Lisa Shepherd said Shore residents appeared to be most concerned by the single-cordon scheme option, which would charge motorists travelling across a defined cordon - essentially the Auckland isthmus.

Vehicles would be charged $6 at the harbour bridge. Drivers crossing other charging points - located between Titirangi and Mt Roskill in the west, Mangere Bridge and Otara-Tamaki in the south and Howick-Pakuranga in the west - would be charged $3.

Those driving within the cordon would pay no tolls.

A possible parking-levy scheme has also got some residents up in arms. That would charge for parking on both private and public property within the Auckland-Newmarket, Manukau, Henderson and Takapuna CBDs. The charge could be about $10 a day, on top of existing parking charges.

The proposal is similar to Wellington's coupon-parking scheme.

Mrs Hartley told last night's meeting the paper was prepared because the technology now exists to electronically monitor and charge every New Zealander "for every kilometre they went".

Mr Barker said that at least two of five options were unworkable: the $10 parking surcharge in central business districts across Auckland was too selective, while the $6 bridge-crossing charge was too expensive for people using the bridge every day.

Ms Shepherd said numbers at last night's meeting were disappointing, and no more were planned.