David Buist: Agreed regional transport strategy thrown out window

COMMENT

C.K. Stead's article Auckland's mayors singing from the wrong songsheet was an excellent contribution to the eastern highway debate. But the headline should have begun "Two Auckland mayors".

The other five regional mayors are: John Law, of Rodney District, who also chairs the Mayoral Forum; George Wood, of North Shore City; Bob Harvey, of Waitakere City; Heather Maloney, of Franklin District; and myself, David Buist, of Papakura District.

To continue the analogy of C.K. Stead's songsheet, there is a regionally agreed strategy sheet named the Auckland regional land transport strategy, which was updated last year.

The regional land transport committee, which prepares this strategy, is made up of elected members from the Auckland Regional Council, with Catherine Harland as chairwoman, and includes representatives from all the regional local bodies.

Sir Barry represents Manukau City and Greg McKeown Auckland City, so both councils, one would have thought, were locked into this strategy.

The strategy says about the eastern corridor: "Analysis shows that vehicle accessibility to the CBD from Howick-Pakuranga (over the planned 10 years) will decline but will still be reasonable compared with other parts of the region. If no improvements are made in the transport network, peak-period travel times will increase moderately.

"Passenger-transport accessibility can be significantly improved by providing a rapid-transit facility in the eastern corridor."

The strategy goes on to mention providing conventional heavy rail in the corridor, with 10-minute peak frequency, using high-quality trains, upgraded stations, secure park-and-ride facilities, feeder bus services, and so on. It also mentions the need to accommodate rail freight in and out of the region.

The strategy does not mention the eastern highway; it deals with the eastern corridor, and even then a passenger-transit system along this corridor is well down on the priority rating. The earliest construction period listed is somewhere from 2005-6 to 2011-12.

In the foreword to this strategy, Catherine Harland writes: "For decades the region has planned improvements but too often failed to deliver these.

"This strategy builds on the core approach of the 1999 strategy - a balanced, comprehensive range of transport solutions - but now in 2003, reflects the regional will to move from planning into delivering action."

Now the Government has accepted considerable responsibility for funding the completion of Auckland's road and rail network outlined in the strategy, with a 10-year, $1.62 billion transport infrastructure package, and has agreed to set up an Auckland Regional Transport Authority under the ARC to manage this funding.

None of this package is earmarked for the eastern highway.

The region can well do without this diversion by Mr Banks and Sir Barry into the eastern highway. We are going to have enough difficulty completing all the other projects planned within the 10-year schedule.

These projects alone will extend construction resources to the limit and over-stretch the available funding. But we have to get on with the work.

In Rodney, the motorway extension to Puhoi will start in a few years. This is an example of where tolling could be used to repay some of the capital cost because it will be a new road and an alternative non-tolled route will run alongside.

Work on the upper harbour crossing is already under way.

It is important that the Southwestern Motorway is connected into the Western Motorway somewhere in the Mt Roskill-Avondale area in the north, and into the Southern Motorway in the south.

Considerable work is under way or nearing completion in the centre of the city, such as the Grafton Gully-Spaghetti Junction areas.

Even more important than the roading networks is the completion of the rail networks and the North Shore busway.

Key among the rail projects was the completion of Britomart. We now have to get on with double-tracking the railway out to Henderson-Ranui, electrifying the total system, building stations, the associated infrastructure, new train units, and, of course, providing a comprehensive network of feeder buses.

We cannot let the regional focus be diverted from the agreed strategy by personal political agendas.

One of Sir Barry's other projects is the connection from the Waiouru Peninsula (East Tamaki) onto the Southern Motorway. He also provides for a connection to his eastern highway for this industrial estate.

Perhaps Manukau City should consider establishing a container port on the Tamaki Estuary in this area, to service the container traffic generated in the estate and to pick up the cargo from points south.

It would make economic sense if this cargo was taken off the Southern Motorway and barged to the port facilities.

To reduce or minimise the increase in car traffic, we must provide an alternative, efficient public transport system.

Maybe if Mr Banks and Sir Barry succeed in bringing a rapid-transit facility along the eastern corridor, the need for the eastern highway might disappear.

* David Buist was the general manager of NZ Steel's mining operations until he retired in 1991.