Readers' Views: Auckland road tolls

Transit is proposing tolls on the new Western Motorway Route to speed up completion.

I am somewhat surprised at the number of tolled route sections Transit is proposing, seven in total. Transit is quoted as saying it requires $150 million for setting up the toll gantries, that's over $21 million per gantry. I am not completely against tolls and do understand why they are proposing tolls which is to speed up the whole project and get the traffic moving. I do wonder why, though, that they have been planning this "western ring route" for many years and only now decide that they don't have the money to pay for it. From what I understand this project has been on the books for some 20 or more years. Why has Transit not been setting budgets better than they have to pay for this project to complete it before now? If the western ring route is to be the new State Highway 1, then surely a state highway would be paid for by the state rather than the ratepayers of the region, After all the Government seems to have some money in the bank at the moment. What we need for the next election is for a political party to commit to completing this motorway system at no further expense to the road users. Let the voters make the decision at election time
- William Warwick, Hillsborough.

The idea that so many people will want to pay $7.50 each way to take the Western Ring Route that it will become the de facto Highway 1 is so ridiculous it is laughable. For starters, from Manukau to Albany via the WRR is about 15km longer each way. Second, the new Greenhithe bridge is only two lanes so as soon as people for whom this route is the natural best fit (say airport to Albany, Onehunga to Albany, Mt Roskill to Albany) start to use it en masse then the capacity of the system will be fully taken up and traffic flows will slow down. Once these vehicles have been taken out of the current flows across the harbour bridge and west to south traffic has been diverted away from Spaghetti junction then volumes on the present system will be reduced to the point where it will flow smoothly again. At that point nobody in their right mind is going to pay $7.50 to drive from Manukau to Albany via a slower and longer route.
- Christiansen family.

It's about time we grew up as a country and realised that the only way forward is to have tolled roads as there are in most other major cities around the world. Indeed, look at what has been achieved in Melbourne and Sydney with tolls. Time saved will be huge. Just do it!
- Marilyn Palmer.

I am totally and unequivocally opposed to Transit NZ's campaign to toll sections of the Western Ring Route of the motorway for three reasons:
1. It will unfairly burden local commuters along this route who may feel obliged to use this option to get from A to B more quickly.
2. It will also add further burden to consumers who will have to wear the cost of cartage by trucks which will pass the cost on.
3. This Western Ring Route will be largely redundant even if completed in 2015 since vehicular transport will have changed by then because of inevitable fuel cost increases which will take more cars off the roads.
Furthermore the costs estimated by Transit NZ are only an estimate and I am certain they will inflate beyond that quoted, thus so will the toll costs to consumers. The whole project should be a non-starter and let Transit NZ go back to the drawing board and take a reality check!
- Brad Murphy.

I am not prepared to pay (even though I can afford to). No way. We are already overtaxed in so many ways, this is just another tax. The roads are overcrowded because we have no other suitable way of getting to work. Rather than punishing us for trying to get to work - how about building us a good rapid rail system? I would rather clog up the non-charge lanes in protest!
- Christine.

Transit chief Rick van Barneveld makes reference to the number-plate-recognition cameras used in London. However, what he didn't say, and which all Aucklanders should consider before voting yes, is that since the charge was introduced it has gone up from £5 per day to £8 per day and I understand that they wish to raise this to £10 and extend the area of charging. If people really believe that once tolls are introduced they will not rise by a lot more than the quoted rate they are living in a dream world. Once a precedent is set it will only encourage further toll roads which the majority of Aucklanders will be paying for in future taxes. There is also no comment on whether the toll price will be abolished or lowered when the project is paid for. In my opinion Transit NZ will quite happily continue taking the money, probably on the pretext of maintenance costs.
- Jeff Cox.

I'm not prepared to pay on the basis that there should be no toll roads until all motoring taxes are being put back into roading infrastructure.
- Errol Keown.

I would take a very dim view of having to pay a toll as I live in Mangere Bridge and have no reasonable alternative route to Onehunga. The fact that there is major traffic congestion now is down to linking up with SH1 at Manukau without providing any extra lanes on the bridge. I moved to Mangere Bridge over 20 years ago to be close to work so I did not add to the congestion. If I am penalised I would not be happy.
- Jeremy Scott.