Garth Falconer's proposal for a new six-lane, 2km curving bridge positioned 500m to the west of Auckland’s Harbour Bridge, Image / Reset
Overseas inspiration for transport solution
The debate goes hot about another bridge or tunnel connection across the Waitematā Harbour. There must be a better solution that cuts the cost by at least $25 billion.
There are too many cars wanting to cross at the same peak time. The solution is regulating the traffic and using the road pricing to avoid or mitigate congestion. No matter how much you add by building more roads, to accommodate cars with one person in each just cannot be done with one, two or three bridges.
And where would all those cars go in Auckland? What is needed is road pricing modelled after Singapore in combination with a fast lane for cars with a minimum of three people in the car modelled after Washington DC.
Cars with three people could go for free and in the fast lane. Like in Singapore, the fee could be dynamic with a peak of say $10 between 7-9am and $5 after 9am and $2 after 11am.
The rates could be electronically adjusted to achieve the right amount of traffic. It is enough to charge one way as if fewer cars go in or enter at different times their return will also be differentiated after a day of work. We know from Los Angeles, for example, that no matter how many parallel lanes of motorway you build it clogs up if traffic is not regulated.
Everybody wins on this. No need to spend $25+ billion and those who must go at a certain time can do so and pay to gain at least 30 minutes one way. This idea needs to be supported by expanded public transport.
The point of this is not to make money but to regulate traffic and avoid or reduce congestion. And saving the almost countless billions on another connection. Whatever the estimated price of a new structure would be, based on experience, we would have to expect a 50-100% overrun.
Frank Olsson, Freemans Bay.
Higher speeds
The impression given off by proposals to increase speed limits is that doing so will enable a much faster journey.
But in reality, the time “saved” is just not that much. For example, the Orewa to Warkworth section is around 25km, so at 100km/h it would take 15 minutes to drive the entire distance. With a speed limit of 110km/h there is a time-saving of about 1 minute 20 seconds. That’s not nothing, but it’s pretty insignificant across the full length of a journey.
You could easily spend more time than that sitting at a single traffic light. But imagine the impact in a collision at that extra speed.
Are we really in that much of a hurry to die? I for one am not.
Bob Wichman, Botany.
Infrastructure efficiency
Do we really need 25,000 extra workers to work on our infrastructure projects when often, as one drives past one, all that can be seen are road cones, numerous speed reduction signs, equipment sitting idle but no workers to be seen (NZ Herald, Sept 19)?
For example, I first went south via the expressway that bypasses Hamilton months, if not over a year, ago and all went well until near the end where work was being done on the last kilometre or two to complete it. But on several recent trips that work is still ongoing with the only beneficiary it would seem being Porter Hire, whose rented equipment seems to sit idle many more times than it is used.
What is needed are groups of workers working 24-hour shifts as teams to get these projects completed. Pay them well and look after them.
Perhaps we do need some extra people but surely it’s more a matter of efficiency. It can be done with the Kaikōura earthquake repairs being a prime example and overseas, particularly in places like China, that’s exactly how they do it.
Paul Beck, West Harbour.
Brilliant bridge
Garth Falconer’s idea for a “Waitematā Bridge” is absolutely spot on. The plan to have northbound traffic use the new bridge and southbound traffic the existing Harbour Bridge is brilliant.
The visual concept in Thursday’s Herald is both aesthetically pleasing and highly functional. With special lanes for buses, cycles and pedestrians this will be a real asset to the city.
In my view we shouldn’t waste another dollar on consultants and reports. Instead just get stuck in and build it. At the estimated $2.5 billion it will never be cheaper than it is today.
Glen Stanton, Mairangi Bay.
Slippery slope
The recent legislation regarding gang insignia has me concerned. Has the coalition Government put New Zealand on a very slippery slope?
Since time immemorial, groups have used insignia to not only identify themselves and their members but also to promote their purposes. Whether it has been religions, political movements, schools, companies, social clubs or numerous other groups, a visible symbol has been an essential part of their branding.
Now that we have legislation that bans gangs in New Zealand from displaying their insignia, potentially even within a private residence, what stops this or any future government from expanding the legislation to include other organisations? Surely the time and expense of enforcing this legislation would be better employed in investigating gang’s criminal activities.
Alternatively, maybe we should look at expending time and money providing socially acceptable alternatives to joining gangs. If we did that, then the purported powers of intimidation that their insignia holds would fade away.
Dunstan Sheldon, Hamilton.
Hogging headlines
With regard to Claire Trevett’s comments regarding the Treaty Principles Bill, she talks about David Seymour’s annoying habit of grabbing attention and that so much attention being given to the bill has become a farce (Weekend Herald, Sept 14).
She should reflect the reason that Seymour and the bill are getting this attention is because of the media. They prefer to focus on the matter rather than the many more important and serious issues facing the country at the moment. The bill can dominate the TV news bulletins so much so that I’m sure many people turn off.
It’s a bit like the media attention given to Donald Trump, the more they focus on what he says the more support he gets.
However when I was involved with resource consents as a commissioner in the 1990s the issue of regard to the principles of the Treaty came up often, but when I asked a question nobody could really explain what they were.
Ken Graham, Greenlane.
World-class project
Being retired with plenty of time to pursue whimsical impulses, today I decided to catch the Outer Link bus from my home in Ponsonby, completing the entire return circuit.
I am deeply impressed. The development of the Garnet Rd, Meola Rd and Pt Chev portion is world-class.
We are in a period of transition internationally with public transportation, walking and cycling playing a much bigger role in the future. The multi-storeyed developments along Pt Chev Rd are optimistic indicators of the future.
Having just returned from a month in Paris, where the speed limit has been reduced to 30km/h, all streets containing a school converted to cycling and walking only from the intersection each side of the school and multi-laned streets having been reduced to one lane each way (or single one way plus cycle lanes), the traffic flows very smoothly, travel times have greatly reduced and streets are much calmer for vehicular, cyclist and pedestrian traffic.
The construction period in Auckland must be very difficult for some businesses and commuters but the benefits for the future are obvious.
Congratulations to Auckland Transport and all involved in transitioning the city to a modern, efficient city with a human, environmentally responsible focus.
Simon Damerell, Ponsonby.
All this handwringing about where to place and how to do the new harbour crossing is a waste of time. The answer is simple. Get rid of the rusty old coat hanger we have now and build a big modern multi-mode bridge for our future. Then we won’t need new feeder roads and the existing infrastructure can be maximised. Wouldn’t it be great to have a modern well-designed bridge that we can be proud of and enhance the image of our great city.
Daryl Saunders, Howick.
I consider San Francisco Auckland’s sister city in many ways. The region has two harbour bridges. Both are iconic in their own way. They serve the region in traffic infrastructure. Auckland can do the same. The western bridge idea at Pt Chevalier should not be dismissed. It will certainly be more cost-effective and likely quicker to build than a tunnel. The Nimbys will need to swallow their pride and realise that those in Northcote have not suffered unduly and in fact have thrived despite the Harbour Bridge being in their neighbourhood.
John Ford, Taradale.
Who would want to live in Auckland and have to cope with the proposed increase in parking charges? It’s just another tax and revenue-collecting exercise. The “City of Sails” slogan might need to be tweaked to the “City of Sales” as homeowners sell up and move to the provinces.
Steve Horne, Raglan.
The damage done in Lebanon by explosive Israeli-modified pagers, manufactured in Taiwan, sounds like a very good reason to boycott all goods and services coming out of Israel.
Peter D Graham, Helensville.
Having tried to catch four domestic flights in NZ in the past three days, and having two of them cancelled with a third delayed, all due to “engineering issues” means that Air NZ has some serious problems with its maintenance programme. Or is this simply a case of cancelling flights if there are an uneconomic number of passengers for various flights using “engineering issues” as an excuse? Either way, having travelled overseas last month where I caught various flights with different airlines, all of whom ran on time with zero delays and cancellations, our national airline is a disgrace by comparison.
Paul Carpenter, Rotorua.
Why doesn’t Simeon Brown show greater concern about the strong likelihood that a return to higher speed limits will result in more traffic accidents and fatalities? What has happened to “evidence-based policy”? Under the wheels of the greater business productivity bus, I fear.
Barbara Darragh, Auckland Central.
“BSA backs Sherman” shows clearly the Broadcasting Standards Authority does not understand the difference between “reporting” and “opinion” writing. A reporter should write the facts and leave the reader to reach their own conclusions. An “opinion” writer can write what they like, bias and all, and leave the reader to decide if they agree or not. TVNZ’s Maiki Sherman needs to decide if she is a reporter or an opinion writer. Not both together.
Derek Paterson, Sunnyhills.
Yes, I have received my Entrust dividend. But could Entrust and Vector not think of another way of helping us with the cost of living crisis - like bring down energy prices by using the dividend to expand the contribution that rooftop solar panels could make to bridging the obvious deficit in energy generation which our political leaders seem otherwise unable to deal with?
Peter Davis, Kingsland.
OPINION: New Zealand can build a more inclusive and principled national identity.