Levies, tolls, taxes floated to cover bill for transport

Pictured earlier this year, Prime Minister John Key and Auckland Mayor Len Brown each spoke at a planning summit in Auckland. Photo / Greg Bowker

Road tolls, parking levies and regional fuel taxes are being revived as possible devices for Aucklanders to contribute to large transport projects.

Targeted rates or taxes on property "betterment" gains from improved public services are also listed in an Auckland spatial plan discussion document as possible new money-spinners for transport.

Council for Infrastructure Development chairman John Rae yesterday told about 400 people called to a planning summit by Auckland Mayor Len Brown that rates or fuel tax rises would be "very blunt" charging instruments, and he indicated a preference for road charges.

He said a $1 to $2 average charge on vehicles joining Auckland's motorway network could raise between $300 million and $500 million a year to service a 30-year loan filling a transport infrastructure deficit of at least $5 billion dollars.

But a rates rise of about 25 per cent or an increase in fuel tax of 30c a litre would be needed to cover annual repayments of more than $300 million.

Mr Rae said infrastructure development was often seen as a cost rather than investment, an attitude which would heap as much - if not more - pressure and debt on to succeeding generations of Aucklanders.

Prime Minister John Key reassured the summit that, despite a looming "austere" Budget required for re-building Christchurch, the Government remained committed to completing Auckland transport projects such as the Victoria Park road tunnel, the Waterview motorway extension and rail electrification.

He refrained from mentioning uncommitted projects, such as Mr Brown's $2 billion central city rail tunnel, but said it would be unacceptable to close the purse strings and "leave a ticking time bomb of infrastructure demands in Auckland".

Mr Key welcomed the spatial planning process, by which Aucklanders have until May 31 to offer their views, as likely to form the basis for future funding decisions.

"I think it's a great opportunity to get it right - we certainly have to make sure we ultimately deliver value for money," he said.

"The best way to do that is not to make a series of ad hoc decisions - it's to have an integrated, co-ordinated plan."

The planning discussion document invites Aucklanders to indicate if they support the existing regional land transport strategy, which emphasises strong public transport growth, or whether there should be changes "to fit the overall current funding envelope for transport".

That second approach would limit the number of new transport projects, and rely heavily on "travel demand management" to achieve targets such as reducing carbon emissions by 40 per cent by 2030 or turning Auckland into an economic powerhouse.

A third approach of bringing forward Mr Brown's three preferred rail projects - the central loop tunnel, and links to the airport and North Shore - has also been put up for public comment.

Among other questions are whether trams should again join the public transport network and whether ferry services should be extended.