KEY POINTS:
Auckland's transport politicians have added more weight to calls for walking and cycling on the harbour bridge, amid fear the Government's new Transport Agency is to veto them.
The Auckland Regional Transport Committee resolved yesterday - by 12 votes to 1 - to ask the agency to support bridge walking and cycling links "for consideration and ranking against other priorities in the regional land transport programme".
That follows support in principle from Auckland Regional Council and North Shore City for such links to be considered, but opposition from Auckland City on cost grounds.
Yesterday's debate was prompted by a claim by Cycle Action Auckland chairman Bevan Woodward, a regional committee member, that Transport Agency officials intended recommending to their board in Wellington tomorrow that the links be rejected.
Agency acting regional manager Tommy Parker told the Herald he had made no such a disclosure, but confirmed telling Mr Woodward that adding enclosed pathways to the bridge for up to $42.8 million could exhaust two years of national funds for walking and cycling.
Auckland City transport chair Ken Baguley cast the sole vote against the regional committee's main resolution yesterday, although three other members joined him in opposing a recognition of walking and cycling across the bridge "as a cornerstone project for the wider Auckland transport network".
They included another senior Transport Agency official, former Land Transport NZ regional manager Peter Kippenberger, although he did not oppose putting walking and cycling links on the bridge up for consideration against other projects.
A call for all Auckland councils to supply details of their favourite cycleway projects for funding consideration through a regional land transport plan won unanimous support.
Mr Woodward insisted Mr Parker told him the Transport Agency's highways divisions (formerly Transit NZ) would present a recommendation to its board opposing walking and cycling on the bridge.
But Mr Parker denied that, saying the issue was in the confidential part of tomorrow's board agenda, and he could not disclose what it would say.
Regional transport committee chairwoman Christine Rose said she was told the board was "leaning against" the proposal.
She said the agency's opposition at this stage would be unfortunate, given a strong wish from the region for the bridge links to at least be put up for consideration against other projects in the Auckland Regional Transport Authority-co-ordinated programme.
Although it is the authority's task under new laws to screen all applications for state funds for Auckland transport projects, Mr Parker said it was for the Transport Agency to refer any harbour bridge proposals to the authority to start with.
As the controlling authority for the harbour bridge, the Transport Agency would have to put forward a proposal, then the regional transport authority would prioritise that - "and obviously the [agency] is cognisant of the desires of the other parties".
