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Private cars will be banned from Queen St if a range of soft options fails to address worsening gridlock from a $41 million upgrade of the Golden Mile.
Transport chiefs are meeting next Tuesday to consider options, starting with banning private car parking, banning private cars from at least one block during peak hours, to banning private cars altogether during work hours. The measures could last up to a year.
The policy of the Auckland City Council and Auckland Regional Transport Authority to do nothing and let motorists get a taste of traffic jams to avoid Queen St thereafter, has failed. Buses meant to take seven minutes from the bottom of Queen St to Karangahape Rd are taking up to 30 minutes.
The council did little to warn motorists about delays when major roadworks started last month between Wellesley and Customs Sts, reducing Queen St in each direction from two lanes to one in places.
Auckland City transport general manager Dr Stephen Rainbow yesterday said the council had decided to put up more signs, including flashing lights warning motorists of delays, and was starting radio advertising from Monday.
If this "softly, softly" approach did not work, the council and regional transport authority would consider the tougher options, including the total ban on private cars. These measures could start as soon as tomorrow week.
"Whatever the case, there is going to be disruption there for several months. That's the reality," Dr Rainbow said.
Crews of contractors are working six days a week building tree pits, laying kerbing, paving, and installing light poles and street furniture. An extra team of 20 workers have speeded up work on the stage two block between Wellesley and Victoria Sts.
It will be March next year before the project is finished, and pedestrians, retailers, bus commuters and motorists fully reclaim the worksite.
Auckland Tramways Union president Gary Froggatt said Stagecoach buses, including the Link service, were experiencing massive hold-ups and delays of up to 30 minutes. Queen St should be closed to traffic, except buses, taxis and trucks, he said.
"It is absolutely stupid allowing private vehicles into that area while construction is going on," he said.
Stagecoach customer service and marketing manager Steve Wade said it was taking buses 10 minutes or longer to get through some of the roadworks on Queen St and this was putting timetables out.
Commuters in Queen St could see the problem and "appreciated it was not our fault", but commuters further along the route did not understand why buses were running late. One solution might be to divert some buses away from Queen St, he said.
"We are getting to the stage now where we can't sustain some of the delays.
A council spokeswoman said the resource consent for Queen St limited hours of work from 7.30am to 6pm Monday to Friday and until 8pm on Saturday. No work was allowed on Sundays and public holidays.
Work that was not noisy could be done outside these hours and this was happening on a case-by-case basis, she said.
