Rise and grind: two hours plus crawl round city

By GEOFF CUMMING

Every working day, Huni Fakalata spends nearly four hours driving to and from work - despite living only minutes from her job in Manukau City.

Before starting her day at Inland Revenue, the Pakuranga woman drives her daughter to school in Mt Wellington, her husband to work in Newmarket and their pre-schooler to her mother-in-law's house in Papakura.

The 50km round trip means negotiating Auckland's worst bottleneck, the Southern Motorway, at the morning peak. But the family's varied destinations, plus the cost and limitations of public transport, leave Huni Fakalata little choice but to be chauffeur.

She leaves home at 7.15 am to reach work by 9.30, making up for the late start at the end of the day. "I would rather find some sort of alternative method - I'm up at 6.30 and it's time I could spend working."

Readers responding to the Herald's Getting Auckland Moving campaign have criticised motorists who travel long distances to work and wail about peak-time delays.

But the realities are different for Huni Fakalata and many others. Auckland's public transport system is light years away from the integrated network needed to reach far-flung workplaces.

Other readers point out that house prices, income levels, family circumstances and job mobility can all create distance between home and workplace.

What's needed, they argue, are measures to reduce peak-time congestion for those who must use the main roads and motorways. These include public transport improvements.

Huni Fakalata believes something should be done on the Southern Motorway, northbound, to reduce the time she spends behind the wheel.

She and partner Damon Kemp have found it quicker to stay off the motorway between Mt Wellington and Newmarket. They save half an hour by taking Great South Rd into Newmarket, where Mr Kemp works for a motorcycle firm.

Huni Fakalata blames inefficient onramps and offramps for the crawl on the Southern Motorway. "I can understand why road rage happens."

Another source of frustration is the number of cars containing just a driver.

Her journey home is slightly simpler than the morning dash. Her father picks up Gabrielle on his way home to Manukau. Huni Fakalata makes a half-hour trip into Newmarket to collect Mr Kemp, drives out to Manukau for Gabrielle, on to Papakura for 2-year-old Sione and then home. They get in shortly after 6 pm.

In future, they plan to try motorbikes. Mr Kemp will drop Gabrielle off at school on his way to Newmarket and Huni Fakalata will have Sione as pillion for the ride to Papakura. "We've both done safety courses but it's certainly a concern that cars won't see us ..."