Standalone traffic body urged for Auckland

By BERNARD ORSMAN


The Auckland City Council is leading a last-ditch attempt to convince the Government that the way to solve the region's traffic woes is to set up a standalone transport body.

The council hopes to dissuade the Government from backing a transport entity under the Auckland Regional Council.

A working party was set up yesterday to work with other councils on presenting a strong case to the Government for a standalone body.

With North Shore City expressing its preference for a standalone body last week, the working party is keen to get Manukau Mayor Sir Barry Curtis off his tangent for a Greater Auckland Authority. Manukau City will discuss the matter on Thursday.

The Government is due on December 12 to deliver its long-awaited masterplan to plan, finance and govern Auckland transport. All the indications are that the Government is leaning towards a transport body under the ARC but a final decision is unlikely before next Monday's Cabinet meeting.

A paper prepared for the Auckland Mayoral Forum by council chief executives produced two options: a transport entity owned by the ARC, or a standalone entity.

Under both options, a body called Auckland Transport would be governed by an independent board.

One Auckland councillor yesterday said the Government seemed to have underestimated the odium the ARC was held in by councils and ratepayers.

"The ARC are under-resourced for the task and they don't have a culture of delivery," the councillor said.

ARC chairwoman Gwen Bull said she favoured a transport model under the ARC. "There is one regional body. Why would you want ... another one?"

The ARC will discuss the mayoral forum paper today.