KEY POINTS:
Transit NZ is resisting calls to open the new Northern Busway to vehicles with three or more occupants to encourage car-pooling.
Former North Shore Mayor George Wood has added his voice to that of National MP Wayne Mapp in calling for the early addition of "high-occupancy" vehicles, to allay concerns of people sceptical about the economic benefits of the $300 million investment.
Mr Wood told the Herald in July, while still in office, that he wanted to ensure the busway worked properly before cars were added. "We want to make the busway work for buses in the first period of time, and don't want any problems with extra cars."
But Mr Wood said he had been approached by several people at the busway's opening on Saturday, calling for bigger and earlier returns from the investment. He was now leaning to the view that cars could be introduced without compromising bus operations, subject to some form of driver-accreditation system.
Although the busway is designated to carry up to 350 high-occupancy vehicles hourly as well as 250 buses, compared with 70 buses initially, Transit fears that would exacerbate a traffic bottleneck on Auckland's side of the harbour bridge until a tunnel is built under Victoria Park to boost motorway capacity by 2011-13.
Mr Wood's mayoral successor, Andrew Williams, says he shares Transit's resistance to the early introduction of high-occupancy cars as "we don't want to compromise the efficiency of the busway in the early stages".
But he wants the busway opened to more bus operators than the three companies now licensed to use it - particularly school bus providers and airport shuttles - and is pleased Transit has agreed to consider an early review of busway operations.
Transit's acting chairman, Bryan Jackson, said it was essential to gain public confidence in the busway's operations before adding more vehicles.
"Anyone using this busway is going to have to be trained, have a very high standard of vehicles and contingency plans in case of breakdowns," he said.
"Transit doesn't want to put hurdles in the way of anything sensible, but we don't want to mess up a very expensive investment without having all the facts."