KEY POINTS:
Aucklanders should not have to pay extra fuel tax to bankroll urgent public transport improvements while the Government foots the full cost of motorways, says Green Party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons.
She stopped short yesterday, after announcing her party's Auckland transport plan, of calling for an end to a special regional fuel tax approved by the Government last week for electric trains and other projects.
"At this stage we need to get the electrification going," she said.
But she said the Greens would push strongly for full state funding of future public transport, notably a $1 billion-plus tunnel for a two-way rail loop through central Auckland to the western line at Mt Eden, which regional planners say is needed before Britomart reaches capacity within a decade.
A Green-oriented coalition Government would shelve the $1.9 billion Waterview motorway tunnels in favour of the new link from Britomart as part of a triple-loop of rapid rail and busways covering much of Auckland between Albany to Manakau.
"That [Britomart] connection would move far more people than that motorway tunnel will, and it frees up the whole rail system for Auckland.
"If Auckland at the moment wants to build a Britomart loop, they've got to pay for it themselves - that's the big thing that will change."
Ms Fitzsimons told a rally outside Britomart Station Auckland's transport issues were so critical to New Zealand's economy that all six Green MPs had turned out for the occasion.
They were joined by other party candidates who converged from various parts of Auckland by boat, train, bus, bike, electric scooter and on foot.
"All the surveys show that Aucklanders are so over motorways," Ms Fitzsimons said.
She added a rider that the Green recipe for helping Aucklanders to travel around the region faster, despite dwindling oil supplies, did not mean pulling the plug on part-built roads.
"But we won't be funding any new ones until we've got public transport up to scratch."
She said the Greens would still spend two-thirds of the national land transport fund on roads in the first year of a new regime, to ensure the existing network was kept well-maintained, but that would ultimately be reduced to one-third.
But even the first step down from an existing five-to-one ratio in favour of roads would release $400 million for public transport projects, a figure which would rise annually.
The Green plan also includes creating an outer isthmus rail loop by running a line between Onehunga and Avondale, as well as an extension of the Northern Busway to Waitakere via the Upper Waitemata and a rapid bus circuit through Manukau City's eastern suburbs back to Panmure.
Ms Fitzsimons derided the existing funding regime by which motorways were funded fully by the Government, but which left Aucklanders having to pay for rail electrification through the regional fuel tax.
"Did you ever hear anything so daft? If you want to build an inefficient system that costs far more dollars to move far fewer people, we'll give it to you - if you want to build an efficient system that will move more people at less cost, you've got to pay for it yourself."
She said the economic slowdown meant there had never been a better time to bring forward the construction of projects to maintain jobs and provide transport solutions.
She challenged Prime Minister Helen Clark and National leader John Key to join her in Auckland to debate the region's transport issues.
HOW GREEN MPS GOT TO THE RALLY
* Metiria Turei: Small ferryboat chartered from the base of Te Atatu Peninsula to highlight its dearth of public transport services.
* Sue Kedgley: Train from Mt Eden.
* Keith Locke: Bike from Mt Eden.
* Sue Bradford: Northern Busway.
* Co-leaders Jeanette Fitzsimons and Russel Norman: Walked from Mt Eden.
* They were joined by new election candidates including Dave Clendon (Helensville) on an electric scooter and Zachary Dorner (Pakuranga), who arrived by bike in a "Dangerman" suit to highlight the hazards of pedalling through Auckland.
