Media release
31 MAY, 2012

Encouraging alternatives to the car

Use public transport, walk, cycle, or carpool when you go down to the Wynyard Quarter.

That’s the message from The Wynyard Quarter Transport Management Association (TMA) which is promoting alternatives to individual car travel – particularly single occupancy cars – into the area during peak travel times.

Currently in its establishment phase, the TMA has a steering group from Auckland Transport, Auckland Council, the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) and the major landowners in the Wynyard Quarter, Waterfront Auckland and Viaduct Harbour Holdings Ltd.

The TMA has an ultimate goal of achieving 70 per cent of peak hour travel to and from the Wynyard Quarter being made by public transport walking, cycling, and as a car passenger in preference to single occupant car travel.

Preliminary traffic movement observations indicate the current split ratio of car travel into the area is close to 60 per cent. More comprehensive monitoring will begin in October.

Today, there are several thousand people in the Wynyard Quarter community, but ultimately there could potentially be about 20,000 people working, living and travelling into the area every weekday.
The TMA will be promoting travel management initiatives such as workplace travel plans, carpool schemes, awareness raising campaigns and personalised journey planning. It can also identify where transport services including public transport, cycling and walking infrastructure may be required.
Matthew Rednall, the chair of the Wynyard Quarter TMA, says with more people coming to work and live in the area there’s a unique opportunity to make the Wynyard Quarter a pedestrian friendly, low-emission zone by encouraging walking, cycling and public transport.

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“Better access to the area will help encourage business and commercial development and provide a more pleasant residential and entertainment setting, with significant environmental and sustainability benefits,” said Mr Rednall.

He says as the Wynyard Quarter progresses with the development of the Halsey/Daldy Streets upgrade and the opening next year of the ASB Head Office, the expected increasing number of vehicles in the area – particularly employees using their cars to get to work – the time is now right to promote alternatives to driver-only car travel into the area.

Mr Rednall says several new traffic demand measures for the Wynyard Quarter area are being introduced now to help change travel behaviour, including:

Changes to on-street parking as streets are redeveloped, allowing for wider footpaths, cycle paths and public transport facilities such as bus stops
Graduating changes to parking charges in line with the CBD tariffs are proposed to deter long-stay parking
Upgrading pedestrian friendly streets to make it easier to get around by foot and by bike, and
New pedestrian access-ways such as the Wynyard Crossing to significantly cut down pedestrian travel times

In addition, nearby suburban parking measures such as the residential parking zone in St Mary’s Bay, broader application of graduated parking tariffs in conjunction with street upgrades and the opening of the pedestrian bridge linking Jacob’s Ladder with Westhaven Drive, will add to the impetus to encourage motoring behaviour change in the nearby area.

Mr Rednall says a key role of the TMA is to act as a forum to educate and inform the diverse Wynyard Quarter community about effective and efficient transport measures. To this end it will be following up its recent more targeted stakeholder liaison with a broader programme of communication and engagement to the wider Wynyard Quarter community.
For more information on the Wynyard Quarter Transport Management Association, visit
http://www.aucklandtransport.govt.nz/tma

ENDS
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