Auckland Transport media release
27 March 2013

Auckland’s 30-year Transport Strategy

For the first time Auckland has a comprehensive programme outlining action for delivering on the city’s transport issues.

Auckland Transport’s Integrated Transport Programme sets out the 30 year investment programme to meet the transport priorities outlined in the Auckland Plan. The programme has been developed by Auckland Transport and the New Zealand Transport Agency in collaboration with Auckland Council. It aims for the management of transport in Auckland as One System.

The programme covers state highways and local roads, railways, buses, ferries, footpaths, cycleways, intermodal transport facilities and supporting facilities such as parking and park-and-ride.

The One System approach will result in:
• Better use of use of existing transport networks
• Better alignment of transport provision with changing patterns of land use and demand
• A safer, more resilient national and regional network, where a greater range of resources and options is available to deal with unexpected events or future changes
• Better alignment of effort between network providers and elimination of overlap and duplication

Auckland Transport chairman Lester Levy says the programme is visionary. “It is not just aspirational, it is a realistic programme of work to be delivered over the next 30 years as we push to make Auckland a vibrant city with close to two and a half million people.”

The cost of fully funding the transport programme over the next 30 years is estimated at around $60 billion in 2012 dollar terms. Given current funding sources there is an estimated funding gap of between $10 billion and $15 billion to deliver the fully funded programme.

The costs peak over the next ten years due to major investments in projects such as the City Rail Link, the Western Ring Route, AMETI in east Auckland and the East-West Corridor.

Dr Levy says “Funding will be a key issue in successfully addressing the challenges of growth in the years ahead.”

The programme compares scenarios in 2022 based on full funding and committed funding. For instance the current 70 million a year passengers on public transport would double to 140 million in 2022 with full funding and would reach 103 million with committed funding.

The number of annual public transport trips per capita would rise from the current 44 to 84 with full funding and 66 with partial funding.

Walking, cycling and public transport share of morning peak would rise from 23 per cent currently to 32.2 per cent in 2022 under full funding and 31 per cent with committed funding.

In the first decade of the 30 year period all the scenarios assessed show service performance generally improving.

Obtaining the full benefits of the investment programme will progressively require greater use of network and demand management. These measures can only be successfully introduced when people and businesses have access to realistic transport choices.

Such choices depend on delivering integrated infrastructure, and improvements to public transport and rail freight services in the first decade. Given the long lead times involved, planning needs to start in the first decade alongside completing strategic road, public transport and active mode networks.

In the second and third decades those improvements can only be sustained through investment in new capacity. The levels of congestion forecast for Auckland by 2041 are well in excess of the current levels experienced in cities such as Sydney and Melbourne.

Road network use will need to be prioritised to increase the productivity of the network by means such as more freight and transit lanes. And stronger transport management will be needed to reduce congestion by encouraging more use of improved public transport and walking and cycling.

The Integrated Transport Programme will be revised and improved to respond to Auckland’s changing transport network over time.

---ENDS ---

For more information: www.aucklandtransport.govt.nz

© Scoop Media