Auckland Mayor, Wayne Brown says practical solutions to traffic congestion in Auckland are critical for economic growth and productivity.
Mayor Brown has released Auckland’s Cost of Congestion white paper, prepared by EY and ARUP with support from Auckland Transport, that looks at the impact of traffic congestion in Auckland.
The report found congestion will cost Auckland $2.6 billion a year by 2026 – factoring in the cost of lost time, as well as impacts like reduced business investment and consumer spending.
“One of my key policies as mayor is to Get Auckland Moving and right now Aucklanders are not moving at peak time on our motorways and city centre. If anything, it resembles a carpark, and that’s not good enough,” says Mayor Brown.
“Congestion is costing our economy billions of dollars every year and if we don’t do something about it, it will get worse.”
He is advocating for a ‘Time of Use Charge’ as a solution to manage demand on the city’s motorways and major roads at peak times.
Local traffic modelling shows Aucklanders sit in traffic for 29 million hours a year – translating to 17 lost hours for every Aucklander.
“We also have the worst congestion out of any city in Australia and New Zealand. This costs businesses and Aucklanders alike,” says the Mayor.
“A Time of Use Charge will enable people to think of other ways to travel, like public transport, carpooling or driving outside rush hour.
“Reducing Auckland’s congestion will mean that truckies can deliver more freight on less trucks, and tradies can spend more time on the job, rather than sitting in traffic.
“If we’re going to achieve the growth the government wants, we need to fix this now.”
The government’s Time of Use Charging Bill is expected to be read in Parliament for the first time this month and will be a major step towards addressing the congestion problem in Auckland.
“It won’t be the only congestion solution, we will also need more dynamic lanes and smart traffic signals – along with a stronger, more reliable roading and public transport network,” says Mayor Brown.
To read Auckland’s Cost of Congestion white paper, visit: at.govt.nz/about-us/reports-publications/.
