Govt to investigate transport pricing

The Government and Auckland Council have agreed to a terms of reference – the first step in investigating alternative transport pricing in Auckland. The Smarter Transport Pricing Project, as it has been called, will investigate whether or not to introduce road pricing to tackle congestion in Auckland. The project includes officials from the Ministry of Transport, Auckland Council, Auckland Transport, the New Zealand Transport Agency, Treasury and the State Services Commission. The first stage of the project is expected to be complete by the end of 2017. “Alongside our current multi-billion dollar transport investment in Auckland, we need to look at new ways of managing demand on our roads to help ease congestion. Smarter transport pricing has the potential to be part of the solution,” said finance minister Steven Joyce. “Work undertaken last year by the Government and Auckland Council found that smarter transport pricing could help make a big difference in the performance of Auckland’s transport system,” said transport minister Simon Bridges. Bridges said this could include altering tolls at different times and locations and target congested areas with the hope that users would change their driving route. “It is essential that we carefully consider the impacts of pricing on households and businesses. A key factor will be the access people have to public transport and other alternatives. “The Government has also made a clear undertaking that any form of variable pricing will be primarily used to replace the existing road taxes that motorists pay. This is about easing congestion, not raising more revenue,” Bridges added. The Automobile Association's (AA) principal advisor of infrastructure, Barney Irvine, said it was good to see officials maintain a discussion around congestion charging. “We all agree that congestion charging is something we have to look at,” he said. “It’s now up to the Government and Council to show how it would work in Auckland, and whether it would make sense when you weigh up the costs and benefits – and the sooner they can do this, the better.” Irvine noted the sense of urgency surrounding the project. “We’ve all felt the rising congestion tide in Auckland, and the scary thing is that it’s going to keep rising for the next four or five years at least,” he said. “We’re worried that traffic conditions will become unbearable before congestion charging or any other big-ticket solution is introduced.”