Auckland Council needs to come up with a better plan to solve Auckland’s transport problems before asking residents to pay more, the Automobile Association (AA) says.

Auckland Council today proposed an interim targeted transport rate of $99 a year per household, after signals from central government that it will not allow a motorway toll or increased fuel taxes to fund the Council’s transport plan.

“The Council needs to take a step back,” said AA spokesman Barney Irvine. “The plan it’s come up with isn’t going to solve Auckland’s congestion issues – indeed, congestion’s going to get worse over the next 20 years, not better.”

This had not been made clear enough during the Council’s consultation process, Mr Irvine said.

“The public has been told that the plan will solve Auckland’s congestion problems – it won’t.”

Everyone agreed that Auckland needs to make progress, Mr Irvine said, but the current approach was not the way to get it.

“Council needs to come up with a plan that will deliver the improvements and congestion relief Aucklanders want then look at how to fund it, not the other way around.”

Mr Irvine said the starting point needed to be to bridge the divide between local and central government when it comes to Auckland transport issues.

“How can we possibly develop a 30-year transport plan when the two key decision-makers and funders are talking past each other?”

The AA, along with many others, wants to see an Auckland transport accord created.

This would involve local and central government signing up to a roadmap to guide transport development in Auckland, meaning agreement on goals, the strategy, and funding mechanisms.

“One of the first tasks of the accord would be to review the two options that are on the table right now and ask: is this really the best we can do?” Mr Irvine said.

Mr Irvine added that there would undoubtedly be those saying Auckland just needs to get on with it – that the city has waited long enough, and that more time spent planning only adds to the cost of congestion.

“Our view is that far more damage would be caused by rushing into a programme that fails to do the job right,” he said. “Getting things moving doesn’t do any good if you’re going down the wrong road.”

Ends