On the streets of Auckland, people were looking forward to faster commutes. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
West Auckland commuters are looking forward to a better, faster and more reliable bus system.
The government has revealed its plans for land transport over the next decade, promising to spend big bucks on Auckland's rapid transit.
With a proposed $70 billion fund, one of the key projects involves more work developing Auckland's Northwestern Busway.
Work was already in progress, with sections of the shoulder being used only for buses, and new interchanges being built at Te Atatū and Lincoln Roads.
When complete, the project promised a bus every seven to eight minutes from Westgate to the city centre during peak hours.
"The motorway is like a big car park" - Henderson-Massey Local Board chairperson Chris Carter
On the streets of Auckland, people were looking forward to faster commutes.
"The increased buses time would definitely help, but also the fact that we have to travel from our suburbs out to the motorway will probably make up for that distance as well," one man said.
"I come to the city quite a lot but I don't bus in. But if the buses were more frequent, I totally would," another person said.
"Especially from the west, where buses don't come very often, sometimes only in the morning and in the evening, it would be great to have them more frequently. it would help a lot of us students to get around," a woman said.
Henderson-Massey Local Board chairperson Chris Carter said there was strong public pressure for a better bus system in the west.
"The motorway is like a big car park. Traffic is stationary because there are so many people [on State Highway 16].
"At the moment, the buses have to go into the general traffic lane where there are bridges and other obstructions. There are pieces of the busway in place, but not a consistent busway all the way into the city.
"We need to get some of the cars off the motorway and into public transport."
Auckland Council data found that by 2046, the northwest region would have 37,000 new houses and nearly triple the number of people travelling along the Northwestern Motorway.
Waitākere Councillor Shane Henderson said the project was long overdue.
"All we've ever wanted in West Auckland is transport options. So, if you can ditch your car and make other choices you could do that. But we do need some proper infrastructure."
Te Atatu Peninsula Business Association manager Robynne Pringle said the plan needed to also include traffic within suburbs.
"We are pushing for a traffic transport review for the peninsula currently. There is a wider issue of the traffic from the suburbs onto the motorway and back.
"We have one road in and one road off the peninsula and it has become a huge issue, particularly with the population growth."
The project had already cost more than $100 million in recent years. Prime Minister Chris Hipikins said some of the additional funding needed for the project would be raised by small increases in petrol taxes and road user charges.
The increase in the first year was proposed to be split into an initial 2c a litre increase, with another two cents six months later.
This was to be followed by a four-cent annual increase in 2025 and again in 2026 - a total increase of 12 cents over three years.
Hipikins said the increase would cost the typical family a dollar or less each year.
"I think that is manageable in the context of significant investment we are making in our roads."
The prime minister said the plan would support emissions reduction and it include room for future light rail inclusion.
'They are finally listening' - Wayne Brown
Auckland mayor Wayne Brown welcomed the announcement, and said it was nice to see central government was "finally listening" to the council.
"It's excellent because it shows they have been listening to us, and they haven't been doing so.
"That harbour crossing thing was carried out without any input from the council, but today, they worked out that the Northwester Rapid Transport is a number one priority."
He said the council was pushing for a motorway user charge to help reduce congestion within suburbs.
"We have roads all over Auckland that are empty during the night and only partially filled during the day, but they get jammed in the mornings and afternoons on peak time.
"I want to price people for using that [road], and if they want to be there, they pay a bit extra - which would go to enhancing transport somewhere else.
"If they don't want to pay the money, they [could] go at a different time [of the day]. We need to use our roads more sensibly."
Wayne Brown. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
Brown said workplaces should be more flexible with employees' starting times to help people shorten their commute.
"Since we had Covid, people don't always go to work anyhow. Why do they have to go at the exact same time, all of them?
"So, a bit of money spent on encouraging people to do something different will go a long way towards this as well, rather than building another road."
Brown said overall, the government's announcement was a step in the right direction.
"I'm very pleased that they are listening, and of course they would listen just before an election, but I'll make absolutely whoever gets in [after October's election] is also listening afterwards.
"But all and all, it's a step in the right direction."