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Current consultation on future bus and ferry services on the Whangaparāoa Peninsula has several shortcomings, according to Albany Ward councillors, John Watson and Wayne Walker.
Auckland Transport (AT) has commissioned an independent study to identify a public transport network for the peninsula, which factors in the opening of O Mahurangi Penlink. The public is being asked for feedback on three scenarios:
Scenario 1: Existing buses and ferry run more often than they do at present.
Scenario 2: The NX2 serves a new Whangaparāoa Station via O Mahurangi Penlink throughout the day, and a new frequent bus service runs between Gulf Harbour and the new station. The Gulf Harbour ferry does not run.
Scenario 3: The Gulf Harbour ferry service, and a new frequent bus service between Gulf harbour and Hibiscus Coast Station. NX2 does not use O maharani Penlink and serves Hibiscus Coast Station at peak times only.
Watson says AT’s assertion in the survey that there can be no Whangaparāoa bus terminal or NX2 bus service via Penlink, if the ferry service is retained, is nonsensical.
“The $835 million cost of this project is being funded entirely by NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) with preliminary works for a future bus station site provided for,” Watson says. “To suggest buses won’t be ‘allowed’ by AT to use Penlink or that some rudimentary terminal cannot be established in four years doesn’t bear scrutiny.”
Walker goes further, calling the survey biased and misleading, closing off realistic options.
“It does not reflect the real world situation where traffic congestion is steadily worsening on Whangaparāoa and the northern motorway, with no prospect of AT alternatives to make much difference,” Walker says.
“The survey says the ferry trip times projected for 2028 are based on current ferry technology when we know faster, foiling electric ferries could be built today – and they’re improving fast – with the prospect of a Gulf Harbour ferry running closer to 35 to 40 minutes. This will be a game changer.
“We know that the preparation work for a bus station or kiss-and-ride at the Whangaparāoa end of Penlink is already being done by NZTA as part of its Penlink work. The last thing we want is to rely on AT, who have still not delivered on the promised bus station at Rosedale, even though NZTA offered to build it.”
Walker says the approach should be demand-driven rather than their current cost-and-budget based approach, which discounts future options not included in an already outdated long term plan (budget) that gets revisited each three years anyway. It also doesn’t include a toll for Penlink when that is the current position.
Watson adds that the timing of the consultation is poor, with one part of AT trying to restore confidence in the ferry service, while another part casts doubt over its continued existence via the survey.
“People have been pouring back to the ferry since its full timetable was restored in September with patronage jumping impressively, even before the start of summer,” he says.
“Additionally, some of the travel times advanced as a guide bear little relation to the reality on the ground. That’s because AT insists on calculating these times solely by bus travel. At Gulf Harbour, for instance, 99 per cent of ferry commuters simply drive their car to the park and ride – they don’t catch a bus because it takes much longer.
“Despite the attempt to suggest otherwise, the ferry will always be the fastest and most comfortable commute for residents east of Manly Shops to the city, and that will only become more so with the passage of time.”
Watson says the limitations imposed by AT on what can or cannot happen need to be challenged through the survey process.
“I encourage people to look at what is best for the Coast as a whole.
“For most people that will be self-evident – it’s a combination of bus and ferry, and the sensible utilisation of the Penlink connection, with all modes working together as part of an integrated network.
“People using the ferry from the eastern half of Whangaparāoa reduce pressure on both the internal roading system and the northern motorway where Penlink will merge in 2028. People taken off the road in one part inevitably aids the overall network.”
“In this respect Scenario 3 looks like the option that would benefit most parts of the Coast – the ferry service is retained, a new frequent bus service (99) runs along the peninsula while the NX1 and NX2 remain at the Hibiscus Coast Station, ensuring other Coast commuters don’t have to transfer further down the busway just to catch it.”
Public feedback is open until Sunday December 1. Further information: haveyoursay.at.govt.nz/wpstudy
