Mayor and Minister reveal transport priorities 

Mayor Wayne Brown and Minister of Transport David Parker recently announced their priorities for an integrated transport plan for Auckland, which they say will lead to a faster, less congested, more resilient and low carbon transport system.

In a press release on August 26, Mayor Brown said that the network’s challenges will require legislative change and “a more integrated partnership approach to decision-making across central and local government”. “We’ve agreed rapid transit is essential for the Auckland region and is a core priority for the Auckland Integrated Transport Plan. That includes speeding up buses, making the best of rapid transit projects that are underway and planning the next phase of the rapid transit network, including light rail,” Mayor Brown said.

Minister Parker said the recently issued draft Government Policy Statement for Land Transport includes working together to implement ‘time-of-use’ charging to replace the Auckland Regional Fuel Tax, implementing dynamic bus lanes on key arterial routes and reducing traffic management-related costs. It also aims to build resilience into Auckland’s transport system by funding maintenance and renewals at a sustainable rate to improve the condition of the road network.