Government got an aversion to rail? Then just walk away

 

On Tuesday or Wednesday Mayor Len Brown and Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse will be in Wellington talking to Ministers on a Transport Accord. The Transport Accord meaning to be some agreement between Council and Government to understand one another and fast track some essential transport projects over the next ten years (2015-2025 Long Term Plan due to go operative July 1). A bit like the Housing Accord between Government and Council to attempt the speed up of both Greenfield and Brownfield supply of housing using fast tracked consents under proposed Unitary Plan rules.

Now if Government and Council were being honest and acting with the best interests of Auckland in their hearts then the Transport Accord would reaffirm what is in the National Land Transport Fund (that essentially funds our transport infrastructure investment) that was recently debated and away we go. Problem? Well two actually. First of all the NLTF is still stacked in favour of gold plated road and highway projects and pretty much sweet bugger all in anything meaningful with public transport (active transport has the Urban Cycleway Fund).

Second problem and mainly the big one; Council has the Long Term Plan submissions as it main Ace-in-the-hole card plus 15 Councillors backing a Transport Levy to tell the Government Auckland wants them to come to the table and chip in with infrastructure investment. The problem? THIS:

 

From the NZ Herald:

Transport accord on council and Govt plans

5:00 AM Saturday May 16, 2015 Isaac Davison

Any agreement leading to funding would ask that local roading projects in outer suburbs and bus infrastructure be focus.

The Government and Auckland Council are looking to negotiate a formal accord to make progress on Auckland’s transport plans and secure some certainty on the city’s most contentious and expensive issues.

The agreement is in the mould of the housing accord signed in 2013, which aimed to rapidly increase housing supply, and it could pave the way for more central government funding for transport projects.

Auckland Mayor Len Brown wrote to Transport Minister Simon Bridges this year to request an Auckland Transport Accord.

Mr Bridges and Finance Minister Bill English are now writing terms of reference for the proposed agreement.

Before it can be signed, the Government wants the council to agree on the mix of transport projects in the city’s long-term plan and their impact on congestion. At present, the two parties differ on the best ways to reduce congestion around the city.

“It’s really about seeing if we can get better alignment between Government and council on transport priorities,” Mr Bridges said. “We’re conscious that we don’t want to make this too pointy-headed but it will be a quite complex, involved process, taking at least a year. We want to test each others’ assumptions and see if we can get alignment on the numbers.”

Mr Bridges wants the council to focus less on CBD and large rail projects and more on local roading projects in the outer suburbs of the city and bus infrastructure. He does not support an airport-CBD rail link, though this project does not feature in the council’s 10-year plan and no money has been set aside for it.

If the two parties can reach an agreement, the Government will consider funding some of the agreed transport projects, or approving revenue-gathering tools such as motorway tolls.

……..

Source and full article: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11449477

 

Our Government continues to be clueless on how a City especially a Beta Class International City (Beta level cities are cities that link moderate economic regions into the world economy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_city) and the two bold italics red comments from the Transport Minister show how little he understands such a City like Auckland. Simply put Government has a plain aversion to (heavy and light) rail (Labour are no better taking until 2007 to get Electrification going four years after Britomart opened) despite its efficiency (see below) and is not much better in all honesty with buses either (look at the delays in the Northern Busway being extended). In other words if it is a road and/or a road to a Greenfield subdivision National like it, if it is Brownfield and public transport they go running the other way pretty damned fast.

 

The City Centre is the reason why we are a Beta Class International City and are able to attract international talent thus compete with Sydney, Brisbane, Singapore and even New York and London. Our heavy industry complexes in South Auckland are reliant on our international standing in order to gain access to markets for export receipt revenue and our City Centre plays a very big part in giving us our international standing. To put it more locally South Auckland even though it commutes within herself, has the industrial complexes and sees Manukau as its City Centre is still connected to the main City Centre that connects South Auckland to the World (Manukau City Centre politics I will cover next month after my Unitary Plan mediation on it).

For our City Centre to function at its most efficient and for that matter AUCKLAND to function heavy and light rail form the actual spines to move masses amount of people and freight in the most efficient manner. Roads have their place as well and they form part of the integrated transport network but remember:

Double that for the 6 car sets. So a single 6 car and a single 3 car set full of passengers is the equivalent of an entire Auckland Council Civic Car Park worth of cars not on the road. AND ultimately (and thanks to Transport Blog for the quick math): CRL allows 48 trains per hour. Multiply by 750 per train and that’s 36k people per hour or ~42 civic carparks.

……

Buses and light rail are great for short and medium distances, heavy rail for medium or long distance OR when needing to move a mass amount of people over a short distance quickly. Trucks are best for short and medium distance with freight while rail is best for medium and long distances over land. Coastal shipping is the most efficient of all transport though over medium and long distances though.

 

So?

If Auckland wishes to continue to be a Beta Class International City attracting talent and competing against the World you need to invest in transport that allows that. That means investing in the City Centre (actually both) and rail (light and heavy). No fart arsing with “local roading” projects out in the whops because Auckland Transport covers that and well enough. As for buses? Well sure as they work great on Northern (and North West and South East) Bus Ways but even the Northern Bus Way will be replaced by the North Shore (rail) Line and the South Eastern Bus Way by the Botany (rail) Line to handle the future amount of passengers. But rail whether you hate it or not is the spine and like any good body it needs a very good spine.

The Message then to Auckland Council?

Ask the Government this simple question: “Will you fund your portion of the City Rail Link to allow main construction in 2018?”

If the answer is not a simple “Yes” then get back on the next flight to Auckland and save us the time and money otherwise wasted.

 

If the Government is not willing to listen to 22,000 submissions and 15 Councillors on what we/they want for a Beta Class City with a Beta Class City Centre walk away and we will do it ourselves.

 

I have no time for a Government stuck in 1960 and Auckland (that is Auckland that sees itself as this 21st Century International City rather than some village or villages) certainly doesnt. So to Len Brown and Penny Hulse; no solid commitment to rail in the mix then simply don’t bother with the Government.