Category: Transport Planning

Looking at Transport Planning and Design

More News on the East West Link

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Options One, Two and Three seem to be abandoned

 

I caught this from the Respect our Community Campaign Facebook page:

Respect Our Community Campaign – ROCC

MORE GOOD NEWS!!

Via Donna, we have just heard from Maungakiekie Local Board chairman, Simon Randall that Auckland Transport have dropped plans to push their motorway through the northern foreshore of Manukau Harbour and Panama/Riverside! Great news … here is his email:

I have just gotten off the phone with Auckland Transport who has confirmed that the focus of the east west link will be between SH20 and SH1 on the northern side of the Mangere Inlet, meaning that initial suggestions that there may be new motorway connections through the Panama Road area are no longer going to be pursued. I hope that this is good news for you, the Local Board has pushed for this to be abandoned for some time and are pleased it now has been abandoned.

There may still be some minor works associated in the area to support the East West Link, these have yet to be developed but I have made it clear that the Panama Road / Riverside Community to be well engaged on this project and have urged early discussions with residents such as yourselves…etc etc

—-ends—-

That is news indeed.

So the question is – where next?

 

Last Part of the Western Ring Route Contracts Awarded

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Contract Awarded for St Lukes Road Interchange to Great North Road Interchange of the North Western Motorway

 

I do not usually run NZTA media releases but this one I will as it shows we are nearly there with the completion of the long awaited Western Ring Route.

From NZTA:

Contract award for next stage of Western Ring Route

5 Feb 2014 04:35pm | NZ Transport Agency: Auckland and Northland

The contract to construct the next stage of Auckland’s Western Ring Route – upgrading the Northwestern Motorway (State Highway 16) between the St Lukes Road and Great North Road interchanges – has been awarded to the Australian-based infrastructure company, Leighton Contractors.

The $70m project is jointly funded by the NZ Transport Agency and Auckland Transport.

A two kilometre-long section of the motorway will be widened from three to four lanes in each direction.  There will also be improvements to the motorway ramps and the St Lukes Road -Great North Road intersection, while the St Lukes Road overbridge spanning the motorway will be widened to benefit drivers, walkers and cyclists.

The Transport Agency’s Highways Manager, Tommy Parker, says this is the last of six projects to connect the Northwestern and Southwestern (SH20) motorways.

“The upgrade is part of our programme to get our network ready for the increased volume of traffic when the Waterview tunnels connecting the Northwestern and Southwestern (SH20) motorways are completed in early 2017,” Mr Parker says.

Work is due to start in mid-autumn and be completed by late 2016.   The other projects to connect the two motorways are the upgrade of the Maioro Street interchanges (SH20) which is completed, and the upgrade of the Lincoln and Te Atatu interchanges, the Causeway Upgrade Project, and the Waterview Connection, which are all under construction.

“Leightons bring plenty of infrastructure experience to the St Lukes project. The company is part of the Causeway alliance, and has been involved in some of our biggest Auckland developments including the Northern Gateway Toll Road and the Newmarket Viaduct Replacement Project.” Mr Parker says.

The Western Ring Route is a Road of National Significance, and will provide a 47km-long alternative to SH1 between Albany and Manukau.  It will improve safety and city and regional transport connections for people and freight.

—-ends—-

Source: http://www.nzta.govt.nz/about/media/releases/3170/news.html

 

It will be good to have the entire project finished as for one I would be using it as the main highway between my place on Papakura and my mum’s place in Te Atatu (thus skipping the CBD and Central Motorway junction).

I was thinking once the Western Ring Route is fully completed, should it be converted to State Highway One with State Highway 20 taking the Manukau to CBD section while State Highway 18 taking the CBD to Albany section. State Highway one was always designed to be the inter-city and inter-regional road link with the State Highways 20, 16 and 18 being the intra-regional highways. So with the Western Ring Route soon to be completed and serving as the primary inter-regional route for cars and road freight (as it will by-pass the Harbour Bridge and the CBD) I believe it should carry the State Highway One shield.

I also noted this from the release:

The Western Ring Route is a Road of National Significance, and will provide a 47km-long alternative to SH1 between Albany and Manukau.  It will improve safety and city and regional transport connections for people and freight.

Manukau and Albany – the two touted Super Metropolitan Centres of Auckland serving as regional people, commerce, freight and industrial service (for Manukau) hubs for their areas and partnering areas (Manukau with the Northern Waikato and Albany for Northland). Both Super Metropolitan Centres sit on the two boundaries of the Western Ring Route.

 

Cycling – a Rehash

· 2 Comments ·

An Article and a Redux

 

I caught on Twitter yesterday this from Campbell Live:

So cue watching Campbell live for the cycling clip and article which you see here below

Future plans for Auckland cycleways announced

By  Thursday 30 Jan 2014 7:13p.m.

 

Auckland Mayor Len Brown and Campbell Live reporter Lachlan Forsyth took on Auckland’s traffic this afternoon to discuss the future plans for Auckland’s cycleways.

“We’re doing around 1000km of cycle pedestrian way, we want to do that over 30 years,” says Mr Brown.

Figures from Lobby group Gen Zero suggest Auckland’s per capita investment in cycling is woeful – $5.70 compared to Dunedin’s $14.90 and Wellington’s $21. At $37, Christchurch spends more than seven times as much.

“We have not been spending enough and we will be looking to spend more, reflecting a sentiment amongst Aucklanders that we really need to have the options up,” says Mr Brown.

The Mayor has stated that he wants a higher prioritisation of cycling projects against other transport initiatives, the construction of Skypath, and a $900 million 1000 km cycle network completed over the next 30 years.

Auckland Transport already has an annual budget of $1.1 billion, overseeing more than 7000km of road.The Skypath is a much needed link for pedestrians and cyclists over the Harbour Bridge, but Mr Brown says a final decision will be made in the next few months.

“It really depends on how we go with our discussions with the Northcote community and St Mary’s Bay community.”

One problem that cyclists often come across is traffic lights not registering them. This means the lights stay red unless a car comes along.

Read more: http://www.3news.co.nz/Future-plans-for-Auckland-cycleways-announced/tabid/817/articleID/330403/Default.aspx#ixzz2rumaJya7

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Long story short it is material already covered before and unless the 2015 Long Term Plan changes the funding allocation (discussion on the LTP is later this year) we will be maintaining the status quo in building cycling infrastructure. That said I have noticed the South Auckland Local Boards being proactive with adding more cycling infrastructure ranging from the green paint, to shared paths, to even the odd dedicated cycle path, to improving intersection crossings. While it is mainly remedial works to improve existing areas none the less the respective Local Boards seem to be doing more than other areas in Auckland.

 

Most recent piece of remedial works was here in Manukau (I’ll get pictures when next down there)

 

And some examples of cycling infrastructure that is already in place and being added to over time

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

What does limit the Local Boards doing more is the piddly budgets they get from the main Council to carry out these kind of beneficial tasks. Sadly this 2014/2015 Annual Plan and possibly the 2015 Long Term Plan will see Local Boards get no more money to the point they could be facing cuts to their budgets. Rather unacceptable in my eyes as the Local Boards are more responsive than the Governing Body in tending to local beneficial projects…

 

Finally I noted on Campbell Live this:

 

To which I say it is time for the redux here: Cycling Accident Leaves Larger Questions To Be Answered

Some solutions that are short, medium and long term were all provided as examples.

 

 

An Integrated Ticket System that is Ahead of Time and Budget

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Sydney Public Transport Integrated Ticketing System Progressing Well

(Better than Auckland and Melbourne too)

 

We know the AT-HOP integrated ticketing scheme roll out by Auckland Transport for our public transport system has not been flash hot with delays and issues for the buses (trains and ferries when rather well). However, in Sydney their Opal public transport integrated ticketing scheme roll out is going surprisingly well and apparently ahead on time.

From Sydney Morning Herald:

Opal card use to be extended next week

Date
January 23, 2014 – 2:37PM

Transport Reporter

About half of all Sydney train passengers will be able to use Opal cards by the end of next week.

Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian said on Thursday that the distribution of the public transport smartcard system is ahead of schedule.

From Friday, January 31, the Opal will be available at train stations between Strathfield and Redfern, Strathfield and Hornsby, Chatswood and Wyong, and on the Epping to Chatswood line.

Announcing the latest stage of the $1.2 billion ticketing system at Strathfield Station, Premier Barry O’Farrell and Ms Berejiklian said the government was on track to ensure the card could be used on all trains, buses and ferries by the end of the year. The light rail will be added next year.

“We are slightly ahead of schedule,” Ms Berejiklian said, “but I say that without being complacent.

“If you look at the way other cities around the world and around Australia have implemented integrated ticketing, it hasn’t gone without problems. It hasn’t gone without glitches,” she said.

“Even though we’ve had great success to date, we will never be complacent.”

The Opal is already available on the eastern suburbs line to Bondi Junction, on the city circle line and on the north shore line to Chatswood, all Sydney Ferries, and two bus routes.

But the take-up of the card has been fairly slow. Some public transport users have been put off by the relative cost of paying with the card, which can be more expensive than using a monthly or quarterly ticket.

Others have been waiting for it to be extended to more train stations and buses.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/opal-card-use-to-be-extended-next-week-20140123-31atu.html#ixzz2rByd0PaX

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Well done New South Wales State Government and Sydney city. But where Auckland will have an advantage (eventually) is on integrated fares something Sydney does not seem to be doing.

Continuing from the SMH article:

Experts have criticised the decision to continue to charge people different fares when they change from one mode of transport to another. But Ms Berejiklian said she did not think users of different types of transport should subsidise the other.

“We don’t think it’s fair that people who catch trains and buses should be subsidising people who catch ferries,” she said.

“Every mode of transport costs a different amount for the government to provide, and we want to make sure it’s an open and fair system.”

About 45,000 Opal cards have been registered, and the government has not yet said when it will stop selling paper tickets.

Mr O’Farrell said queuing for a ticket would be a thing of the past. “This is particularly great news for customers on the central coast,” he said.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/opal-card-use-to-be-extended-next-week-20140123-31atu.html#ixzz2rBzR2iw7

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None the less next time I go to Sydney on holiday I’ll try out Opal and see how it goes (last time I used the old paper ticket system and that was not that bad – especially compared to our train paper tickets for the rail network here in Auckland).

 

Sydney Heavy Rail Ticket - Airport Line
Sydney Heavy Rail Ticket – Airport Line

 

Mayor Len Brown on upcoming Transport Projects

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Generation Zero Got a Mention

And

The Roads are Staying

 

I caught on Twitter that Mayor Len Brown was doing an interview with Radio Live over the lunch break. It is a very long interview covering an array of topics but the one that caught my attention the most was on transport.

We know three things:

  1. 2015-2025 Integrated Transport Program comes out for submissions later this year
  2. We have a current $15 billion funding gap for the 2012-2022 ITP owing to the massive road-fest in that program
  3. Generation Zero along with Transport Blog are strongly advocating for the Congestion Free Network which as they claim costs less than the current ITP and actually gets Auckland moving (the current ITP won’t)

 

Cue this piece from Radio Live today (http://www.radiolive.co.nz/Audio.aspx) which made think “oh boy.” To get the piece go to that Radio Live audio link, select Monday 20th January, then select the 12:30pm line on the scrolling menu, wait until 4:04 mark where the Mayor talks about Generation Zero and the ITP.

It would appear from that snippet that Generation Zero and Transport Blog are going to be facing an interesting debate when it comes to the 2015-2025 Integrated Transport Program. The Mayor does support some aspects of what Generation Zero and Transport Blog are pushing like the City Rail Link. But when it comes to the motorways and roading side of the ITP (subsequently leading to the funding issue) this is where sparks could fly. In short the Mayor has said the roading projects remain and (this was a stretch) that Generation Zero had taken any new roading project off the table. The Mayor went on further saying this was not tenable and effectively even with all the public and active transport investment, that mode usage would only move from 10% current to approximately 15% – leaving 85% by car. Also remember the population is growing to volume also on both modes increases as well.

The Radio Live portal:

Radio Live

 

It seems rather underwhelming what the Mayor said when it came to transport investment. I wonder if the Councillors have other ideas and could force a change of tact with the ITP? Will have to wait and see I suppose, but least we know what we are up against.