Tag: transportation

Public Transport Livery To Be Consistant

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A Universal Brand

 

Auckland Transport are simplifying things as we start heading into the new public transport regime from mid next year.

From Auckland Transport with more on Tuesday:

A consistent look for public transport in Auckland

Auckland Transport is about to give the city’s public transport network a fresh, clear, consistent brand.

Over the next three years the branding will be phased in starting with the LINK services and the Northern Express.

Auckland Transport’s General Manager Marketing and Customer Experience Mike Loftus says a single identity will give Aucklanders and visitors a clearer understanding of what public transport is on offer and which areas specific buses, trains and ferries serve.

“Most metropolitan cities have a single brand network that is easy to recognise and enables clear, consistent communication with customers. Currently in Auckland there is no single identity, we have a variety of brands and looks. Customers relate to buses by the operator name rather than the wider public transport network”.

Auckland Transport’s Group Manager Public Transport Mark Lambert says having a single public transport network will ultimately build public confidence in the developing and improving PT system. “Knowing that all the services are integrated and part of the same system will help grow patronage”.

The  branding will mean common livery across public transport vehicles but differentiated by colour depending on the type of service.

The implementation of the livery is already underway and budgeted for on the electric trains.

Costs for the bus fleet will be kept to a minimum through:

  • Retention of ocean blue for Rapid Network services (Northern Express is already this colour).
  • Retention of red, green, orange and light blue for existing targeted services of the City LINK, Inner LINK, Outer LINK and Airbus.
  • The rest of the bus fleet to be transitioned as part of new contracts and costs incurred through new contract rates.

Mr Lambert says Auckland’s bus operators are aware of the changes and are working with Auckland Transport.

The Auckland Plan looks to double public transport trips from 70 million in 2012 to 140 million in 2022. The Auckland Plan’s priorities for Auckland’s transport system include “a single system transport network approach that manages current congestion problems and accommodates future business population growth to encourage a shift toward public transport.”

The new branding will be unveiled next Tuesday 16 December.

—ends—

Source: https://at.govt.nz/about-us/news-events/a-consistent-look-for-public-transport-in-auckland/

 

Now then if we can just get those interchanges and, park and rides built so people could use this new network more…

 

City Rail Link Start Date Set to 2018

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Governing Body Agrees Finally

 

Just In:

After debating – well relitigating four years of previous debate the Governing Body in an extraordinary session of Council has agreed by a vote of 14-6 (one absent) for the main City Rail Link project to start 2018. That is Option Two of the recommendations per the agenda (below).

As for the Notice of Motions I called for well they didn’t happen (was to be expected but tried) so will try again in the Long Term Plan submission rounds early next year.

 

The debate itself which dragged from 1:30 to 4pm and should have realistically taken 45 minutes was absolute torture and shows the lack of capacity some of our elected representatives have in that Governing Body. The sole purpose of that debate today was to vote for Option Two and work out funding arrangements to satisfy the Auditor General’s concerns she has raised over the situation. NOT to push a personal barrow from the last four years and especially since the Government has agreed to the City Rail Link in the first place.

 

So yep again the Governing Body did screw up a debate and continue on its history path of being ineffectual as a collective. Which is a damned shame as we do have some fine and smart individual Councillors in there.

Bring on 2016!

 

Reference Post and link to agenda

Amendment to CRL Start Date in the Long Term Plan

 

Business for Tuesday in Regards to the City Rail Link

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Respect the Citizenry

 

Electric Train at Britomart Source: pic.twitter.com/vjQZfMUeex
Electric Train at Britomart
Source: pic.twitter.com/vjQZfMUeex

On Tuesday the Governing Body will meet in an extraordinary session to work through the amendment the Mayor will be tabling around the City Rail Link

The Presser from the Mayoral Office on the Situation:

Mayor proposes amendment to CRL timing in draft LTP

 

Following discussions with Audit NZ, the Mayor is proposing an amendment in Council’s draft Long-term Plan 2015-2025 on the timing for construction of Auckland’s number one transport priority – the City Rail Link (CRL).

In its draft budget, Council has the CRL project commencing in 2015/16, based on an assumption government’s funding contribution for the project would also start next year, five years earlier than government has so far indicated.

On Tuesday 9 December, council will consider changing the assumption of timing of the government contribution to 2018/19. This will mean enablement works of $280 million will still take place in the first three years of the plan, but construction will not start until 2018/19. This will also delay the completion date to 2023.

Mayor Len Brown says:

“We have a track record of success with central government when it comes to the CRL – we have moved them from a position of total opposition to one of commitment for funding half the project from the year 2020,” says Mayor Len Brown.

“Yes, we still have to work with government on final timing, but I’m confident we can come to an agreement and get on and get this job done.

“I understand why Audit NZ feel that we need to take a more conservative approach to our financial projections and I am proposing that we develop the LTP based on a later timing of government contribution.”

Public consultation on the draft LTP begins January 23 next year. The final plan is due for adoption June 30, 2015.

—-ends—-

 

The Agenda with the financials:

 

Now our Deputy Mayor did say this in response: 

Penny Hulse
6 December at 13:28 ·

City RailLink to be put back by a couple of years. Disappointed that the government are taking so long to catch up with the Auckland reality which is that the link is vital to the economic future of our region. 30 years of waiting have made the 2-3 year delay tolerable but we have work to do with the relevant ministers to get the timing and the funding sorted.
….a deadend train station cannot generate the PT numbers without more trains in service! Auckland is 1/3 of New Zealand time the government treated us fairly.

 

My response was this:

Sorry to say Penny but the 2018 main project start date has long been predicted. Regardless of having the engineering capacity ready (which according to NZTA is 2018 any how by the looks of it) the extra three years would allow the financials that werent tolls or extra taxes to be sorted.

Recommendation: Pass a Notice of Motion on Tuesday that would allow no preference in funding options as “suggested” by the Council. But rather allow the ratepayers to pick an option of their own choice or creation (or even a do nothing) and the Governing Body to consider them all then put in place for the LTP in July next year.

Recommendation 2: Pass a Notice of Motion to overrule the Finance and Performance Committee in selling Lot 59 land in Manukau. Hold on to that land and allow the Development Auckland CCO to decide in September 2015 when it is onstream. I have a LGOIMA away with Council in anycase around the Manukau Interchange any how to see what the status of it is seeming AT is conflicted in either building it next year or having it delayed until 2021 owing to “budget cuts”

Note none of this disables the progress of the enabling works Downtown which should be budgeted for by now. But rather the main project in line with expectations and getting the actual alternative funding sources properly sorted (that yes I have presented on at the ADC in October)

Those Notice of Motions would respect the intelligence of the citizenry and allow us to decide how WE are to fund these transport projects. NOT what the Mayor wants and tries to shimmy on us through a perceived option of choice which is nothing but tokenism.

 

So if any Councillor has their wits about them they would introduce those Notice of Motions tomorrow and get them passed. Or Council will find a very hostile City come March next year when the Long Term Plan submissions close.

The Government has effectively come to the party, the Auditor General has made her ruling to which Council must oblige. Now respect our intelligence and allow us to choose the funding mechanisms freely seeming we are the ones in the end paying for it…