The May Auckland Transport business report has (finally) been uploaded onto their website. It’s well worth a read as there’s plenty of interesting information in there about progress on the various pieces of work Auckland Transport is currently involved in – as well as an interesting insight into how the organisation is functioning. Getting these reports regularly is very welcome as it does offer a good level of transparency in relation to what Auckland Transport is up to.
Within the May report is an update on a number of projects that are currently underway, as well as a series of more minor projects, some of the big projects have had advancements over the past month or so:
There’s no discussion yet about how the funding changes highlighted in the Government Policy Statement might impact upon these projects – perhaps that is something that will need to wait until next month.
Regarding Dominion Road, it’s a bit difficult to pontificate about what the short paragraph actually means, but I wonder whether there will be a scaling back of some of the previous ideas (central bus lanes, large-scale widening, light-rail) for the time being with efforts going into more minor upgrades – but ensuring that whatever work that is done now does not compromise the ability to undertake more major works in the future. This may suggest that a long-term solution of light-rail is still well under consideration – as I think it needs to be if we are to balance the desire to shift more people along Dominion Road without undermining its attractiveness as a corridor for intensification.
There’s also a brief update in relation to the large rail projects and the Auckland Spatial Plan, although the full report in relation to the CBD Rail Tunnel was unfortunately within the confidential agenda:
Hopefully once the results of the “City Rail Link” review are released by the Ministry of Transport, Auckland Transport and Auckland Council will also release all their documentation to ensure we get two sides to the story.
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The report was online on the weekend or early this week as I read it then 😉
My take on the Dominion Rd work is that they might actually be planning central bus lanes with the idea that they can be upgraded to light rail in the future (hence the future proofed part)
With Dominion road I the council delays the project until there is enough money available for trams, and a queen street upgrade. Digging up the road again a few years after the upgrade to instal tram track sounds expensive, and unfair on residents. A solution custom designed for trams is likely result in a much nicer result than a bus lane conversion project. It would tie in really nicely with Queen street pedestrianization.
Should be: With Dominion road I hope.
Im used to be able to edit comments, but not recently?