Guest Post by Ryan Mearns, Generation Zero Auckland
On Tuesday Generation Zero launched our Essential Budget, as an alternative to the Basic and Auckland Plans currently being consulted on as part of the Long Term Plan. We showed that Auckland could build the most transformation projects from the Auckland Plan for only $80 million per year, rather than the $300 million extra cost of the Auckland Plan.
The blog about the budget launch showed how we had broken spending down into broad categories. However the work we did behind this was at a detailed project level, using the full 10 year project list from the Regional Land Transport Plan.
Today I will outline the public transport and cycling projects to be built over the first 3 years of the plan, as this is where the most certainty around project costs and timeframes is. Note that almost all roading spend proposed under the Basic Transport Network will still proceed, as this is focussed around renewals, committed projects and safety works.
Under the Basic Transport Plan only the City Rail Link enabling works, and several already committed public transport projects will go ahead in the first 3 years. The only cycling investment to proceed at all will be the Waterview cycleway connection, which was required by Board of Inquiry for the Waterview Connection.
| Project Name | Essential 15/16 | Essential 16/17 | Essential 17/18 | Essential Y1-3 |
| City Rail Link | 145.4 | 176.8 | 77.9 | 400.1 |
| EMU Procurement | 26.8 | 1 | 0 | 27.8 |
| Hobsonville Point Park and ride | 0 | 3.2 | 0.5 | 3.7 |
| Swanson Station Upgrade | 0.7 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 |
| Waterview Cycleway connection | 3.6 | 3.7 | 6.7 | 14 |
The Essential Transport Network includes a large number of additional projects that would otherwise need the full $300 million per annum of alternative funding to proceed in the next 3 years.
The largest single item is the Walking and Cycling Budget which gets over $30 million a year, up from just over $10 million in the current financial year. There is no further detail about what exact projects would proceed, however I would assume that the City Centre cycleways along Karangahape Road, Victoria Street, Quay Street, Nelson Street, Beaumont Street and Ian McKinnon Drive, as well as local connections to Skypath would be major beneficiaries. This would also enable Auckland Transport to take advantage of the government urban cycleways fund, so the money could be further topped up by the government. There is also a small amount of money for pram crossing upgrades, which should go someway towards fixing Auckland’s poor walkability, especially for the mobility impaired.
| PROJECT NAME | 15/16 | 16/17 | 17/18 | TOTAL YEARS 1-3 |
| Walking and Cycling Projects | 96.7 | |||
| Walking and Cycling | 30.8 | 31.6 | 32.5 | 94.9 |
| Tactile paving / pram crossing upgrades | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1.8 |
However overall Auckland’s bus network is the big winner. We get $9 million per year to deliver bus lanes, which should deliver significant progress across the city. In November Auckland Transport announced they would roll out 40km of bus lanes over the next 3 years, however the cost of this was only $15 million, so $28 million should get us nearly another 40km. Double Decker mitigation works get $18 million over 3 years, which should help increase capacity on some of our busiest bus corridors. Auckland Transport’s New Network will be able to proceed on time with new interchanges at Otahuhu and Manukau being built over the next year, as well as a number of smaller projects that will help people transfer between buses across the city. The long delayed Park and Ride at Silverdale can also be expanded. Normally we are not big fans of Park and Ride, however they are useful serving more dispersed areas like the Hibiscus Coast.
| PROJECT NAME | 15/16 | 16/17 | 17/18 | TOTAL YEARS 1-3 |
| Bus Projects | 127.1 | |||
| Bus Priority Improvements & Transit Lanes | 9.1 | 9.3 | 9.6 | 28 |
| Double decker network mitigation works | 8.3 | 6 | 4.2 | 18.5 |
| Otahuhu Bus Interchange | 13.8 | 3.8 | 0 | 17.6 |
| Manukau Interchange (was Manukau City Rail Link) | 13.2 | 4.2 | 0 | 17.4 |
| Bus Stop Improvements Programme | 4.4 | 4.3 | 2.3 | 11 |
| Wynyard Bus interchange | 0 | 5.3 | 5.4 | 10.7 |
| Minor PT capex allowance for bus stops, minor improvements at stations, wharves, provision of PT information etc | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 6.4 |
| Park n Ride Silverdale-Stg 2 | 5.9 | 0 | 0 | 5.9 |
| Mt Albert Road bus connection improvements | 3.1 | 0 | 0 | 3.1 |
| Real Time Passenger Information System enhancements | 1.1 | 0 | 1.6 | 2.7 |
| Avondale Interchange | 0 | 2.1 | 0 | 2.1 |
| Mount Albert Interchange | 0 | 1.1 | 0 | 1.1 |
| Point Chevalier Shops (bus-bus connection) | 0 | 1.1 | 0 | 1.1 |
| Newmarket Terminus | 0 | 1.1 | 0 | 1.1 |
| Homai Station Interchange | 0 | 0 | 0.4 | 0.4 |
Two ferry projects are able to proceed. The major one is the “Downtown Ferry Basin Development”. Not much about this has been made public yet, however the RLTP does say this “improvements to provide additional berthage, improved safety and customer experience improvements”. Peak congestion at the Downtown Ferry terminal is well known by ferry users, so this should help resolve these issues. The next stage of the Devonport Ferry terminal upgrade can also proceed.
| PROJECT NAME | 15/16 | 16/17 | 17/18 | TOTAL YEARS 1-3 |
| Ferry Projects | 18.2 | |||
| Devonport Ferry Terminal | 0 | 5.4 | 0 | 5.4 |
| Downtown Ferry Basin Development | 2.1 | 5.3 | 5.4 | 12.8 |
While the focus of the rail network is on the City Rail Link, upgrades of lower quality stations at Westfield, Takanini, Puhinui and Pukekohe are able to proceed, the Parnell station will be constructed, we will see more gating of stations and route protection for the very important Airport Rail project can proceed. Rail crossing separation will also be able to proceed. The $5.9 million should cover the replacement of the Sarawia St crossing (outside Newmarket) with a bridge over Cowie St, outside Newmarket station, which is becoming very congested with long waits for cars, and delays for trains waiting at Newmarket station.
| PROJECT NAME | 15/16 | 16/17 | 17/18 | TOTAL YEARS 1-3 |
| Rail projects | 49.4 | |||
| AIFS – installation of gates at stations | 0 | 1.6 | 0 | 1.6 |
| Te Mahia Station Upgrade | 1 | 1.1 | 0 | 2.1 |
| Takanini Station Upgrade | 1 | 1.1 | 0 | 2.1 |
| Westfield Station Upgrade | 1 | 1.1 | 0 | 2.1 |
| Station Amenity Improvements | 0.7 | 2 | 2.1 | 4.8 |
| SMART (Airport Rail – Planning and Route Protection) | 2.6 | 0.5 | 5.5 | 8.6 |
| Pukekohe Station Upgrade | 9.9 | 0 | 0 | 9.9 |
| Parnell Station | 0 | 0 | 12.3 | 12.3 |
| Rail Crossing Separation (including Newmarket Crossing) | 3.8 | 2.1 | 0 | 5.9 |
Overall these projects combine to deliver significant improvements of public transport, walking and cycling over the next 3 years. Best of all this can be done less than 30% of the cost of the total Auckland Plan.
Please visit www.fixourcity.co.nz for more information, and read our full report here. An quick-submit form will be available on Monday so you can easily submit feedback to the Long Term Plan in favour of the Essential Budget.
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Under Buses – one of the points is buses coming more frequently but there doesn’t appear to be any funding allocated to this. Surely there needs to be a fund to help get additional/more frequent services off the ground until they can become fully commerical.
Looks good – to me another essential must-do is fixing up the fares and integrating different modes so that basically if you travel the same distance north south east west you pay the same fare no matter what modes you choose and how many times you have to switch modes. I’m sure you’ll have it in your plan but it’s just not mentioned.
Fare integration is underway now and funded, implementation over summer 15/16, ie in new year. Zone based system, with a whole lot of new products, we hope including child and family concessions.
I’d love to hear about the progress there. I thought it was waiting for the new bus networks before implementation.
Thanks Gen Zero for doing this work, it’s really appreciated. The support of Grey Power shows just how uncontroversial these ideas are, and how they should be adopted by everyone.
Westfield station should be killed. It has limited use. Te Mahia and Takanini perhaps should be gated and are likely to grow due to increased residential development. Apparently, according to the local Manurewa board that te Mahia figures are so low because of significant fare evasion.
Te Mahia should be shut down and gating at those stations isn’t needed. The distance between Te Mahia and Manurewa is ridiculous and any attempt to keep it is unfounded in my opinion. This money could be spent elsewhere like the possible relocation of Takanini train station and a new station like the proposed “Glenora” which would support the greater area far better.
Can you tell me why the Swanson Park and Ride (which wasn’t in the Board Plan and hasn’t been widely consulted on) has been prioritied over the Glen Eden Park n Ride which had been planned and in the board plan for a number of years? Feeling very disheartened with the consultation process which names unfunded projects and rarely names the projects the council’s actually planning and budgeting for.
Isnt the Swanson PnR is already under way?
Yes it is underway . I believe the new laws around Development Contributions said that if something is underway they can continue… so it looks like the long planned Glen Eden P & R was put in a drawer and the Swanson one given the green light. But not sure where the consultation was. Maybe someone with more knowledge could confirm.
Don’t know where they can extend Gen Eden to. In my opinion, it’s not a good location for a PnR as it can be more usefully connected via the bus network. In fact, a bus – train interchange at Glen Eden will certainly move more people.
I’m not sure I understand the response Bryce, particularly re Glen Eden needing extending. And saying we should have buses – well – there is not a bus lane or motorway in sight. The train already goes right through Glen Eden. You think it shouldn’t stop there and just carry on to Swanson? My main gripe is that the consultations are bogus and that what we are consulted on isn’t really what’s being planned by Council. Communities should get honest consultation with transparent costs and a chance to give feedback on the alternatives. Didn’t happen.
The upgrade of Swanson is partly to deal with the closing of Waitakere. Also better to have P&R out of the fringes. In my opinion there has never been any justification for P&R extension at Glen Eden. Just because a local board want it, it doesn’t make it a good idea. To me it’s a huge cost for very little benefit and much better to spend the money on improving walking and cycling access
Again the point is the local pulbic haven’t been given any transparency on it. Consultation was for Glen Eden Streetscaping top priority – 2 sets of plans, didn’t happen, then Glen Eden Park n ride , architects plans then didn’t happen and then with no consultation Swanson Park and Ride breaks ground. Glen Eden is extremely impoverished in it’s amenities compared to Swanson. In fact compared to the rest of Auckland. Why does the Board Plan not represent what’s happening? Thumbs down.
Look I think really great. From my Chartered Civil Engineer perspective (not that this is being used in the hierarchy of the transport sector at all) and being a past Road Maintenance Project Manager in Auckland CBD and Western Bays believe we can achieve more with less if we are bold and take a Network Approach. Each arterial needs to be relooked at from scratch, kerb to kerb. Seperated Cycling 4m width, Bus Lanes where possible. Pedestrian Amenity. If Road Maintenance and Ops fix this mostly up with new layouts and signal priority, capex costs comes right down and opex costs for buses. It really takes less effort than people think to make these changes. Just a directive to maximise new strategic fit. Netherland Intersection treatment for cycle to make safe. Top city has 55% mode share, wow then we maximised rapid transit and bus. Road Maintenance can draw on all resources in Auckland if need be, I don’t understand why not now when demand major change.
If even Dick Quax, Cameron Brewer and George Wood are supposedly enjoying PT isn’t that a sign to fully change arterial layouts and revise fares for vertical lift to liveability. Len tell Maintenance, Ops and AT Board to deliver killer blow ideally NZTA too then a new Auckland in weeks not years or decades.
If you guys can do a posting on preferred cycle intersection treatments say after 4m for 2 way or 2.8m x 2 one way are marked. Also a preferred graphic symbol for bus for roadmarking. Believe we should really go easy on Kermit as it is money wasted each reseal every 7 to 10 years.
Intersections and bikes? Most of what you need to know is here.
https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2014/02/23/junction-design-in-the-netherlands/
https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2014/12/11/transitions-from-one-type-of-infra-to-the-other/
Also if Hop can’t do family concessions or off peak discounts right now what are recommended fares for kids, students, grey power before 9am and day passes. Is think if a total revamp of road network, and total revamp of fares at same time will see a mode shift to cycle, and bus and hence rail like never occurred before. Both could be achieved in 2 weeks if full directive given to HOP team and Road Maintenance to.project manage.
Step 1- Directive. Could be based on delays to Emergency services which is a fact. Len can authorize under Civil Defense.
Step 2- Communication. Best if Len, AT Board and NZTA advise major changes to road network for cycle and bus and reduced fares being introduced. Road Maintenance letter drop all arterials. On planned evening for roadmarking cones go out. Please remove cars or they will be towed around the corner.
Step 3-Parking Enforcement on tap to arrange tow around corner if need be.
Step 4- Road Maintenance measure all arterials, with focus No 1 width for seperated cycling, ie extra 1m for space for future physical protection. bus lane, and car lane. Quickly run layouts past Cycle, Public Transport.
Step 5- Organize Roadmarking Crews and Signal Crews in step. One night each arterial but each Road Maintenance Team does all sectors at same time. Ie 4 arterials per evening.
We need 1 person in charge of communications, maintenance managers all sectors, signal coordinator, parking enforcement manager. Happy to assist for free. On the ground we need maintenance engineers measuring widths every 20m making notes of medians,type and islands. New Layouts can be done on excel spreadsheets, before, after. Sketched plans. Notes of extra works required. Layouts approved by 1 x
Cycling expert, and 1 x PT expert. Island removal or widening into grass median works done in advance. Letter drop advising night of roadmarking etc. Sketched revised intersections given to signals co ordinator. Roadmarking and signal works done at night. Next arterial. Give layouts a 10 day headstart. Roads that need most prior modifications leave till ready for final layout. Job done ..celebrate Britomart area somewhere.
Mark RAMM chainages left hand side every 20m with spray paint in direction increasing chainages direction. Will use same marks for new roadmarking setout.
Actually would like a walking expert, and a rep from Transport Blog for advice and updating blog after each layout.
Balls in your court Len. Let’s see what this baby can do with a 180 degree focus using full width and signal optimisation. Pretty sure can smash it in 2 to 3 weeks if you give directive and we have the above team with full focus and all roading resources plus a 10 day lead in for layout preparation and team mobilisation, planning, comms.
Operation Network 180 degree, People.
On the Downtown Ferry Basin & Devonport Ferry Terminal Developments, how would this tie in with Fullers pretty much owning the ferries used for a vast majority of the trips?
As a cyclist, I use the Devonport/Downtown ferry a fair bit, and feel that service quality has dropped just with the Kea not running the peak times. I presume the Kea is still being repaired, so they have been using other ferries that need to reverse in and out, and have less storage for bicycles. Makes a less comfortable trip.
So even if AT invest heavily in better terminals, will newer better ferries follow?
Totally agree that the terminals need an upgrade as have seen some long disorganised queues building up recently, not helped by the fact that Fullers still seem to encourage paper tickets. Devonport ferry yesterday morning was standing room only which I had not seen other when special events are on.
In terms of bus projects can you clarify what is suggested in the detail under bus priority and transit lanes ( I am a lay person !) and would really love to see some improvements out West – as I understand it, NZTA are the ones stopping the NW getting a busway – would the Essential Budget be able to influence this. And completely agree that Lincoln Rd and I would say Te Atatu Rd plans need revisiting to put transit and real walking and cycling improvements in the mix.
Yeah the NW busway seriously needs to be brought forward, PT in the NW has gotten extremely bad after NZTA closed the bus lanes and now these buses are stuck in traffic for torturous time frames, many people I have spoken to in the NW just dont bother with PT anymore since it is so slow at peak, so they just join the SOV’s on the great NW parking lot aka SH16; Basking in the morning sun.
Same has happened for residents in Waterview, the suburb is so cut off now and the walk so much longer to get to a bus stop that many people have gone back to their cars. NZTA doesn’t care about any travel demands except for car drivers in any of their projects.
Why spend $9m on Pukekohe station without electrifying the line to it?