The Auckland Transport board meeting is next week and as usual I’ve scoured the main report looking for the interesting bits of information. I also normally highlight the topics being discussed at the closed session of the board meeting however at the time of writing this the agenda is not available as doesn’t appear to have been uploaded correctly.
Project updates
Te Atatu Rd Rd – They now has all the consents needed to start construction and AT are targeting work to start in July. Also about Te Atatu, AT say that within the next three months they will lodge notices of requirement for the Te Atatu Bus Interchange.
AMETI – The Notices of Requirement are being prepared for the Panmure to Pakuranga busway and are expected to be lodged within the next three months.
Great North Road/Surrey Crescent – AT are looking to upgrade the intersection which will also require moving bus stops. It’s not in the report but I understand local retailers are very opposed to the bus stop even existing and want more car parking instead. I’ve even heard that local councillor and AT board member Mike Lee supported this view at a public meeting
Franklin Road – AT are still working through the Franklin Rd project however are finding resistance from residents who don’t want cycle lanes on the road and are using AT’s silly and outdate road classifications against them AT say that following an internal safety audit they are now having an independent safety audit commissioned to consider one of the four options before proceeding further.
- On-road cycle lanes on both sides
- On-road cycle lane on the downhill side and ‘shared path’ on the footpath (uphill side)
- No on-road cycle lanes on both sides and normal footpath
- No on-road cycle lanes on both sides but ‘shared path’ on the footpath (both sides)
That the last to in particular are even being considered is frankly insane.
Ōtāhuhu Bus-Train Interchange – AT are working towards the main construction works to happen in July. In preparation for that over Queens Birthday weekend the old signal box will be lifted off the platform and relocated and foundations for additional canopies will be installed.
Newmarket Crossing (Sarawia St level crossing) – The Notice of Requirement will now be lodged in May as final changes are made to the design. Separately AT say they are targeting this to be completed in 2017 but that relies on the process going smoothly and it’s almost certain some of the local residents on Cowie St will complain to the environment court.
Parnell Station – As many train users may have noticed, works have started to build the station with platform edging appearing. The works to enable the platforms to be built are planned to be completed by August and Kiwirail are expected to complete the refurbishment of the heritage Newmarket station by the end of the year. However the opening of the station is two years away as AT want to tie that in with the closing of Sarawia St which is likely due to the increased complexity in signalling it would cause. They say if that can be resolved then the station could open from early to mid-2016.
Westgate Transport Interchange – AT are still trying to work out how they are going to operate buses in the new Westgate town centre which wasn’t designed well with public transport in mind. The initial plan was to have bus interchange spread around the town centre which wouldn’t have been very good from an operational or customer focused perspective. This difficultly that AT seem to have having with getting this changed highlights how important it is that we design our PT networks and infrastructure into new greenfield development properly right from the start.
Half Moon Bay – Funding has been approved for improvements to the ferry terminal. It is hoped the project will be completed by September 2016
Proposed Northcote Cycleway – AT say the final design for the cycleway was presented to the Kaipatiki local board yesterday and will be made public in early May. The main issues they have been dealing with is the complaints about losing publicly provided space to store their personal possessions.
City Rail Link – Of the six appeals against the notice of requirement AT say they have resolved two of them and they’re making significant progress on another three following mediation over the last few months. Only one is outstanding and a hearing on it is due in late June.
PT
AT HOP – AT say that HOP car usage increased to its highest ever level in March with 74% of all trips being made using it. In addition with patronage also increasing, fare revenue has also been increasing which is good.
A separate paper – I assume to the closed session – will cover off AT’s roadmap for integrated fares including boundaries and indicative pricing
PTOM – AT are still waiting on the NZTA to finalise its review of the PTOM contracts so they can start tendering services for the new network
EMUs – There are now 50 out of 57 electric trains in Auckland, 42 have achieved provisional acceptance and 33 have achieved acceptance for normal service.
Mid May is the next significant step for the electric trains which is when they will be rolled out to all weekend services – except Pukekohe to Papakura (no mention of when Waitakere will close). They say additional services on the Southern Line are targeted for June
Bus Lane Rollout – At has an update on some of the bus lanes they’re rolling out and some of the time savings are impressive – such as two minutes faster for every bus that using the Symonds St improvements.
Onewa Road T3 Lane (city bound) – under construction.
- Symonds Street Bus Lane improvements – construction completed; initial analysis shows 2 minute time savings for a number of peak services – schedule adherence has increased to 93%.
- Fanshawe Street Bus Lane (inbound) improvements – construction completed.
- Victoria street Bus Lane Extension – construction has commenced in March.
- Wellesley Street Bus Pocket – construction to commence midApril.
- Khyber Pass Road Bus Lane Extension – construction completed.
- Dominion Road Bus Lane (Richardson Road to Denbigh Ave) – 21 March construction completed – initial analysis shows that a number of peak services are saving 4 minutes on travel times compared to the previous year.
- Park Road Bus Lane – hospital to Carlton Gore Road – consultation completed and ready for Traffic Control Committee approval.
- Parnell Road Bus Lane – St Stephens to Sarawia Street (outbound) – consultation completed and ready for Traffic Control Committee approval.
- Manukau Road/Pah Road Transit Lanes – designs near completion; Local Board workshops to be progressed in April.
- Great North Road Bus Lanes – New Lynn to Ash Street – final concept plans completed – due for consultation 20th April.
- Totara Avenue Signal Removal – improvements to New Lynn bus interchange –– construction complete targeted for 20th April
Customer Experience – AT say that this is improving which I find interesting considering the number of issues we heard about in March
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Great to see real progress on many fronts here.
But oh dear this is dire: “Great North Road/Surrey Crescent – AT are looking to upgrade the intersection which will also require moving bus stops. It’s not in the report but I understand local retailers are very opposed to the bus stop even existing and want more car parking instead. I’ve even heard that local councillor and AT board member Mike Lee supported this view at a public meeting”.
Mike has done wonderful stuff in the past (full credit, etc) but he doesn’t seem to be keeping up with the necessary changes in rebalancing PT vs private car.
Beginning to think it will be good when all the old guard of ex-mayors and councillors from the pre-amalgamation era have moved on. Len has a few self-inflicted problems of his own, but by God it must be difficult running a council full of ex-mayors (i.e. Lee, Wood, Fletcher, Penrose) plus a bunch of extremist ACT types who can only think ideologically regardless of what the city needs
Still nothing public about the future of the diesel stock? I’d wondered if the acceleration of the EMU rollout was tied to a delivery deadline for a buyer…
I think they are keeping them in storage until the emu’s are worn out then they will upgrade back to the faster trains.
There were listed on GETS in May of last year, no word of outcome. They made a lovely flyer outlining what was available.
My hope is they get used in New Zealand on new rail systems.
Wow, in regard to rail it looks like the secret to more customer satisfaction is to provide patchy services that cannot be relied upon. Who would have thought that strategy would be so productive!
“I’ve even heard that local councillor and AT board member Mike Lee supported this view at a public meeting”
It’s hard to compete with Cameron Brewer and Dick Quax for the title of most obstructive / stupidest / most backwards councillor. But Mike Lee tries his best.
Yes it’s time for Mike to hang up the hat and let someone else through, we have plenty of good options available.
Surely it’s time for a Board of Inquiry for Sarawia St level crossing. It’s such an important project for the rail network and for a few people to get in the way of it is stupid. Either than or have a demand based crossing (ie barriers down until a car turns up) until the bridge is agreed upon and built.
Are there any plans available for the Surrey/GNR intersection?
It’s unbelievable that this kind of thing could end up in the Environment Court. Kaldor and Hicks would be rolling in their graves.
With the amount of time it’s taking to build the thing, anyone would think it was a new Harbour Crossing. This has been going since I last lived in Auckland, in 2011! I remember as I used to live on that street, and they were consulting with residents even back then.
What is all of this going cost? Surely the most simple / cost effective solution is to buy one of the properties alongside of the Laxon Tce / Furneaux Way foot access, knock it down and widen to road width. Even if a high purchase was paid it would be a much cheaper and simpler option.But wait…. it’s the result that counts not the cost!
Both buildings left and right of the pinch-point are multi-storey apartment buildings. NOT a solution, really.
Was possible, the original plan was to make it a sort of shared space and keep the road at the current size. That option was dropped for some reason, instead this long delayed and expensive bridge will be built.
“The main issues they have been dealing with is the complaints about losing publicly provided space to store their personal possessions.” <– Too True
Can’t they put in a bailey bridge for Sarawia st until they have a final design built?.
Or just cut the street off; that would concentrate the minds of the residents!
So has anyone seen the new Te Atatu bus design? Did I miss a second consultation?
Haven’t heard anything. Presumably they consider that they consulted a lot already previously and have a good idea what the locals will be concerned about – and with them lodging notices of requirement, my understanding would be that people will then have the ability to submit on whatever is being proposed at that stage.
What a mess on the western line this morning. … sad when they cancel one service leading to hundreds and hundreds waiting at Avondale anda stuffed…. I mean push to get just into the door train shows up…. got to start aligning trains at Newmarket and having faster frequencies….we have to wait there for 10 min turn around anyway why not change trains? Come on AT think outside the square we got 10 years till crl we need changes now
Re Franklin Road. While I definitely prefer option one with on road cycle lanes for both sides. Option 4 is the unofficial current state with the footpath being a shared path. As such it is good project assessment practise to include it.
Good to see hop card usage continuing to grow. In 3-5 years well be completely paperless.
Do we have any details regarding the Great North Road bus-lanes from New Lynn to Ash Street? As a frequent commuter from Waterview I’d love to see a map.
Also on the agenda….The Public Transport Users Association has also been given permission to address the Board on the congestion free “Western Connector” proposal and the issues of the outdated report which condemned Waitakere and Huapai rail services.
They need to sort Western line issues pronto. Otherwise patronage will slump. It’s getting unbearable and it feels like 50-60% of scheduled services are either significantly delayed of cancelled.
They’re trying to do that by accelerating the EMU rollout.
From closed session agenda at https://at.govt.nz/media/1070124/Final-CLOSED-Agenda-28-April-2015final.pdf, the following items are interesting:
10.2 Light Rail
10.5 Regional Passenger Transport Plan
10.6 Parking Strategy
10.7 Transport Funding Agreement
10.10 Integrated Fares Product and Price Structure
11.1 EMU Roll out update