Today the AT board meets again, and I’ve taken a look through the papers to find the most interesting items.
For those wanting to attend or watch online:
- Auckland Transport, 20 Viaduct Harbour Avenue, Auckland (Meeting Room 1.04)
- Microsoft Teams link for the Board meeting on 24 June 2025
- Join the meeting now
Meeting ID: 455 861 336 967
Passcode: fa3rG6p6
Closed Agenda
AT has been pushing a lot of items into the open agenda, but there are quite a few decisions up for approval in the closed session of the board meeting today. Some are pretty standard, like maintenance contracts, but here are a few of the ones that caught my attention.
- AT HOP and Open Loop contract extensions – I assume this is about extending existing contracts for HOP, given the ongoing delays to the National Ticketing system.
- Downtown Development Programme – Integration Agreement Approval – This is related to the plans for the downtown area around the to-be-demolished Downtown Car Park. There is a separate paper on this that will get its own post.
- Fuller’s Group Limited position paper – Are AT trying to change how they deal with Fullers?
- Ferry Programme Direction – Given this is listed as being presented by AT’s Director Infrastructure & Place, I’m guessing this is tied to infrastructure that’s related to the upcoming electric and hybrid ferries.
- Park and Ride Framework – I wonder if this is just more AT busy-work, where they repackage existing plans and pretend they’re new. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time they’ve done that with parking.
Key Correspondence
Moving to the open session, AT now publishes key correspondence with stakeholders. In the letters released, perhaps the most interesting item is that AT’s board chairman, Richard Leggat, wrote to Transport Minister Chris Bishop at the end of April wanting clarification on the new speed limit rule:
Could you also please clarify if your view is that Auckland Transport could apply a high-level approach similar to Hamilton City Council or other local RCAs and not reverse 30km/h local roads given the community support for retaining it.
For the absence of doubt, it is our view this would require an amendment to the Setting of Speed Limits Rule 2024 to retain the 30km/h speed limits where there was local support for the lower limit, and an extension of time to consult on this.
Auckland Transport has interpreted the rule as meaning if a school was one of the reasons for reducing speed limits, then all the area consulted on would need to be reversed. And that only NZTA (as an RCA) has the power to consult on retaining or amending the current speed limit. Is this your interpretation or can AT, as the local RCA, take into consideration community supporting determining whether current speed limits are maintained, even if schools were cited as a reason for a 30 km/hr limit?
After 1 July, Road Controlling Authorities can consult local communities on what the speed should be on the roads that they control. We are concerned this is likely to lead to a confusing number of different speed limits in many local areas.
Again, Auckland Transport’s understanding of the rule, should the current 30km/h roads be reversed (to 50 km/hr) we would be unable to consult on 30km/h speed limits, as 40km/h is now the minimum in the schedule of permitted speed limits for urban streets. This is likely to result in an unnecessarily complex outcome for road and non-road users with a mix of 30, 40 and 50 km/hr road speeds in local neighbourhoods. We would welcome the opportunity for more flexibility in the application of 30 and 40 km/hr speed zones when setting future speeds.
Also included is the response from the minister, which among other things, highlighted the absurdity of the current situation:
All RCAs have the ability to undertake targeted speed reviews prior to 1 July where they align with the intent of the Rule, including public consultation, on roads that are required to automatically reverse. Some RCAs have already started doing it. However, any changes to speed limits as a result of such reviews could only be implemented after 1 July 2025.
So even if RCAs can change speed limits again, they have to spend time and money going back to the original speed limit (except that RCAs will not be able to revert to 30km/h areas, even around schools and in town centres and other busy locations, because the option of 30km/h speed limits was entirely deleted from the speed setting rule by the previous Minister of Transport Simeon Brown – despite 30km/h being the global standard for safe speeds and the heart of NZTA’s Safe System design approach for vulnerable road users), and then do it all again to get back to a safer speed… but not as safe as it was, given the lowest limit now possible is 40km/h.
Auckland Transport understands its actions will raise the risk of death and serious injury on the thousands of streets AT has reverted from 30km/h back to 50km/h. Even if they were to subsequently consult and revert every one of those streets to the new safest option of 40km/h, that would still triples the risk of deaths compared to previously.
AT knows this well, as they’ve published information on this matter since at least 2019, like the chart below. This makes it all the more disappointing that AT wasn’t able to proactively find a way to keep as many of its 30km/h limits as possible, as other cities have managed to do. Meanwhile, the glaring conflict between this Rule and the Local Government Act, and the consequent question of liability, remains unresolved.
Chief Executive’s Open Board Business Report
The business report contains a number of interesting project updates for this meeting.
Level crossings
AT say their initial tranche of projects to remove level crossing removals (mostly pedestrian crossings), are nearly complete and they’re commencing property acquisition at Takaanini. They also give these updates for the programme:
- Station access bridges (Takaanini, Glen Innes, and Te Mahia):
- Design is 70% complete, with public engagement underway.
- Early contractor involvement (ECI) tender in progress with award expected in mid-June 2025.
- Construction start date is planned for October 2025 rail closure with the main works to take place during the December 2025 / January 2026 rail shutdown.
- Takaanini road crossings:
- Design and consenting supplier tender in progress, with award expected in mid-July 2025.
- ECI tender is yet to commence, with award expected in September 2025.
- Western line crossings:
- Engagement is underway with local boards and councillors
- We expect to bring the programme business case for approval to the board in August 2025 and the NZTA board in September 2025.
- Indicative business cases are expected to commence by the end of 2025, subject to NZTA funding approval.
Drury Local Roads
The first section of upgrading Waihoehoe Rd is already underway and it seems AT are getting ready to extend it.
- the infrastructure funding agreement between AT and a consortium of developers in Drury has been finalised for an upgrade of a section of Waihoehoe Road and the intersection of Waihoehoe Road / Fitzgerald Road.
- Waihoehoe Road is a key access road for Drury Central Station. Developers will fund and deliver the full upgrade of this section, with AT contributing the cost of the land acquisition ($4m). This will result in the project being brought forward to 2027/28, ahead of the original timeframe of 2030
Carrington Rd Improvements
AT are ahead of schedule on Carrington Rd, which is due to start construction some time next year. Note that the busy crossing for the NW cycleway is now set to be raised (good), and signalised (a change from the last time the project was consulted). Note too the long stretch of four full lanes plus a median through a section of the road north of Woodward and south of the motorway, given the road bottlenecks back down to fewer traffic lanes at each end.
Also, questions remain about what’s happening to the bridges at either end (over SH16 and over the railway line), both of which will need upgrading to match the rest of the corridor, including for walking and cycling.
- Significant progress has been made on the design following board approval of the business case (and preferred option) in October 2024.
- We are on track to have a final design complete late this calendar year which is 6 months ahead of schedule
Rosedale bus station and corridor
Will we finally see the Rosedale bus station start construction? It was originally meant to open at the same time as the busway extension in 2022.
we are working to procure a contractor for the construction of the Rosedale Bus Station. This procurement scope focuses on the bus station. We plan to approach the market in July 2025, with the contract award anticipated by the end of 2025.
Parking and Compliance
AT say they have a lot of upcoming activities in this space, which “are aimed at improving access, movement, and, where appropriate, encouraging user contributions (user pays)“. Some of the key highlights are:
- We will pilot paid parking in light industrial areas, specifically in Mt Smart and Wairau. This initiative aims to improve site access, discourage inappropriate parking on footpaths, berms, kerbsides and close to driveways and encourage users to contribute to parking costs to lessen the financial burden on ratepayers. The consultation process has been slightly delayed, allowing for the simultaneous rollout of both pilot sites. Data analysis and initial engagement efforts are ongoing, with the indicative go live in September 2025
- We will propose implementing paid parking on weekends and public holidays in existing paid parking areas (outside the city centre, where this is already in place). This initiative aims to help manage parking demand, improve consistency for our customers and ensure users contribute to the costs of providing and maintaining parking. There are many locations where streets are just as busy on weekends as they are during the week, and so the same approach is needed to manage this demand. Workshops with the nine affected local boards (Albert-Eden, Devonport-Takapuna, HendersonMassey, Ōrākei, Ōtara-Papatoetoe, Upper Harbour, Waiheke, Waitematā and Whau) are being arranged to discuss this, with potential implementation from July 2025, subject to feedback.
- We are investigating compliance camera installation on existing special vehicle lanes (SVLs) which do not have camera enforcement, to help improve network consistency and productivity for our customers. The investigation has developed a long list of possible locations to determine if we can add additional projects to the existing work programme pipeline for delivery in 2025/26 and beyond.
RPTP variation
The Regional Public Transport Plan is a statutory document which lays out a 10-year plan for public transport in the region. As AT describes it, “[The RPTP] sets out the vision and goals for the public transport system, and the policies, future service network, and infrastructure needed to achieve that vision“.
The current plan was signed off in November 2023, but staff are now asking the board to sign off a minor variation to reflect changes that have occurred since then, such as the timing of projects due to funding changes etc. It also includes some changes to planned services and they say the most notable are:
- The RPTP 2023-2031 proposed the removal of the Gulf Harbour ferry, replaced with rapid transit (NX2) and improved local bus services, after Penlink opens in 2028. Feedback opposing this proposal led AT to commission a study to identify and evaluate options, which included community consultation. At the time we advised the outcome of this study would be included in the next RPTP. The variation communicates there will be no reduction in ferry services for the foreseeable future, and associated bus improvements are on hold until the study confirms a final network. This final network would be subject to further engagement.
- The RPTP 2023-2031 proposed the removal of the Northcote Point ferry. After receiving oppositional community feedback, AT deferred this decision. AT will be engaging in a competitive procurement process to inform options and costs, before determining the outcome for this service. Ferry route changes are subject to further engagement with impacted communities, that will take place outside of the RPTP process.
- AT Local on-demand services are not going to roll out as previously indicated. Further work is underway by the Public Transport Network Development team on the next steps for AT Local. Key stakeholders have already been informed of these changes. The existing AT Local service in Takaanini will be replaced with a new local bus route, which will be engaged on in July.
It will be interesting to see how AT justifies continuing to run high-cost, low usage ferry routes, when potentially faster, better quality and lower cost options exist. As for AT-Local, a few years there were heaps of proclamations from “experts” about how on-demand was the next big thing. We’ve always been sceptical that it was just a marketing fad to get agencies to hand over money to the proponents of on-demand transport, to set it up. The proponents have all disappeared now, and it looks like the service is about to too, suggesting the fad is finally over.
As mentioned above, we’ll do a separate post about what is probably the most interesting paper, on the Downtown Development Programme.
Was there anything else that stood out to you in the Board papers?
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Interesting that paid parking is to expand into light industrial areas. I hope that the new pay machines will be EFT-POS enabled as many existing machines are only set up for credit cards which not all of us have.
Gosh I wonder what part of society will be hit the hardest?
Not Ranger drivers, that’s for sure – they only park on the footpath.
One thing that AT have done well is design an excellent parking app – much easier than paying via card.
True; but overseas I have also been able to use a local transport card for parking and tolls, so even easier; you have the transport card and it just deducts parking from your account balance as when using tolls or parking inside/outside or taking bus/train/ferry.
AT still have multiple apps, one for parking and one for other stuff.
Ideally, should only need a credit card loaded against one app for top ups.
Where are the alarm bells on this? Cranky old Mayor Brown is doing like Trump, drawing lines on a map with a Sharpie to screw up Auckland’s bus services.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/city-rail-link-auckland-mayor-wayne-brown-replanning-maungawhau-railway-station/F5RVOHWRJFDKVESMEXKETEMP6E/
Dunning-Kruger-fuelled meddling by out-of-touch old men is precisely what ruined Auckland’s transit pre-Super City, and I can’t believe the people who want to get rid of AT (as opposed to firing its “layer of clay” management) so we can go back to *this* kind of thing
CRL just about to open and now the Mayor looks at the plans for Mangawhau that he could have seen before he was elected.
At least he did! Why didn’t anyone else?
According to Google Maps, if you are on a Dominion Road it takes almost half an hour from Mt Eden Station to Britomart:
Bus: 13 minutes + Walk: 15 minutes
Surely a large percentage of those people will prefer to transfer to train. Also add in the people wanting to get to other destinations on the train network, Mt Eden could be a fairly significant transfer hub. It would be nice to have something better than “Bus pulls up on a street somewhere and you have to walk in the rain”
Correction: “If you are on a Dominion Road bus”
Looking at a map it would make more sense for Dominion Rd buses to turn onto New North Rd rather than View Rd, this would take them a bit closer to the new Western line platforms at Maungawhau and also make the bus trip a bit quicker.
This can be solved by covering g the walkway rather than introducing a 5 minute detour for every other passenger
Simon Wilson provides relevant numbers (Herald archive link): https://archive.ph/UmKIA
“Let’s think about the people using Maungawhau station for a moment.
In 2019, prior to its closure for the big CRL dig, AT says an average 622 people got off the train there during each day’s morning peak, 7am-10am. In the same period, an average 375 got on the train. That’s 1000 people a day, at morning peak time.
An average 238 transferred from the train to a bus, mostly students and staff going to the universities on Symonds St. An average 98 transferred from a bus to the train. A total of 336 transfers.
The CRL is expected to double rail usage, so these numbers should rise. But even if there are 500 or 750 transfers, or more, it will still be a small proportion of the bus passengers on New North Rd and Mt Eden Rd every day.
Matt Lowrie at Greater Auckland has reported that the buses on those two arterials carried 7.3 million trips in the year to the end of March. That’s something like 25,000 passengers per weekday, and 11% of all the bus trips in Auckland.”
One in nine trips!
Having experienced Carrington Road following the Meola Road bikeway official opening, I experienced Lake Road Lunn Ave – esque feelings of terror. The plans to improve as OCKHAM’s community is developed are magnificent. It is good that at least one area of our city is future focused.
Now can we please build some more apartments downtown, so that we can hit this one hundred thousand city resident idea? From forty thousand at present that seems like a pipe dream (a Super Mario pipe, not the Watercare variety); but if we wish to be considered a serious city, we need more people living in the city centre. Transient suburban invaders are not helping our inner city thrive, they need to live here too!!!
bah humbug
The issue is presently demand as much as anything else.
There are plenty of newbuild offerings around Auckland for sale and little (current) interest.
Once thing we can do to improve this (as I think you are hinting) is to look at consenting costs and how we can bring them down (while not sacrificing on safety, quality and amenity).
Mark Todd of Ockham recently had some interesting points to make on this subject (although i’m sure everyone who reads this blog is already across that).
Isn’t the lack of current interest in residential at least in part because a) everyone is afraid of their job security (so people aren’t looking to buy unless they are already well-off) and b) because we have net out-migration at the moment, so the younger professional crowd which might also drive purchases are moving overseas, while those remaining ones who are still looking to buy have more choice and lower prices, which again undermines new build prospects?
I mean it would be lovely if the market was flooded with good (or at least adequate) apartments in good spots with more density. But in a capitalist society that only happens when housing prices are high enough to drive developers to build them. The state can step in and build dwellings too, but we are far away from this (state building meaningful numbers itself) in our current society.
That Speed Rule letter is infuriating. Bishop was in Parliament in April saying how relaxed he was about Hamilton’s approach, and AT kept saying they didn’t like the rule, they just had to follow it. So I was urging AT to ask him for a steer (since they didn’t apparently have the nous to follow Hamilton by themselves). That letter? ‘Can we copy Hamilton’s homework? Please say no.’
And there’s nothing in that correspondence dump to suggest they asked Bishop about the other possible offramps (the conflict raised by Tim Adriaansen between primary and secondary legislation; what counts as a ‘significant land use change’).
Bishop and AT leadership are nominally more acquainted with the evidence than Simeon Brown, so I had some hopes that they might be looking for offramps, but I guess not.
Yeah, they’ve all let us down. You must be livid.
Massive shoutout to Tim Tim Adriaansen and all who assisted, in detailing AT Directors liabilities in inceasing Aucklands road speeds without addressing the incremental safety impact.
AT CEO Dean Kimptons reply to Tims letter is well worth a read and is at the end of the correspondence link
https://at.govt.nz/media/0sqf0uj4/correspondence-open.pdf
Read the letter for yourself – but the following sums it up (we have officer advice, and we’re doing monitoring)
“This approach is consistent with fulfilling the legal and professional obligations of AT and its directors”
A Lord Farquaad moment if ever there was one, and not in the funny way.
Yeah. Monitoring how many get hurt.
Fucktards.
I’ve had briefings on a few of the local bits recently, as a ward councillor and can add the following:
– Carrington Rd – there will be a final round of public consultation in July/August, focused on getting input from the community on how best to manage the construction period. This is at least partly a result of lessons learned from Pt Chev to Westmere (PtC2W) – testing the appetite of the community for more disruptive construction methods that will shorten the length of works, before they lock in the construction partner. I’m anticipating some will see this as a chance to relitigate the design, so clear comms about the purpose of the engagement will be really important. I’ve asked that they look at using the opportunity while they have the Temporary Traffic Management Plans in place to trial some other bits and pieces that locals are requesting that aren’t specific to the Carrington Rd works eg local requests for no right turn out of Seaview Terrace, a chance to work in with the level crossings team who are looking at Woodward and may want to use the opportunity to study what alternative routes people take when they can’t go the usual way etc.
– Western Line level crossings – they are working on creating a business case as AT’s current projections is that they wouldn’t actually need to close/address the inner west level crossings until approx 2032, in terms of ramping up trains on the Western Line after CRL opens. However part of doing the planning work earlier means that hopefully they will be ready to accelerate this work if demand is higher than expected, earlier than expected. (Past experience with Northern Busway, addition of WX1 etc suggests this could well happen!)
On the safer speeds reversal I share many of the frustrations above. AT just were not interested in moving on this, despite being given plenty of opportunities and excuses they could use. Sadly I think we won’t have a full realisation of the liability question until someone is hurt or killed. The advocacy efforts on this have been amazing, huge amounts of research and effort put in, all voluntary, and the stonewalling at senior levels of AT has been heartbreaking. I find it particularly cruel that many of the staff who have had to roll this out were those who understand the evidence, championed and implemented safer speeds.
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Thanks Julie – your mahi is awesome and appreciated.
The planned AT handing of RCA – road controlling authority to Auckland Council means current AT directors decisions and accountability are not well aligned.
Depending upon timelines, increased speeds and resulting deaths will be an Auckland council liability, and potentially huge cost.
Any intel on how they arrived at this “four lanes plus flush median” design for Carrington Rd, Julie? Was there any political pushback about them so obviously creating driver pressure for expensive widening of the two two-lane bridges?
To state “ …it will be interesting to see how AT justifies continuing to run high-cost, low usage ferry routes” is disappointing to read and suggests the author is ill informed. The Gulf Harbour Ferry route has been systematically and strategically eroded by AT to serve their intention to scrap it as part of the RPTP. The continuation of service is absolutely welcomed by the Hibiscus Coast community as 45-50mins on a ferry is a more time and carbon emission friendly public transport option than 2.5hr 4x bus option for those living east of Penlink. Community feedback informed this with over 1500 submissions to retain the service. Suggest you join the Hibiscus Coast Ferry Group and get facts before postulating on wonder.