Con Job: AT’s Connected Communities debacle

Auckland Transport recently cancelled Connected Communities (aka ConCom), a flagship programme launched in 2018 that was intended to deliver walking, cycling, public transport and safety improvements along 12 key corridors in the region. These weren’t going to come cheaply, with AT budgeting to spend about $100 million per corridor.…
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Government encourages illegal parking

A few weeks ago, I wrote about how it’s time to update parking fines. The maximum fines allowed are defined in legislation and are so outdated that they’ve been unchanged for nearly a quarter of a century. Because infringements are set at a national level, the existing low level of fines is particularly bad for cities like Auckland where the demand for parking and the impact of inconsiderate parking is much higher.…
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June-23 AT Board Meeting

Yesterday was the latest Auckland Transport board meeting and we’ve already covered Gt North Rd and AT’s budget. But as I said in yesterday’s post, there was a lot on the agenda so here’s what else was interesting. Gt North Rd Jolisa covered the potential Gt North Rd outcomes on Monday and the great news is that the board have signed the project off in its full form, promising to find the funding shortfall to deliver the entire thing.…
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Pick up the ball and run, AT!

This is a guest post by Heidi O’Callahan Settle in for a long read. This post-and-a-half is too important to cut short. At last month’s Auckland Transport (AT) Board meeting, one of the Board’s tasks was to check that AT is on track to deliver the Transport Emissions Reduction Pathway (“TERP”).…
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Auckland’s Future Transport Projects Consultation

Mayor Wayne Brown has regularly called for “a joined-up, comprehensive transport plan, written by Aucklanders“. Earlier this year it was covered in a council agenda item and titled the Auckland Integrated Transport Plan. The Minister of Transport and the Mayor have agreed on the need for a broader plan to futureproof Auckland with a high-quality, joined-up transport system, which more closely integrates decision-making on cars, buses, trains, ferries, cyclists, pedestrians, freight and passenger rail and light rail.…
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Auckland Council Draft Budget – an unnecessary backwards step

Feedback on Auckland Council’s draft 2023/24 budget closes on March 28th. You can read the consultation document here, and provide feedback here. Auckland Council is currently consulting on what is one of its most important ever Annual Plans – the ‘budget’ of what it will spend money on between July 1 this year and June 30 next year, and the level of rates and other charges to fund this investment.…
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New AT chief executive faces existential challenges

There was lots of news out of Auckland Transport yesterday. Firstly, they finally have a Chief Executive – at least for the next 18 months – with former Auckland Council Chief Operating Officer Dean Kimpton being appointed: Auckland Transport (AT) has today announced the appointment of Dean Kimpton as the new Chief Executive Officer on a fixed-term agreement for 18 months starting 3 April 2023.…
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