The shortlisted options for congestion charging
The road to congestion pricing (aka “time-of-use charging”) is certainly not a fast one. So far, we’re at nearly a decade of official investigations into the idea. (It’s also over a decade and a half since the question was first raised on our predecessor, Transportblog – and we’ve covered the topic regularly since then, again and again)
Granted, a decade still seems like quite a short amount of time compared to some transport projects.…
64 Comments Congestion Charging: Location Options
New York is the most recent city to implement congestion pricing and it’s already (and predictably) been a success. Will Auckland be the next city to introduce it?
Legislation to introduce “time of use charging” (congestion pricing) is currently making its way through Parliament, with the government intending to pass it before the end of the year.…
Who pays when roads and parking are “free” to use?
This guest post by George Weeks originally appeared on The Spinoff and is reposted with kind permission.
It might seem like a good deal, but toll-free roading results in congestion and free parking leads to frustrated circling. Drivers end up paying with their precious time – and the social cost is huge. …
How should smarter pricing affect business cases?
Through the Auckland Transport Alignment Project (ATAP), the former government and Council agreed that road pricing (which it called “smarter transport pricing” needs to be a key part of Auckland’s transport future. The new government, although occasionally sceptical about pricing, has continued investigation into it as part of the Congestion Question project.…
Let’s Get Wellington Moving – Smarter Pricing and Demand Management
Last year Wellington’s semi-equivalent of our Auckland Transport Alignment Project was released for consultation. The work was done as a result of the declined consent for the Basin Reserve Flyover which required Central and Local Government to go back to the drawing board.…
Is road pricing a short-term funding solution?
Last week Henderson-Massey Local Board Chair Shane Henderson (yep, great name for the role) highlighted a key issue with those criticising the proposed fuel taxes I also discussed last week. Seeing complaining about fuel taxes, but I haven't seen a single alternative suggestion.…
Next steps towards smarter transport pricing
In an interview on Saturday morning’s The Nation, Mayor Phil Goff revealed that the government will be making an announcement on road pricing this week. But the thing is just because they see and understand that, that’s not making them give you more.…
Agreeing with Joyce
Last week Finance Minister Steven Joyce gave a speech to Massey University and Auckland Chamber of Commerce about the economy and this year’s budget. There were some notable elements related to transport in it worth highlighting, especially those in relation to demand management.…
A future for Auckland’s transport network
Lately I’ve been thinking about how to better join the dots between Auckland’s housing challenges and its transport challenges. We’re all familiar with the common stories about Auckland’s problems: Housing is too expensive, pricing young people out of the market and forcing low-income households into crowded or unhealthy accommodation.…
ATAP: The right answers to the wrong questions
So the long-awaited final report of the Auckland Transport Alignment Project (ATAP) was released yesterday. This is the third “deliverable” from the project, building on the “Foundation Report” in February and the “Interim Report” in June. The Final Report isn’t dramatically different from what was reported in June, although there’s a lot more detail – particularly around the timing of major projects.…
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