auckland road pricing evaluation study

Tackling Congestion in Auckland

Traffic congestion is a significant problem for Auckland, as it is in most large cities. This Government has made addressing congestion in Auckland and other parts of New Zealand a priority, with record spending on new roads and public transport now and over the next 10 years.

However demands for more expenditure on both roads and public transport in the region are ongoing. Population and vehicle numbers in Auckland are growing. Current projections show that, in spite of substantially increased investment, by 2016 congestion in Auckland is unlikely to improve without additional measures.

Road pricing has been investigated following a recommendation by a joint committee of central and local government officials on Auckland's transport issues. A number of elected Auckland local officials have also backed road pricing as a means of raising revenue and addressing Auckland's congestion problem.

The Ministry of Transport's Auckland Road Pricing Evaluation Study examines road pricing and parking levies as a means of reducing congestion and raising revenue for investment in land transport. The study examines several alternative schemes. These were developed to provide enough information to help decide if any work on road pricing should be progressed. The study makes no recommendations on whether road pricing should be introduced in Auckland: its function is to present information and data for politicians, members of the public, and stakeholders to consider. Members of the public were asked for their views about whether road pricing or parking levies should be part of a long term solution to traffic congestion.

Consultation and submissions

The Ministry of Transport invited submissions on the Auckland Road Pricing Evaluation Study. In particular, the Ministry was interested in views on:

Reactions and comments on the study and its findings.
Whether road pricing is a good idea as a means to manage congestion and raise revenue, given its other potential social, economic and environmental impacts.
If the government were to enable road pricing, are there any areas you have identified in the report that could be improved or problems that would need to be overcome?
If the government were not to enable road pricing, what other feasible alternatives are there to meaningfully manage congestion, acknowledging the significant investment the government is already making in additional roading and public transport?

Submissions closed on Friday 28 April 2006.

Auckland Road Pricing Evaluation Study submissions analysis >>