Who will champion Auckland's congestion charge debate?

Tuesday, 1 December 2020

A congestion charge of up to $3.50 has been suggested by officials for the Auckland CBD.(Video August 2021)

OPINION: The biggest question about the unveiling of a possible congestion charge scheme for Auckland is, who will be its champion?

Officials have spent four years working up a proposal detailed enough that both council and Government politicians can decide on mandating its refinement and roll-out.

There are few who disagree with some form of congestion charging, as a way to accelerate the switch away from carbon-emitting, tarmac-clogging private cars, and which is championed in the proposal released on Monday.

In a growing region like Auckland, there simply isn't enough money or climate-disinterest to keep building roads for the same level of car use seen today.

* Why Auckland's failing transport is a Wellington problem

* Automobile Association wants debate about congestion charging resumed

Public transport will need to be a more viable alternative for more Aucklanders, pre-congestion charging

Yes, there are tough decisions to be made. Is public transport good enough, especially for those further out from the centre of Auckland? Probably not. So let’s get that sorted.

Have we worked out how to insulate the less well-off from the additional burden of new motoring charges? No, not yet, but that’s an important detail, not a show-stopper.

The officials who produced the scheme, in which the first phase would be a charging cordon around the CBD, know this - that's why they proposed the CBD as a low-risk starter.

A proposed cordon around Auckland's CBD which could cost $3.50 to cross in peak times

From now on, it's about politics, and that's where Monday's release of the report was interesting.

The Auckland Harbour Bridge toll ended in 1984, but could return in a modern form as congestion charging

Officials had already briefed Transport Minister Michael Wood, and Auckland's Mayor and deputy, Phil Goff and Bill Cashmore, who had been in touch with the work for a while.

But when the well-planned release of the report went live on the Ministry of Transport website at 2pm, the immediate political silence was deafening.

Usually, few significant announcements can be made by council agencies without a line or two from the mayor near the top of a media release. In this case, Auckland Transport's chair and chief executive had the floor to themselves.

There was no media release from the mayor's office, although Goff did respond to a morning request from Stuff, and offered his 'qualified support' for congestion charging.

Like a regional fuel tax, a congestion charge purely for Auckland will need astute political management and commitment.

It's benefits are not just congestion-busting: the city's ambitious climate change goals of halving greenhouse gases by 2030 depend heavily on less motoring, and even with charges, may be unachievable.

Someone needs to lead Aucklanders in understanding the case for congestion charging, and to reassure those who may struggle with it, that they will be accommodated.

Technically officials say the CBD charging could happen in 2-3 years. Waiting for a politically palatable moment takes it to 2024-25 when the rail-boosting City Rail Link project is to be completed.

The first political litmus test will be when the report goes to the council's planning committee on Thursday, and chairman Chris Darby knows what is needed.

“Without courageous political leadership we risk staying in an unsustainable cycle of mega-billion dollar projects to try solve our mobility challenges,” he said.

Congestion charging won’t be universally popular, but nor is congestion of global warming.

The council and the Government need to grasp the prickly political nettle