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This Week in Greater Auckland

Wayne Brown to champion light rail?

Could Wayne Brown be the best hope for a sensible light rail solution?

The National party is dead against it, but Auckland’s mayor has thrown out a lifeline for a light rail project in the city.

It comes after National promised to scrap former prime minister Jacinda Ardern’s plans for the transport link within its first 100 days in office.

The proviso from Wayne Brown is that the project would have to be built at a fraction of the cost of previous options.

For seven years the last government clung to its ever more costly Auckland Light Rail dream, but as costs rose so did the skepticism, not least from the current mayor.

“They completely lost the sight of any rational economic judgement – so stopping, thinking again, what does Auckland need?” Brown said.

He said, to start again, they need to “dump what they’ve got” and “get the snouts out of the trough”.

But far from dismissing the idea out of hand, Brown’s looking overseas for solutions.

He said the network in the French city of Angers costs just $53 million per kilometre – up against the $375 million which he described as being the cheapest option for the route linking the city centre to the airport.

“Much cheaper rational way of fitting in what Auckland needs for its overall transport plan for people and freight,” Brown said.

There have been a few other articles looking at National’s promise to cancel light rail, such as by Radio NZ and Business Desk.

Average Speed Cameras

Auckland is to get average speed cameras.

Waka Kotahi and Auckland Transport to roll out new safety cameras in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland

The construction of new generation safety cameras on sections of six roads in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland will begin in October, Waka Kotahi and Auckland Transport have confirmed.

These safety cameras can calculate the average speed that a vehicle travels across a length of road between two cameras. Commonly used internationally, research shows that average speed safety cameras are more effective than single location cameras, and can reduce the number of people who are killed or seriously injured on roads by more than 50%.

The use of average speed cameras in New Zealand has been enabled by the recent passing of the Land Transport (Road Safety) Amendment Act into legislation.

Waka Kotahi Head of Regulatory Strategic Programmes, Tara Macmillan says in addition to being more effective at lowering speeds and reducing crashes, the new cameras also allow drivers to adjust their travel speeds to avoid being fined.

“When operating in average speed mode, drivers are only ticketed if their average travel speed over the entire distance between the two cameras is over the limit – they can’t be ‘pinged’ by a single camera. All of the new safety cameras will be clearly sign posted – giving people a reminder to check their speed and slow down if needed,” says Ms Macmillan.

[…..]

The safety cameras will be installed on sections of six roads in Auckland with a high crash risk due to road layout and current travel speeds:

  • Matakana Road in Warkworth
  • Kahikatea Flat Road in Dairy Flat
  • East Coast Road in Redvale
  • Whitford Road in Shamrock Park
  • Glenbrook Road in Karaka
  • Glenbrook Road in Glenbrook.

Site construction for camera installation on Matakana Road will get underway this month, with testing beginning in December. These cameras will operate in test mode for approximately three months, before being switched to enforcement mode in mid-2024.

Good Developments

Stuff’s Todd Niall took a look at some of the positive developments happening in Auckland at the moment.

North of the harbour bridge though, the regeneration agency Eke Panuku has just hit the “go” button on its biggest transformation project yet, the town centre in rapidly intensifying Northcote.

It has been cobbling together small properties, alongside council-owned property to create a 3.1 hectare block for which it will invite private sector development pitches, with work perhaps starting in 2027.

The classic 1970s style single-level shopping centre with its winding car park areas, will become a mix of retail, nearly 500 apartments, and revamped public facilities such as a library and community centre.

It sits close to Kāinga Ora’s medium density project of 1700 open market and public homes, and will transform an area that many non-locals could drive through without noticing.

Controversy is helping put the spotlight on another transformation, the proposed sale and redevelopment of the 1968 concrete monument to motoring, the Downtown Carpark building.

Its 1944 car parks (two floors were added to the six in 2022) sit literally across the road from the jewel of the city’s downtown waterfront between Queens and Princes wharves, and westward into the Viaduct harbour.

A deal is proposed imminently with the preferred developer Precinct Properties, and while it is not yet clear how much parking will be provided, it is hard to imagine a worse outcome for the waterfront area than a car park which has been on the urban regeneration hit-list for more than a decade.

Both projects are potentially big money-makers for the council, after years of painstaking investment and planning to reach where they are now.

Further moves will also soon be occurring a little further west, on new detail about the blank waterfront canvas that is Wynyard Point, the former, toxic fuel and chemical “tank farm”, now cleared for eventual conversion into a headland park and private buildings.

All are a reminder that Auckland can make progress, even while the biggest ticket items such as light rail, moving the port, continue to bounce around between interest groups, the council and government.

Eight Stadiums

Todd has also reported that the recent call for stadium proposals has resulted in eight submissions.

Eight private developers have pitched plans for a major stadium in Auckland, in a quickie process which the council hoped would let it move on to deciding the future of Eden Park versus building new.

Six relative newcomers have joined privately-owned Eden Park, and the long-promoted Waterfront Aotearoa Arena, in trying to get the council’s attention.

The high number may have surprised council interests, some of whom saw the process as clearing away private proposals before deciding how to fund the council’s part in existing or revamped stadiums.

“These proposals will be analysed by various experts to ensure all relevant and detailed information is received,” said a statement from the stadium working group, created by the mayor, Wayne Brown.

CRL Progress

Some cool recent shots from City Rail Link progress at stations

The first escalator has been installed at the Mercury Lane entrance to Karanga-a-Hape around 20m above the platform level
The aluminum cladding above the platform at Te Waihorotiu is being installed, highlighting how the station is shaping up

The final turnout has been completed and concreted into place

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31 comments

      2. I do think though if the the Mayor is on board and can advocate for a cheaper solution there might be some hope at least. Everyone knows it was an outrageously expensive solution that was offered which is probably why National aren’t keen on progressing it in its current state. Lets hope they are open to listening to alternatives. At least keep the idea alive until a change of government if they aren’t keen.

        Reply

        1. All these blow hards like Brown don’t actually have a clue what they are talking about. Credit to Brown that he has actually changed his stance after learning the reality.

    1. Good news, in conjunction with the plans to add a couple of stations in the north Waikato towns.

      Out of curiosity, is there any appetite from the BoP Council to have this thing extend east out to Tauranga? Or down to Rotorua?

      Reply

        1. How do we fund roads, given RUCs only cover half the cost?

          From the Tauranga article:

          “Freight is very much top of our minds, particularly with the port of Tauranga and some very congested roads.”

          Freight stuck in congestion needs fixing, people stuck in congestion do not.

        2. The funding could possibly be a combination of regional [local]and Govt funding to start off , Similar to the way Amtrak does it in the USA for regional services .

    2. Good news, Also they are upgrading facilities at the Strand:

      “Adding to this, we will also have completed upgrades to The Strand station customer centre in time for the launch of the new Te Huia services, which will improve the overall travel experience for passengers.”

      At the moment there are no facilities for Te Huia passengers, except for some undercover seats which are only available when the train is at the platform.

      KiwiRail is transforming its old signals building, further along the platform, into a station building for Te Huia and the Northern Explorer. It will have check-ins for each train, a café, comfortable waiting area, toilets and showers, and free WiFi for passengers. There will also be some fencing improvements around the platform.

      The upgrades are designed to meet accessibility standards.

      Separately, other work is being done by the City Rail Link to build a permanent wheelchair access ramp between Ngaoho Place, which runs directly behind the platform, and The Strand (road). There will also be some trackside work to improve accessibility between Platforms 1 and 2 and some wayfinding improvements to the car park area.”

      Reply

  3. For the good of any future tram proposal, let’s hope the term light rail is never used again.
    When I hear that term I get anxiety, that might just be me, but I’m sure every other aucklander or new Zealander for that matter will connect any future transit called LIGHT RAIL with the current project that is a well known waste of money and time and has left many including myself confused.
    Let’s just call it what it is, a tram line from the city to mount roskill. I personally think the project is still worth doing, hopefully wane brown can run with it.

    Reply

    1. The problem with tram is it sounds like a tiny train stuck in general traffic. If not light rail, why not train? The user experience will hopefully be closer to train than tram.

      Reply

      1. Just call it Rail, class it as the same network as the current rail, just because the gauge is different it shouldn’t really matter.

        Reply

        1. I would say just call it mass transit as it will have much higher capacity then a bus, but the current light rail proposal was part tram as it used tram type vehicles and part subway because it was largely underground and part metro as it was fully grade seperated and part suburban rail as it linked many low density suburbs.

      2. I believe trams have there own right of way, bit like a bus lane, traffic can cross the tram way but can’t use it to travel in, street cars often thought of as the north American version of trams but they actually do mix with traffic
        They will travel in general traffic lanes like local buses do.

        Reply

        1. Tram lines in Stockholm are part of the road network and you will see car car bus tram car all lined up at traffic lights like normal traffic. Still nice to use though.

    2. What is the point of a single tram line to Mt Roskill?
      Auckland needs billions of dollars invested to sort out our transport network.
      Bits and pieces investment like the CRL and Light Rail end up with shit outcomes.
      We should go cap in hand to China and beg them to build us a proper rail network that combines over and underground rail. If it costs us a vote at the UN, so be it.
      Rail that extends from Albany in the north to Manukau in the south and Howick in the East to Hobsonville in the West. Include rail to the airport and tunnels under the harbour.
      Fxxk the Ungurs and the Tibetans, there is a climate crisis to solve.

      Reply

      1. “We should go cap in hand to China and beg them to build us a proper rail network that combines over and underground rail.”

        The reason autocratic states can invest faster is that if the leaders say “Do this!” it gets done, screw such niceties like laws, or private rights.

        Not exactly something we want here.

        You can argue that there’s too many chefs in the kitchen, but there better be SOME chefs, and those should be elected.

        What we have right now is a lot of unelected ones stymieing everything, and different democratic levels conflicting with each other. The solution to that is not “more dictatorship”. If Labour had actually wanted Light Rail, they would have got it. But a mixture of incompetence and luke-warmness resulted in them (and us) getting nothing.

        Reply

      2. The point of a single tram line to Mt Roskill is the same as any other single line: network is made up of single lines.

        It’s like asking what’s the point of a single busway to the north shore, or single motorway to South Auckland, or a single cycle lane along the northwestern…

        Reply

  4. I’m actually really starting to regret not voting for Wayne recently. All the news I’ve seen about him recently has been him advocating for all the right things – better light rail, higher parking fines, more control over decision making vs central govt etc. Sure he’s a bit of an angry old fart, but his frustration is well placed. He seems to have Auckland best interest in mind and he has teeth unlike Phil or Efeso… Looking forward to seeing more action.

    Reply

    1. You mean, Efeso Collins the new Green MP?

      Don’t forget that Wayne literally let Auckland drown over Anniversary Weekend and called people “drongos” when they held him accountable. He is a loose unit who can be awful or horrible at random.

      Reply

      1. Yeah I mean I voted for Efeso in the local elections and was very disappointed when Wayne won. And I did 2 ticks green in the general elections…
        In no way am I excusing his dismal performance during and after the floods, but let’s not forget that MetService only issued an orange rain warning, Waka Kotahi clocked off at 7pm, Auckland Emergency management was in shambles, Auckland transport were running busses through flooded motorways etc…

        I’ve been very critical of him and got especially pissed off with the proposed cuts to everything. But the outcome from the council was a rates increase and a partial sell-off of airport shares. Something had to be done and it wasn’t that bad of an outcome.

        I guess the point I was getting at is, that all left-leaning urban policy is rooted in fact. We know if we build good public transport people will use it. We know that providing good a public service is very beneficial to Aucklanders. We know that in the long run, good policy is cheaper. And so far he’s been pursuing all the right things because they make obvious sense. We should be supportive of a mayor who’s willing to make progress, advocate for Auckland, and blatantly call out National’s bs. And we should be just as critical when he’s being a f**kwit.

        Reply

        1. Good on you. Thats what politics should be like, judge based on whats delivered. I didn’t vote for the Mayor either (I didnt vote at all, felt they were all unworthy of my vote) but so far the noises seem right. Lets see what actually gets delivered.

          It is sad that some are so close minded that they only look at politicians from their own narrow-minded lens of righteousness and reject good done by someone that doesn’t fit their exact worldview.

          Someone, in another thread, made a list of which recent transport minister that had provided the most tangible benefits for Auckland and the winner was Simon Bridges. And in regard to what he delievred he outclassed every other Labour and National Transport Minister.

          That also shows us how incredibly poorly Labour managed transport and infrastructure in Auckland and perhaps why they lost so big in Auckland.

    2. Totally agree, Phil was completely useless. Could have been replaced with a cardboard cut out and Auckland would never have noticed a difference. I like Efeso as a person, but he never came across as an effective representative for Auckland. Lots of talk, but little action.

      You are never going to get a perfect Mayor, but Wayne has proven to be an effective one in comparison to Phil. Contrary to popular belief, sitting around singing kumbaya doesn’t fix problems. He is an engineer and a problem solver. It will be obvious to him that we can’t build any more roads, so PT is essential to the growth of Auckland.

      You can’t blame Wayne for the weather or a broken civil defence system that Phil knew about and yet did nothing about. It is a safe bet any other Mayor would still have had the exact same outcomes. Would you prefer a mayor that ignores the civil defence team and just do whatever they want? He was elected to solve problems, not to make speeches and make people feel better.

      The fact that he called out National for their stupid policies is a big tick for someone who represents Auckland.

      Reply

  8. > “They completely lost the sight of any rational economic judgement – so stopping, thinking again, what does Auckland need?” Brown said.

    I know no one here supported his campaign (neither did I), but with that Wayne Brown has shown far more insight and realism than a succession of Labour MPs. No wonder Labour lost the general election so badly in Auckland. They’ve poisoned the future campaigns of any Labour-aligned candidates in local or national elections for decades to comes.

    Reply

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