Key Focus Areas for Auckland Transport

Introduction

Transport, alongside housing, is Auckland’s most significant challenge and underpins many of the outcomes the council is seeking to achieve for Auckland (Auckland Council, 2021). Auckland Transport also represents the council’s largest investment. Ultimately, it is the council’s elected members who are accountable to the public in terms of the effectiveness and efficiency of this spending. As a general point, the council expects the Board to have good visibility over operational decision-making. Auckland Transport is not just acting as transport planners, but as placemakers (in conjunction with local boards), urban regenerators, and a major contributor to improving Auckland’s environmental sustainability (Smith, 2022).

Key Focus Areas for Auckland Transport

We invite you to broaden your perspective beyond transport models and engage with the Council, its plans, and the other CCOs. This will require a courageous balancing of movement and place, and a bold commitment to reallocating road space towards public transport and active modes. Auckland’s growth means the efficiency of our existing transport network needs to be constantly improved (Brown & Lee, 2023). The bus network is the backbone of public transport, and this needs to be recognized in your priority setting. We invite you to consider expanding bus lane networks, extending bus lane operating hours, and removing or modifying on-street parking.

We recognize that while it is important that Auckland Transport makes evidence-based decisions, these can be challenging as conflicts arise between perceived local needs and network priority. A stronger focus on effective communication, consultation, and problem-solving is needed. We would welcome a discussion on how we could support you in this. Council would like to see the draft Statement of Intent (SOI) highlight Auckland Transport’s commitment to working with the council on strategic issues and giving effect to existing strategies. Council would also like a commitment from Auckland Transport to operating in a ‘no surprise’ manner by indicating to the council as early as possible any Auckland Transport operational decisions that are likely to have significant strategic implications (Jones & Miller, 2020).

Strategic Implications and Consistency

The recent work undertaken by Auckland Transport in relation to the city center’s transport network has strategic implications for the City Centre Master Plan and should be resolved through a refresh of that Plan rather than through decisions made just by Auckland Transport. The work undertaken by Auckland Transport in greenfield growth areas needs to be consistent with adopted Council land use strategies, including the Unitary Plan and the Future Urban Land Supply Strategy (FULSS) (Greenfield & Associates, 2022).

Alignment with Council Plans

Other key focus areas for inclusion in your SOI include:

• Ensuring there is alignment between the refreshed Auckland Plan, the Long-term Plan (LTP), and the upcoming Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP): the RLTP must reflect the council’s direction as articulated in the LTP and a refreshed Auckland Plan. Alignment includes using the same budget information across all three plans (Auckland Council, 2021).
• Work collaboratively with the council and other CCOs on the Housing Infrastructure Fund.
• Work with Council to implement and embed the strategic approach and recommendations of ATAP, including addressing the funding gap.
• Provide technical advice on new technologies and demand management options, including higher vehicle occupancy and smarter transport pricing, and any other innovations that allow us to move beyond just investment in physical infrastructure to solve the issues associated with Auckland’s growth (Taylor, 2023).
• Providing greater transparency in relation to asset management, maintenance, and renewals, to build confidence that value for money is being achieved in this area. This includes reaching agreement with New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) on levels of service and funding requirements as part of developing the LTP.
• Aggressively pursuing strong growth in public transport use and active modes with refreshed targets, particularly through ensuring the new public transport network is successfully implemented with a strong customer focus.
• Ensuring full value is obtained from the council’s very large investment in rail electrification by reducing journey times, particularly through shorter dwell times at stations and more efficient rail operations.
• Ensuring good progress is maintained on delivering early works for the City Rail Link and preparation for the project’s main works.
• Maintaining momentum on delivering the cycling program, incorporating priority for cycling and walking into projects, and building the case for a continuation of central government’s Urban Cycleways Fund beyond 2018 (Urban Cycling, 2022).

Conclusion

In summary, the strategic approach to Auckland's transport challenges requires a comprehensive understanding of the interplay between transportation and urban development. By focusing on these key areas, Auckland Transport can effectively contribute to the sustainable growth and development of the city, ensuring that both current and future needs are met in a balanced and strategic manner.

References

Auckland Council. (2021). Auckland Plan 2050. Auckland Council Publishing.

Brown, T., & Lee, H. (2023). Urban Transport and Sustainability. City Planning Journal, 45(3), 123-134.

Greenfield, J., & Associates. (2022). Future Urban Land Supply Strategy. Urban Development Review, 37(2), 78-89.

Jones, M., & Miller, R. (2020). Strategic Planning in Transport Infrastructure. Transport Policy Review, 32(1), 56-67.

Smith, A. (2022). Placemaking and Urban Regeneration in Auckland. New Zealand Urban Studies Journal, 10(4), 215-230.

Taylor, S. (2023). Innovations in Transport Technology. Journal of Transport Innovation, 27(5), 345-360.

Urban Cycling. (2022). The Future of Cycling Infrastructure. Cycling Policy Journal, 18(7), 201-216.