New Zealand’s first National Infrastructure Plan, released by Te Waihanga on Tuesday, has set out a 30-year roadmap for the country’s infrastructure development, but one recommendation in particular has stirred controversy in Auckland.
According to a report by Emma Ricketts of Stuff, the plan proposes a shift in priorities, including de-prioritising new roads, increasing hospital investments, and moving toward user-pays funding for transport infrastructure. However, it is the suggested $9 toll to cross the Auckland Harbour Bridge that has drawn strong reactions from residents.
In addition to tolling the long-awaited new Waitematā Harbour crossing, the Commission has recommended tolling the existing bridge as well. The reasoning is financial: tolling only one crossing would significantly limit potential revenue, as many motorists would opt for the slower or older route to avoid paying $9.
Emma Ricketts of Stuff has reported, that the Commission warned that the new connection, whether it ultimately takes the form of a bridge or tunnel, would not be affordable through normal transport revenues alone. Imposing a toll on both crossings could raise between $7 billion and $9 billion, depending on how long the toll remains in place.
The proposed $9 figure is not arbitrary. When the Auckland Harbour Bridge opened in 1959, motorists were charged 2 shillings and 6 pence, equivalent to about $9 today. The toll was removed in 1984, leaving many Aucklanders accustomed to a free harbour crossing.
Public reaction has been swift.
“That would be too much for the ordinary public,” one Auckland resident told Stuff. “Paying another toll, plus gas, would be too much.” For commuters crossing daily, the cost would amount to $18 a day, or $90 a week, as quoted by Stuff.
Others questioned how the proposed toll compares to others around the country.
“That’s quite expensive for quite a short crossing,” one man pointed out.
“If you look at other tolls around the country, they’re sort of $2.50 or slightly more. I think $9 is a huge sacrifice for people, especially in this economy,” said another, Stuff has quoted.
Despite the backlash, the Government appears to be keeping the option open. The new harbour connection will be tolled, Transport Minister Chris Bishop confirmed. What remains undecided is whether the existing bridge would also carry a charge.
“That's a very big decision, and we're taking advice on it. There are a range of very complicated decisions to be made around the funding and financing of that project,” he said, as quoted by Stuff.
Bishop also addressed common misconceptions about road tolling in New Zealand.
“They help, but they don't pay for them,” he said. “However, the additional harbour crossing is, in theory, a project that can wash its own face financially, because there's 200,000 vehicle movements across the harbour bridge every day,” as quoted by Stuff.
With Auckland’s growing population and increasing transport demands, the debate over how to fund the city’s next major infrastructure project is likely to intensify in the months ahead.
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