Auckland

Transport

Road and rail

Auckland has a significant traffic congestion problem. A motorway network, planned decades ago, remains incomplete as of 2005. In the early 2000s several motorway construction projects began in and around the central motorway junction ("Spaghetti Junction"). Transport funding favours roads over public transport in Auckland, and indeed in New Zealand, and the planned motorway network is large for a city of Auckland's size.

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The Britomart Transport Centre which opened in July 2003 is a central interconnection point for buses, trains and ferries. During its planning period it provoked much controversy spanning multiple mayoral terms.

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During the 2001-2004 term the mayors of Auckland City and Manukau, John Banks and Sir Barry Curtis respectively, strongly advocated a proposal for an Eastern Transport Corridor, essentially a new motorway. Vociferous campaigners both supported and opposed the NZ$4 billion proposal throughout the term. John Banks subsequently lost the 2004 local body election, chiefly due to public opposition to the proposed motorway. The newly-elected Auckland City Council has a clear centre-left majority, and new Deputy Mayor Bruce Hucker announced in early November 2004 a major change in direction for Auckland City.

Related Topics:
John Banks - Eastern Transport Corridor

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Bus services provide the bulk of public transport, with commuter trains offering a limited service. However, recent investment in train services resulted in increased patronage of these services. The investment has focused on upgrading and refurbishing the current rolling stock and railway stations. Investment in new rail infrastructure remains limited, but there are signs this is changing. A recent project to double-track the western rail line, completed at a cost of NZD$23.2 million, has increased the frequency of train services on this line. Plans for light rail, mooted over the years, seem unlikely to proceed. The local government elections in September 2004 centred largely around candidates' policies on public transport, with the incumbent Auckland City mayor John Banks promoting the "Eastern Corridor" motorway plan, and his main rivals (former Auckland City mayor Christine Fletcher and businessman Dick Hubbard – the eventual winner) supporting public transport alternatives like light rail and improving existing bus and rail services.

Related Topics:
Light rail - Christine Fletcher - Businessman - Dick Hubbard

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Auckland City Council has prepared plans for an underground railway connecting the Britomart Transport Centre to the western railway line. However due to the significant costs associated with a project of this size, and the prevailing attitudes towards public transport, it may be some time before the project begins. Increased population density around transport corridors and sustained inflated petrol prices may combine to make this project more attractive in the medium term.

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Airports

Auckland International Airport, New Zealand's largest airport, lies beside Manukau Harbour, in the southern suburb of Mangere, which is part of Manukau. It is a major base for Air New Zealand. Ongoing negotiations concern the development of a second airport at Whenuapai, a RNZAF airbase in Waitakere, to the northwest of the Auckland conurbation. As the air force is signalled to move to Ohakea base near Palmerston North, the feasibility of an international airport north of the city is being explored. Many private flights use the smaller airfield at Ardmore, south of the city but within the Auckland region. Dairy Flat to the north is used by light planes and some warbird enthusiasts. Mechanics Bay near the city centre, was the first international airport, used for many years as a base for flying boats of TEAL and amphibians of Tourist Air Travel and Sea Bee Air. It is now primarily used as a Heliport. A similar air force facility at Hobsonville has been sold to private boat builders.

Related Topics:
Auckland International Airport - Manukau Harbour - Mangere - Manukau - Air New Zealand - Whenuapai - RNZAF - Waitakere - Ohakea - Palmerston North - Ardmore - Dairy Flat - Mechanics Bay - TEAL - Tourist Air Travel - Sea Bee Air - Hobsonville

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Ferries

A feature of Auckland transport is the popularity of commuting by ferry. North Shore residents avoid the chronic Harbour Bridge congestion by catching ferries from Devonport, Bayswater or Stanley Bay to the CBD. Ferries also connect the city with Rangitoto and Waiheke Islands, and with Half Moon Bay.

Related Topics:
Rangitoto - Waiheke Island

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