Transport in Auckland

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Auckland's transport, both that of the Greater Auckland area as well as that of all its constituent cities, is dominated by the motor vehicle. With its relatively decentralised and very low-density urban area, this method of transportation has outpaced all other competing forms, to the point where public transport has become almost marginal in Auckland. In fact, traffic problems, including the lack of good public transport, have been cited by many Aucklanders as one of the strongest negative factors of living there. ^[1]

Since car usage costs fall slightly with decreasing urban density, while public transport costs rise sharply (even if less capital-intensive types like bus services are used in the less dense zones), Auckland's public transport will for the foreseeable future have to cope with a substantial handicap compared to cities of similar population but higher density. ^[2][3]

Nonetheless, various initiatives, especially by the Auckland Regional Council (ARC) and the Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA), are trying to change this focus on motorized transport, both by investing in public transport and by stimulating a discussion on intensified growth (higher urban densities).

Contents 1 Historical Background 2 Motor vehicle transport 2.1 Motorways 2.2 Central Motorway Junction 2.3 Western Ring Route / SH20 Extension 2.4 Major bridges 2.5 Eastern Transport Corridor 3 Public transport (Bus & Rail) 3.1 Bus services 3.2 Train services 3.3 Britomart Transport Centre 3.4 Proposed Developments 4 Public transport (Ferries) 4.1 Ferry services 4.2 Ferry Terminals 4.3 External links 5 Commercial shipping 5.1 Freight turnover 5.2 Cruise ships 5.3 Harbour facilities 5.4 External links 6 Air transport 6.1 Airports 7 References 8 External Links

[edit] Historical Background

As a port city, Aucklands initial (19th century) urban growth occurred in a very intense fashion, concentrated around the harbour in a very similar manner to most other mercantile cities, with lack of transportation options limiting development to locations within walking distance of each other. The overcrowding of the inner city eventually created a demand for expansion made viable when new transportation technology appeared around 1900 in the form of streetcars (trams) and railways arriving in Auckland.

Auckland’s first tram (streetcar) line, from the CBD to Ponsonby via Karangahape Road was opened on November 24 1902, and as the system grew, it facilitated the expansion of Auckland’s built-up area in two ways: in an intermittent linear pattern to the west and south along the railway line, and in a more continuous manner along the main streetcar routes. The demand for more living space from people who had been confined to the crowded downtown area, coupled with an affordable and reliable transportation network led to the creation of many of Auckland's original suburbs, along Great North Road, New North Road, Sandringham Road, Dominion Road, Mt Eden Road, Manukau Road and Remuera Road, forming a new arc of suburban development in Auckland by 1915.

Railway lines also facilitated growth in more distant locations, such as Otahuhu and New Lynn, while ferries served Devonport, Takapuna and Birkenhead on the North Shore. Indeed, Auckland’s urban development in the early twentieth century is intrinsically linked to its transportation networks, and because of their limited reach (compared to that of the automobile) the city developed in a fairly compact manner to maximise the efficiency of the streetcar, railway and ferry systems. However, this situation was not to last for long, as even before the Second World War the automobile was becoming an integral part of life for many New Zealanders, opening up previously unreachable land for development.

The number of automobiles in New Zealand skyrocketed from 37,500 in 1922 to 261,850 in 1938^{[citation needed]}, at that stage the second highest rate of vehicles per capita in the world after the United States. This growing popularity meant that urban development could break free from the constraints of predetermined transit networks and occur anywhere roads were built. This would become a mixed blessing, as commuters were no longer forced to locate close to their place of work or to a streetcar line - leading to a rapid decentralisation of urban growth, today often less positively referred to as urban sprawl.

With the changing public and political opinions on public transport, tram lines were removed by 1956, and roads finally became fully paramount, with the extension of arterial roads and the state highway system. Also waned has the importance of shipping, which in historical times (i.e. the first century of settlement) was often dominant over land routes. Nowadays, shipping is mostly restricted to some ferry services and freight, as well as to yachting, which is not strictly a form of transport.

[edit] Motor vehicle transport

[edit] Motorways

Auckland has a significant traffic congestion problem. An extensive motorway network, planned decades ago during the height of the road building era, remains incomplete as of 2006. It is unlikely that this original plan will ever be built in its entirety because it is not economically viable anymore; however, a number of crucial gaps do exist in the current network, mainly the fact that there is no motorway detour around the Central Motorway Junction south of the CBD, thus forcing all motorway traffic in the Isthmus to pass through it. This is being addressed by the SH20 extension through southern Auckland (see below). A similar chokepoint is the Auckland Harbour Bridge towards North Shore City (also see below).

Auckland motorways often also have an arterial road function (i.e. being used for short-distance trips within the conurbation), which further aggravates congestion, especially between the centre of Auckland and Waitakere City, North Shore City and Manukau City.

Notwithstanding all these heavy traffic demands, Auckland motorways are generally considered to be in good shape.

[edit] Central Motorway Junction

Since 2001, several motorway construction projects began in and around the Central Motorway Junction ("Spaghetti Junction"), while new routes are underway in the southwest of the city and along the upper harbour. Transport funding favours roads over public transport in Auckland, and indeed in New Zealand. Most of Central Motorway Junction is completed, with the whole junction due to be completed by the end of 2006.^[4]

Recent improvements to the Northern Motorway (which have also included a bus expressway) have greatly reduced travel times from the North Shore to Orewa, while at the same time effectively extending Auckland's urban sprawl into southern Rodney District. It is projected that Orewa will eventually be swallowed up by Auckland's northward urban expansion.

[edit] Western Ring Route / SH20 Extension

The SH20 motorway, coming from the southeast, currently (2006) ends in the suburb of Hillsborough. This highway, once linked up to the SH16 westwards to Waitakere City, would provide a way of detouring the Central Motorway Junction, thus taking some pressure from SH1 and the Auckland Harbrour Bridge.

Planning for the Western Ring route, a project likely to cost in excess of NZ $1 billion, has taken many years, and while the first stages of the SH20 extension are currently under construction, Transit New Zealand has still not finalised the route for the westernmost section. This is due to the large areas of built-up suburb and some remaining natural reserves that would be affected. Local opposition has been strong.

In August 2006, Transit NZ has declared that it would be looking at extended tunelling options for the Mt Roskill-Waterview section of the Western Ring Route. While strongly increasing the costs, extended tunneling would be favored by the opponents of the projects, as the collateral effects of the project would be much reduced. The original plans would have involved the destruction of around 300 homes.^[5]

[edit] Major bridges

Main article: Auckland Harbour Bridge

An iconic structure of Auckland, the harbour bridge is also a bottleneck for traffic. With the only other north-south motorway connection involving a wide detour through Waitakere, this bridge has to accommodate large amounts of rush hour traffic, mainly from the North Shore into the city in the morning, and vice-versa in the afternoon.

The bridge was extended in 1969 by constructing cantilevered 'clip-on' lanes at both outer sides of the original construction, giving it 8 lanes in total (from 4 lanes before). As this eventually was still not enough to manage the growing traffic loads, a traffic management solution involving a movable barrier was installed, giving it 5 lanes per dominant direction depending on the time of day.

Main article: Mangere Bridge

This bridge carries State Highway 16 over the Manukau Harbour. While at the moment, SH16 ends in southern Auckland (coming from the southeast), the completion of the Western Ring Route will further increase the importance of this link.

Main article: Upper Harbour Bridge

This bridge in the northwest of Auckland, between Waitakere City and North Shore City, is an important part of the connection between those cities, and also offers an alternative route to the Auckland Harbour Bridge, which is going to become even more important with the completion of the Western Ring Route.

[edit] Eastern Transport Corridor

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, including significant roading elements. 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, including wards that were traditionally supportive of Banks' centre-right governance. The newly-elected Auckland City Council has a centre-left grouping as its largest bloc, aided by the anti-motorway Action Hobson ticket. The incoming Deputy Mayor Bruce Hucker announced in early November 2004 a major change in direction for Auckland City.

[edit] Public transport (Bus & Rail)

[edit] Bus services

The bulk of public transport in the city, bus services in the Auckland Region are mostly provided by Stagecoach New Zealand, though under the umbrella of the MAXX brand of Auckland's public transport. Bus lines are mainly radial lines connecting Auckland CBD with the suburbs and the surrounding cities. Long-distance connections also exist with substantial frequency, most going towards Whangarei, Hamilton and Tauranga, the closest cities outside the Auckland region.

Bus services have improved in various ways during the last years, partly through investment into new vehicles and partly by the increased introduction of infrastructure measures like bus lanes (Northern Busway) and similar priority measures. However, they still suffer from long delays and bad public image. East Auckland, including Pakuranga, Howick and Botany Downs, suffers from some of the worst bus services in Auckland, with few routes and a private bus company monopoly, currently leaving little scope for improvement.

Bus service is also rather limited in terms of late connections - most services stop around midnight or earlier, even on Fridays and Saturdays, leaving taxis as the only alternative for people without their own vehicle. A recent spate of attacks on bus drivers, predominantly at night, has led the operators to declare that they may consider ceasing service on some high-risk connections during those hours. It was also said that various security measures were being implemented, mainly cameras and separate driver cabins, to be installed on all buses.^[6]

The negative factors have ensured that after a plateau of just over 46 million bus trips per year in 2003 usage volume has fallen for three years and declined to just 42.18 million trips in the reporting year ending June 2006. However, users were taking longer rides, causing the total number of passenger kilometers to rise somewhat to 420 million. The ARTA study ^[7] also found a number of typical characteristics for Auckland bus transport users:

• 58% were female;
• 50% were white-collar workers
• 23% were tertiary students

It also showed some characteristics relevant to the scope for future public transport measures, namely that:

• 71% had other transport (i.e. motor transport was unattractive - for whatever reason)
• 37% wanted service frequencies to be increased

[edit] Train services

There are three main railway lines in the Auckland Region:

• The western line, which runs from Britomart Transport Centre via Newmarket to the west, passing through Mount Albert, New Lynn, Henderson and Swanson, before terminating at Waitakere Township (not all stations are listed).

• The central line (Newmarket line) runs from Britomart Transport Centre to Papakura via Newmarket, Remuera and Ellerslie, with a limited number of trains continuing on to Pukekohe. Trains south of Otahuhu alternate between the central line and the eastern line.

• The eastern line runs from the Britomart Transport Centre to Papakura as well, via Orakei, Glen Innes and Panmure. Trains south of Otahuhu alternate between the central line and the eastern line.

See also: List of Auckland railway stations and Veolia (New Zealand)

Significant improvements were made to the train services in October 2005, with Sunday services being reintroduced for the first time in over 30 years, more peak hour trains and later trains on Friday and Saturday nights in particular.

Recent investment in Auckland's train services has resulted in strongly increased patronage, though from a very low level. Investment has focused on upgrading and refurbishing the current rolling stock and railway stations. Some double-tracking to allow higher frquencies has been undertaken or is in planning, and has resulted in a 25% increase in frequency, and a rise in punctuality (defined as trains being late 5 minutes or less) from 60.9% in 2005 to 83.1% in 2006.^[7] A long-running debate over electrifying the local network meanwhile shows no sign of progress (late 2006).

[edit] Britomart Transport Centre

Main article Britomart Transport Centre

Opened July 2003, the centre is a central interconnection hub for buses, trains and ferries. During its planning period it provoked much controversy spanning multiple mayoral terms. 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 anywhere within the near future. 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.

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^{[citation needed]} associated with a project of this size, and the prevailing attitudes towards public transport, it may be some time before the project begins, if at all. Increased population density around transport corridors and sustained inflated petrol prices may combine to make this project more attractive in the medium term. Also, recent patronage jumps in response to remedial improvements to the existing diesel powered rail network have resulted in greater support for plans for electrification, signal upgrades, station improvements and network expansion. This, however, has been on the drawing board for many years, electrification particularly was overlooked throughout the 80's and 90's. The Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) aims to be a strong and persistent advocate for alternatives to the private car, including public transport, cycling and walking. The CBT is both a successor to the former Campaign for Public Transport and a new umbrella group which will include representation from the Light Rail Transit Association, Cycling Action Auckland and groups opposed to motorway extensions.

[edit] Proposed Developments

There has been growing recognition throughout Auckland over the past 10 years of the need to invest in public transport to help ease growing traffic congestion. A number of extensions to the city's rail network have been proposed, including a central city loop, linking the Britomart Transport Centre with the Mt Eden station via a tunnel underneath Albert Street; a short rail extension from Wiri Station to Manukau City Centre; and possibly a rail line to Auckland International Airport.

The city tunnel has been a repeated and especially controversial political topic, but has always failed to get approval, due to the high costs associated with tunnelling under some of New Zealand's most expensive buildings. Nonetheless, some preparations for a possible link have been made, with some of the newer Albert Street edfices (like the ASB building) actually posessing unused underground railway stations, in case the link is ever built.^{[citation needed]}

The Central Transit Corridor is expected to be tendered for construction in 2006 and is to improve links between Newmarket and the inner city. The Northern Busway meanwhile is mooted to be extended further north, to serve the increasing urbanisation of the northern areas of North Shore City, and may eventually go all the way to Orewa and the associated Whangaparaoa peninsula.

[edit] Public transport (Ferries)

[edit] Ferry services

A feature of Auckland transport is the popularity of commuting by ferry. A substantial minority of North Shore commuters avoid the chronic Harbour Bridge congestion by catching ferries from Devonport, Bayswater or Stanley Bay to the CBD. The ferries travel at least hourly, and in fact have longer hours of operation than many of Auckland's bus and railway lines.

Ferries also connect the city with Rangitoto, Waiheke Islands, and Half Moon Bay (Manukau City). Ferries to Great Barrier Island are less regular, with the 4h passages once every 1-2 days, depending on the time of the year and the weather.

Currently, there are no ferry services on the western shores of Auckland, and none are planned, as the city's waterfront orientation is much stronger towards the east (Waitemata Harbour) than to the west (Manukau Harbour).

[edit] Ferry Terminals

The Auckland Ferry Terminal is in downtown Auckland on Quay Street, between Princes Wharf and the container port, directly opposite the Britomart Transport Centre. An underground link between the two (to allow easier road crossing and protection from bad weather) has been planned but not built yet due to cost reasons.

There are further ferry terminals at Devonport, Stanley Bay, Bayswater, Northcote Point, Birkenhead and Half Moon Bay. There are also terminals at West Harbour, Pine Harbour and Gulf Harbour, as well as on the Hauraki Gulf Islands.

The Auckland Regional Transport Network (ARTNL), the entity responsible for building Auckland's passenger transport terminals, is currently (2005-2006) investing $NZ 20 million into upgrades to the ferry passenger terminals, and is trying to improve the problem of parking, especially at those terminals catering for commuter to the CBD, but is limited by the fact that parking is the authority of local councils and that new parking would be hard to provide for unless by provision of new parking buildings. ARTNL also noted that while ferry services were often full, a combination low profits and uncertainty about losing services to other bidders in the future has made providers reluctant to invest the large sums necessary for new ferries.^[8]

[edit] External links

• Fullers The main ferry provider for the commuter services.
• SeaLink Formerly Subritzky, ferry service to Waiheke and Great Barrier.

[edit] Commercial shipping

[edit] Freight turnover

Auckland also has New Zealand's largest commercial port, its turnover exceeding even that of large rivals like Tauranga substantially. Ports of Auckland (POAL), the company managing all Auckland ports, handles the movement of 60% of New Zealand's imports and 40% of New Zealand's exports (both by value). 70% of this trade enters or leaves the country in containers - though ships unloading large amounts of cars are also a typical sight at the wharves of Auckland. The ports move 4 million tonnes of 'breakbulk' cargo per year, as well as over 670,000 TEUs (Twenty-foot equivalent container units) (2006).^[9]

[edit] Cruise ships

In the 2005/2005 season, POAL also catered for 48 cruise ship visits (at Port of Auckland, Princes Wharf), with more than 100,000 passengers passing through the port, most for short trips into Auckland or the surrounding region.^[10]

[edit] Harbour facilities

Auckland has two commercial harbours (not counting ferry terminals):

• Port of Auckland - largest container and international trade port of New Zealand (Waitemata Harbour)
• Port of Onehunga - smaller, mostly regional port (Manukau Harbour)

There are also two 'inland ports' (reshipment terminals without direct maritime access) serving the national reshipment trade.

All port facilities are 100% held (via 'Ports of Auckland') by Auckland Regional Holdings, an Auckland Regional Council (ARC) investment entity.

[edit] External links

• Ports of Auckland (company homepage)

[edit] Air transport

With Auckland being the largest city of New Zealand, a great number of international and national flight connections exist. Main routes are to Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong and to the western US. Within New Zealand, the main connections are to the capital in Wellington and to the main city of the South Island, Christchurch. However, smaller planes fly to almost all other cities and to many small airports all over New Zealand.

Historically, Auckland had first been served by flying boat services from Mechanics Bay and Hobsonville. As aircraft such as the Short Solent and Short Sunderland were replaced by land-based planes, the first airport was opened at Mangere, supplanting earlier airfields at Ardmore and Whenuapai.

[edit] 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. A new runway is planned north of the main airport area, with a shorter length well suitable for the booming intra-New Zealand flight market.

Ongoing discussions 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 a secondary airport north of the city is being explored.

Most private flights and light aircraft operate from the three smaller General Aviation (GA) airfields at the edges of the Auckland conurbation; Ardmore Airfield south of the city which is NZ's busiest airfield in terms of movements, North Shore Airfield to the north and Parakai Airfield to the north west.

Mechanics Bay near the city centre, was the first international airport, used for many years as a base for flying boats of TEAL (now Air New Zealand), and amphibians of Tourist Air Travel and Sea Bee Air. It is now a Heliport. A secondary air force facility at Hobsonville has been sold to private boat builders and is no longer an airfield.

[edit] References

1. ^ Central Transit Corridor Project (Auckland City website, includes mention of effects of transport on public satisfaction)
2. ^ Density of urban activity and journey costs - Vivier, Jean, UITP - Public Transport International 1/99
3. ^ Optimisation and Scale Economies in Urban Bus Transportation - Mohring, H - American Economic Review, 1972
4. ^ Auckland Motorways (private website). Retrieved on August 2006.
5. ^ Community resistance forces Transit to look at tunnels for $1b motorway, New Zealand Herald, Friday, August 11 2006, page A3.
6. ^ Night services under threat after attacks on bus drivers, New Zealand Herald, Friday, August 11 2006, page A3.
7. ^ ^{a b} Fewer fares but longer journeys, New Zealand Herald, Wednesday, October 11 2006, page A15.
8. ^ Ferry terminals offer tickets to ride , New Zealand Herald, Saturday, April 9 2005, page unknown.
9. ^ Port Overview (from the Ports of Auckland homepage, 4 November 2006)
10. ^ Spectacular cruise ship season begins (from the Ports of Auckland homepage, 25 October 2006)

[edit] External Links

• Auckland Motorways (a private website covering the Auckland motorway system)