North-west busway to win Te Atatu?

IT'S rush hour on Triangle Rd. The traffic is jammed around the Waimumu Rd roundabout, stretching for almost 1km to the Lincoln Rd intersection.

City commuters pull into the cycle lane to try to make space for those going to Henderson, and buses frequently cross the centre line to make some gains on the queue.

Sometimes the buses spend 20 minutes getting on to the motorway. It's a frustrating wait for passengers.

Edward Hoyle lives in Massey,  works in central Auckland and says the journey to the city can be a nightmare.

"There are three express buses that I can catch - one at 7.20am, 7.50am and one at 8.50am. There is little difference in the traffic buildup getting to the motorway between the three times," he says.

"I've waited up to 20 to 30 minutes just to get on to the motorway due to congestion at the Triangle Rd and Lincoln Rd intersection.

"Usually there is a five to 10 minute wait before getting on to the motorway and battling our way through traffic to get to the city."

If you're not on a bus, it can take even longer.

"Sometimes I do drive in to work, but I try to be on the motorway before 6.40am to miss the traffic and the trip usually takes about 20 minutes. If you go later you get stuck."

Mr Hoyle hopes a new campaign to build a busway along the Northwestern Motorway - which could allow  passengers to travel between Massey and Queen St in 25 minutes - will gain momentum.

"Living out West is affordable and I would welcome a quicker, easier way for me to get around without having to rely on my car."

The campaign is part of Labour MP Phil Twyford's bid for the Te Atatu electorate.

"One of the first things I noticed when my family moved to the area was how bad the traffic congestion is," Mr Twyford says.

"And it is a big concern for the people who live here. Sometimes it is taking people half an hour to get on to the motorway and they spend up to three hours every day commuting to the city and back. The traffic is taking time out of people's lives when they could be spending it doing much more worthwhile things."

Mr Twyford believes the  plan to widen the Northwestern Motorway should be put on hold and a new busway  considered.

"There is a hugely successful model of this working on the North Shore which takes two lanes of traffic off the Northern Motorway during peak hours," he says.

"The train is not an option for people who live in Massey and Te Atatu because it goes out to Helensville and doesn't come anywhere near these suburbs."

Mr Twyford says a dedicated busway would cost $350 million and include stops at Westgate, Royal Rd and Waimumu Rd in Massey, Flanshaw Rd in Te Atatu, plus Rosebank and Pt Chevalier.

Feeder services from surrounding suburbs would bring passengers to the busway.

"The current motorway plans need to be future-proofed for something like this, especially with the development at Westgate," says Mr Twyford.

The motorway expansion includes adding two more lanes to the existing motorway and having bus priority lanes on the shoulders.

Buses use the shoulders during peak times, but these are interrupted by motorway onramps.

NZ Transport Agency transport planning manager Neil Cree says a busway was considered for the motorway between Rosebank Rd and Great North Rd in Pt Chevalier.

"The investigation concluded that the current plans to widen and raise the motorway and provide bus priority on the shoulders of the highway represented the best value for money.

"Construction on the motorway project is due to start in 2012 and the project does not preclude future busway options, but they would have a greater impact on the neighbouring Waitemata Harbour environment."

Mr Twyford says this is not good enough for the people in a large area of West Auckland.

"The North Shore has a very successful busway model, so why can't the West?"