Brakes go on over Hobson Bay road

By BERNARD ORSMAN

A highway across Hobson Bay was thrown into doubt yesterday when a politician driving the eastern corridor project, Greg McKeown, declared it might not be necessary.

Mr McKeown told the Herald better public transport, Spaghetti Junction and the completion of State Highway 20 to the Northwestern Motorway could save Hobson Bay.

"There may not be a need in the long term but it will depend on how successful we are with many of the other projects we do across the region," said Mr McKeown.

The comments mark a split, particularly between Mr McKeown and Auckland City Mayor John Banks, who said he would not recoil from completing the eastern corridor with a road across Hobson Bay.

"I don't want to destroy any more of Hobson Bay than I reasonably have to to meet the demands of moving goods, services and people across Auckland," Mr Banks said.

He is now talking about four road lanes or fewer across Hobson Bay, compared to 13 lanes, a cycleway and walkway and widening Tamaki Drive by 50m as recommended by Opus International Consultants in March.

The split comes after 48 business and community groups, politicians and members of the public revealed the depth of division over the eastern highway at a public forum on Monday.

Afterwards Mr Banks made his position clear with a press statement containing only pro-highway comments.

The split was also clear in a set of resolutions drafted by Mr McKeown for yesterday's Auckland City transport committee, which he chairs. He also chairs the eastern transport corridor political steering group.

The resolutions, confirming the Hobson Bay route for the eastern transport corridor, were carefully worded to provide alternative solutions to a road through the environmentally sensitive areas of Hobson Bay, Orakei Basin and Purewa Creek.

They called for more improvements to move port traffic via Grafton Gully, completing the State Highway 20 western ring route, finding an alternative route from the Southern Motorway to East Tamaki and improving rail and bus services.


Mr McKeown sees a need to retain space across Hobson Bay for future transport infrastructure.

Mr Banks said he did not have a problem with Mr McKeown's "lateral thinking but for anyone to suggest there is not going to be a road on the eastern transport corridor is not in tune with my thinking or that of the greater public of Auckland".

Mr McKeown's wait-and-see approach has support from another member on the pro-highway Auckland Citizens & Ratepayers Now team - Hobson Bay community board chairman Troy Churton.

Mr Churton said he supported the strategic view that a road across Hobson Bay might not be needed once other links and improved public transport were in place.

The executive officer of Stop the Eastern Motorway, Richard Lewis, said it was clear Mr McKeown was trying to put forward a reasonable proposition but Mr Banks was determined to build a motorway across Hobson Bay.

City Vision leader Dr Bruce Hucker said the divisions within Auckland C & R Now were clear, with Mr Banks trying to "smuggle the eastern motorway through under the cover of darkness".

Dr Hucker said there was an alternative to a road between Glen Innes and the city by completing the western ring route to reduce congestion on the Southern Motorway, getting Ports of Auckland to expand its inland container port and use of rail, investing in public transport and pursuing the Allens Rd option linking the Southern Motorway to East Tamaki.