City quick to tell Transit what it thinks about tolls

Having tolls will enable the ring route to be finished by 2011 Transit says. Picture / Paul Estcourt

Thousands of Aucklanders have rushed to make submissions on motorway tolls, but Transit NZ will not disclose their views for fear of skewing public consultation efforts.

The agency last week mailed pamphlets on plans to charge tolls on Auckland's western ring route to up to 470,000 households.

It acknowledges some people may not have received the pamphlet, and says anyone who has missed out should let it know.

Regional manager Peter Spies said this week that about 6000 written submission forms from the pamphlets had been returned, although Aucklanders have almost five more weeks to say whether they support tolls as the price for having the 48km route between Manukau and Albany opened by 2015.

Newspaper letter-writers and talkback radio callers appear mainly opposed to tolls. Mr Spies said Transit was finding good support from "stakeholder" groups able to appreciate the economic and other benefits of accelerating the project.

In the pamphlet, Transit warns Aucklanders that the $1.3 billion the Government has committed to the route will not be enough to complete all the missing motorway links until 2030, unless it can introduce a tolling system to fill an $800 million gap.

It is proposing tolls ranging from 75c to $1.50 at seven points along the route for general traffic, for a total of $7 at peak times.

Trucks are likely to be charged double.

In return, the agency says, drivers would save up to 40 minutes in peak periods compared with travelling on existing roads.

Transit acknowledges that up 40c of the price charged at each electronic tolling point would go on administration, rather than on repaying the road construction loan, but it has yet to disclose the total amount it expects to collect over a minimum 35-year period.

Mr Spies said Transit intended to operate the scheme, either by itself or in a Government-led joint venture such as with Land Transport NZ, rather than licensing it to a private company.

"The revenue will be to complete the western ring route - it is not revenue collection for revenue collection's sake," he said.

Mr Spies also said Transit would strive for a balance in setting the tolls at levels high enough to offer motorists reliable travel times in relatively free-flowing conditions, but not such as to cause free alternative routes to be overwhelmed by vehicle trying to avoid paying.

National's finance spokesman, John Key, said there should be nothing to stop using private capital to build and operate toll roads as long as the Government could negotiate agreements that gave motorists value for money and ensured they were not "held hostage" to bankers.

Although a National administration would look at each case on its merits, he said, New Zealand had little hope of overcoming an enormous infrastructure deficit without some private capital to supplement Government spending.

* Anyone who has not received Transit's pamphlet should call (09) 358-8647 or visit the agency's website, www.transit.govt.nz