Huge traffic cut needed for race

By BRIAN RUDMAN

Nearly half the 155,000 vehicles using the Auckland Harbour Bridge each day will have to stay at home to avoid gridlock during the proposed downtown V8 street car race.

Until Auckland City can convince other local authorities and Transit New Zealand that it can keep the city moving during the races, Transit will continue to oppose the event.

"Around 60,000 to 70,000 vehicles per day would need to be removed from the motorway on the peak days, Friday and Monday, to sustain a manageable situation on the motorway," said a report to last week's Transit board meeting.

"Even with such a decrease of traffic flows, there still remains significant risks to the network, and wider impacts of the closure of important local roads in the CBD would have flow-on effects to the Southern and Northwestern Motorway.

"Other travel demand constraints would be required on those routes to maintain a functional transport network."

The street closures would also have a big impact on North Shore bus services. "The closure of the Fanshawe St ramps will adversely impact on bus services, a vital part of the system required to transport people affected by the loss of motorway capacity.

"All services use Fanshawe and Beaumont to access the motorway for trips between the North Shore and Auckland CBD," the report said, "and there are no effective options with the proposed closures."

Transit chief executive Rick van Barneveld has written to Auckland City chief executive Bryan Taylor drawing his attention to last week's board resolution and pointedly asking him to refer the letter "to the mayor, the council and the relevant committees at the earliest possible time so that they can be made fully aware of Transit's position on the V8 race and the potential impact on Auckland city traffic".

This request underlines the board's continuing annoyance at Mr Taylor's failure to pass on to councillors an earlier Transit letter opposing the race.

That was in March, before councillors voted in favour of proceeding with a bid for the race.

That matter was also raised by Transit at a meeting between the council and board members last Thursday at which transport committee chairman Scott Milne gave Transit an assurance it wouldn't happen again.

Other issues adding to the risk of gridlock include construction activity on the motorway system at the time, and issues such as parking for the 150,000 expected spectators.

"For the event to even have a hope of being viable and not bringing Auckland and the surrounding districts to a standstill, the full co-operation of the Auckland district local authorities will be required."

In response, Mr Milne said race proponents were increasingly confident that Aucklanders could manage the traffic issues. "If we get the nod we'll knuckle down as a region and nationally to make it work."

Auckland City's group manager of recreation services, Cameron Parr, said traffic on the bridge would be reduced by encouraging car pooling and the use of public transport.