Brian Rudman: All roads lead to Mangere in airport's big plan

COMMENT

Surprise, surprise, Auckland International Airport is trying to soften us up to the idea that more roads will have to be built to Mangere.

That's after huge amounts of public funds have already been spent on grand roads linking the airport to just about all points of the compass.

"With numbers of people and freight using the airport increasing every year, we need to ensure that the roading and public transport systems serving the airport are up to the task," says airport chief executive Don Huse.

He was announcing a major in-house study into "land transport issues" at the airport following "concerns about access at peak periods and the unpredictability of the time it takes people to get to and from the airport".

It's no doubt a good PR tactic to trigger our fear that unless something is done, we might miss our next flight. But I smell a red herring.

It's not growing passenger numbers that are threatening congestion on the airport access highways, it's the airport company's own "think big" diversification strategies.

Its sales pitch invites manufacturers and retailers to move their businesses to the airport "mini-city".

"Auckland International Airport ... invites tenants, developers, real estate agents, and other commercial users of land and buildings to familiarise themselves with the various commercial accommodation options the airport has to offer."

Declaring its plans to commercially develop an adjacent 1500 hectares, the airport skites: "Auckland International Airport is easily accessible from the north, south and east.

"Future plans for airport roading will enhance access to the regional road network and main arterials."

That's if this commercial property developer can persuade taxpayers to build them, that is.

The sales blurb adds that as well as "a large established market" of over 8000 people employed at the airport, "nearby suburbs provide a large potential workforce which is only minutes away".

I remember thinking at the time the airport launched its city-building phase, proudly announcing that a supermarket and bulk hardware and retail barns were moving in, that there went the benefits of the new highway access: it was only a matter of time before my quick drive to the airport would be hindered by locals doing their weekly shop.

The not-so-hidden costs of this diversification programme were illustrated a year ago by the opening of the $14.5 million Puhinui interchange, expenditure forced in part at least on the national road-builder, Transit New Zealand, because of congestion on the old road network caused by increased traffic to the airport site.

Is it subversive to propose that an alternative solution to the impending congestion problems would be to restrict future development at the airport to strictly airport-related activities?

That would save taxpayers and ratepayers, who will be lumbered with the cost of new roads, billions of dollars.

Of course, if getting punters to the airport quickly and comfortably is top of the company's mind, it could always get in behind the plans - tirelessly promoted by regional councillor Mike Lee and the Campaign for Better Transport - to build a modern rail service from the central city along the derelict Onehunga branch line, across Manukau Harbour and on to the airport.

Link it with the proposed rail extension through Manukau City Centre, and we'd have a modern, congestion-proof, people-moving system, immune from the worries of rush-hour gridlock or local shopping expeditions.

I'd have thought a smart airport operator would bend over backwards to put this proposal top of its present land transport access probe.

Proponents of Whenuapai as a second Auckland airport suggest Mr Huse's announcement reflects his concerns about the rival bid. Here again, promoting rapid rail to the airport from the west would quieten critics from that part of town too.

A rail link along the existing State Highway 20 rail corridor from West Auckland to Mangere would provide a congestion-free solution to their problems also. And reduce the clamour for another airport.

* John Banks' former campaign director Brian Nicolle has complained that a Brian Rudman column last week which mentioned his resignation put the following words into his mouth:

"Oh, sorry, meant to tell you, I've spent $10,000 of your money distributing copies of an allegedly defamatory article about your opponent. Hope you don't get sued too. Or get barred from office for overspending."

The Herald acknowledges that these were not the exact words spoken.

Obviously they were a tongue-in-cheek attempt to recreate what might have been said based on subsequent comments by both men.