Brian Rudman: Next week, sometime ... and a ferry chance slips away

COMMENT

A month of sultry weather and what happens but the legendary Mexican brush-off of "manana", as in "tomorrow is another day", takes hold as Auckland officialdom's catchphrase.

My first encounter was a couple of Thursdays back when the next door business was burgled and the miscreants leapt over my back fence to make their exit.

They ill-judged their landing somewhat, ending up in my compost heap and dropping part of their loot.

The police, by phone, told the landlord they'd attend the scene when they could. Unconvinced of their interest, the landlord asked me to report it as well, which I did. To an answerphone.

The constabulary finally turned up the next Tuesday.

It was about then that I picked up my Herald to read that our on-the-ball transport gurus had come up with a blueprint to improve Auckland's ferry services.

Amen to that, thought I, until I read it could take 20 years to achieve. Even the modest priority first stage was not to be completed until 2010.

This, despite Regional Council transport chairwoman Catherine Harland insisting that "ferry services are absolutely fundamental to Auckland's transport strategy".

Explaining the snail's pace, Auckland Regional Transport Network ferry terminal manager Kevin Brown said "public transport planning is a long-term process".

Which has certainly proven true of ferry services. The draft Auckland regional ferry strategy from which the officials are working is dated 2000.

The 20-year plan includes new destinations such as Te Atatu, Hobsonville, Beachhaven, Takapuna, Browns Bay, St Heliers, Howick and Beachlands.

It also examined, but discarded, Panmure and Greenhithe.

With the Government's pre-Christmas announcement of its intention to put an extra $1.62 billion into Auckland transport over the next 10 years to top up the $4.2 billion already earmarked, I would have thought the smart idea for a ferry advocate would have been to come up with a two or five year plan for upgrading the ferry services, not a never-never year proposal like the one being contemplated.

The eye-opening aspect of the report are the small costs involved.

Currently, $22 million is being spent on upgrading existing terminals, about half it on the main downtown facility.

The 2000 report says that another $12.3 million to $19.1 million would pay for all the other proposed wharf improvements, terminal facilities, associated car parks and new ferry boats in the 20-year plan.

Compared with building new roads, this is mere petty cash. Take the eastern highway folly.

The various feasibility studies and reports into this project are going to cost $13 million, as much as the lower estimate for completing the whole ferry plan - wharfs, boats the lot.

Like rail, once-popular ferry services were left to atrophy during Auckland's 50-year infatuation with road-based transport solutions.

Yet, like rail, the ferries have the potential to remove large numbers of cars from the rapidly clogging arterial roads in the central city. And for a fraction of the cost of a new road.

In 2001, 3.3 million ferry rides were made. Last year, that figure leapt to 4.9 million. The cautious transport planners warn that the later figures could be skewed by America's Cup tourists.

So what? If they hadn't been on the water, they would have added to our road woes. And had lots less fun.

If I was a tourist in Auckland, the ability to trip about the city via the harbour would be a big selling point, especially for a place selling itself as the city of sails.

Short-sightedly, the report is commuter focused. For this reason, expanding services along the picturesque eastern suburbs bays and on to Howick and Beachlands is relegated to priority three, manana time.

A more holistic approach would have been to provide ferry services to tourist honeypots such as Kelly Tarlton's aquarium and Mission Bay. Think of the road-blocking tour buses that might keep off congested Tamaki Drive.

And speaking selfishly, how pleasant a service along the western bays to Pt Chevalier and beyond would be, if not with a large ferry then with a water taxi service. During the summer months at least.

Over the next six months, transport bureaucrats will be scrambling to come up with ways of impressing the yet to be established Auckland Regional Transport Authority, which from July will be developing and implementing a transport plan for Auckland.

Somehow it's hard to see a timorous plan such as this, impressing anyone.