Less time in traffic can mean making the school pickup, getting another job finished or arriving home with energy left for the family.
That’s the promise behind time of use charging, a targeted approach to easing Auckland’s peak-hour congestion.
Rather than charging everyone, everywhere, it would focus on the busiest roads when demand is highest, encouraging some drivers to change their travel time, share a ride or take public transport.
Auckland Council’s Franklin Ward councillor and chair of the Transport and Infrastructure Delivery Committee, Andy Baker, sees this as an essential piece of the transport puzzle, alongside better infrastructure and public transport. For those who still need to drive, the prize is faster, more predictable journeys.
“This is about actually getting people freed up and our goods and services moving around,” Baker says.
“It’s aimed at tackling the single biggest bugbear we have with our city – the traffic congestion at peak times, which compared to similarly sized cities is really bad.”
Aucklanders now have an opportunity to help shape that approach.
While Mayor Wayne Brown and councillors have agreed that time of use charging could be key to tackling the city’s congestion, details of the scheme – including the boundaries, charges and operating periods – will be finalised after Aucklanders have had their say.
Public engagement on three shortlisted options runs from November 11 to December 11, 2026.
Small shifts, wider benefits
The idea is not to force everyone out of their car. A relatively small change in peak-hour demand can help traffic flow more freely.
Council modelling suggests around 93-97% of car trips would remain uncharged across the shortlisted scenarios, meaning most drivers would pay nothing.
Benefits would extend to up to a third of drivers who never cross a charging boundary, while commuters heading to and from the city centre could see up to 10 minutes shaved off their journey – returning thousands of hours to Aucklanders each weekday.
Baker, who lives in Drury, knows how a motorway bottleneck can make a journey into Auckland torturous. Relieving pressure at key choke points could make a difference well beyond the charging area.
The gains are especially important for people whose vehicles are essential to their work.
“A plumber can’t throw their pipes and tools onto a train and head off,” Baker points out.
More reliable journeys would mean less working time swallowed by traffic and greater certainty for deliveries, appointments and customers.
There is a social dividend, too. Baker points to parents missing school events or opportunities to coach children’s sport because the trip home takes too long.
“The social cost of being stuck in that congestion is massive.”
Three ways to get Auckland moving
The smallest option would establish a city centre charging boundary. Drivers would pay when entering during the morning peak and leaving during the afternoon peak. Charges range from $3 to $4 in the morning to $2 to $3 in the afternoon.
Modelling suggests around two and a half minutes saved on charged trips, with congestion across the lower North Shore and isthmus dropping by 4%. The biggest benefits would be concentrated around the city centre and its approaches.
The city fringe option would extend the boundary to include areas such as Newmarket, with possible extensions towards Ponsonby and Parnell. Charges could be around $5 in the morning and $2 to $3 in the afternoon.
Charged trips would save around four minutes, while congestion could fall by around 6%.
The broadest option combines the city centre cordon with core motorway sections between the Harbour Bridge, Pt Chevalier and Mt Wellington.
Assuming a $5 charge, modelling suggests a 28% reduction in congestion across the lower North Shore and isthmus, with average time savings of seven minutes for charged trips, and as high as 10 minutes for some charged motorway journeys.
In all of these options, conditions around the charged area would be similar to the school holidays – except for the core motorways option, which is expected to see a bigger drop in motorway congestion than occurs during the holidays.
More choice, less friction
For some people, avoiding a charge could be as straightforward as travelling earlier or later.
Others might find a bus or train more convenient – an increasingly viable option for many with the City Rail Link now in service and amid other improvements to Auckland’s public transport network.
Baker believes flexible working creates room to rethink the traditional commute.
“I think what we’ve learned is we can be more flexible now in terms of when we need to be in the office. We can take advantage of that,” says Baker.
The intention is targeted change, not wholesale disruption. Drivers who need to travel at peak times could continue doing so, paying for a less congested journey.
Collection technology and billing arrangements are still to be decided, with Baker keen to avoid costly infrastructure eating into the proceeds while delivering a seamless, user-friendly system.
Any revenue generated after paying for project costs would be prioritised for improving transport connectivity around the city.
The motorway option, in particular, could lead to improved bus services – helping more people leave the car at home while potentially bringing forward other projects.
The options are also good for the economy, estimated to generate $3 to $4 in benefits for every $1 invested.
Shifting trips to public transport and reducing time spent idling also offers a pathway to lower air pollutants and carbon emissions in the city, a benefit Londoners have experienced since congestion charging was introduced there in 2003.
Other cities, from Stockholm to Singapore, have also experienced reduced congestion and faster trips as a result of time of use charging.
Have your say on the details
Affordability, practical alternatives and effects on surrounding streets all matter. Baker acknowledges diversion risks need managing and says a daily charging cap is something the council would welcome views on.
The council is inviting Aucklanders to consider which option would work best and what matters most in their daily travel. If a proposal proceeds, its final design must also go through public consultation before final decisions.
For Baker, the starting point is recognising the daily crawl is not something Auckland has to accept any longer.
“This is a key opportunity for people to have input into shaping our approach to deal with it.”
Have your say on time of use charging. Full details on the public consultation, which closes on December 11, are available at akhaveyoursay.nz/TimeOfUseCharging