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Big savings from improvements to Auckland’s roads
22 November 2013
Big savings from improvements to Auckland’s roads
Work to make some of Auckland’s main urban roads more efficient has seen savings of around $18 million in two years.
Auckland Transport’s four year Route Optimisation Programme has, so far, meant improvements to 40 per cent of Auckland’s urban arterial routes or 134 kilometres of roads.
Route optimisation provides efficiency through improvements like better coordination of traffic signals, assessing the operation of the route and minor changes to traffic lanes, parking and pedestrian crossings.
The savings, so far, include one million litres of fuel, just over a million hours of travel time and 2,400 tonnes of CO2 emissions. Other benefits include reductions in the length of queues and congestion levels.
For pedestrians and cyclists there is less waiting time at some intersections controlled by traffic lights.
Auckland Transport’s Manager Road Corridor Operations, Randhir Karma, says some of the improvements have been relatively easy to make.
“There have been simple changes to help speed up flows like improving traffic signal timings, changing the way lanes are configured and how they merge. To make public transport more efficient, we have improved access to some bus stopping bays. These quick wins, in particular the signal improvements at intersections, have also provided benefits for cyclists and buses.
“The cost of the programme, so far, is $3.7 million which includes a number of minor capital projects to increase efficiency along routes and at intersections. That’s great value seeing we have made savings of $18 million for ratepayers and taxpayers.”
The most impressive result for the 2012-2013 programme has been along Great North Road where better coordination of traffic signals and minor improvements mean, on average, two and a half minutes is shaved off each trip in the peak periods for the 25,000 vehicles using the road each day.
The next stage of route optimisation will mostly be focussed on roads in the inner city.
The full report to the Board of Auckland Transport can be viewed here: www.aucklandtransport.govt.nz/optimisation
For more information: www.aucklandtransport.govt.nz
ENDS
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