Lake Road Residents Ready to Consider Paying More to Ease Congestion

AA Members on the Devonport Peninsula might be ready to green-light targeted rates to see the constant congestion along Lake Road improved.

That’s the sentiment from a recent AA survey of 800 Devonport Peninsula Members.

The survey followed consultation sought by Auckland Transport on three investment options to improve Lake Road traffic: $10 million (low), $30-40 million (medium) and $70+ million (high).

AA Senior Advisor – Infrastructure Vanessa Wills says the results of the survey highlight the level of frustration the road causes for local residents, and it’s clear from the feedback that the status quo isn’t going to be tolerated for much longer.

“Locals see this as a clear opportunity to bite the bullet; fix it once and fix it properly. They don’t want to see “half-pie tinkering” only to have more road works again in 10 years’ time – they want significant and substantial investment right now, and if it means paying for the high-level option, then that’s something they’re willing to look into.”

Around half of the survey respondents preferred the $70 million dollar option which sees the most results for all commuter modes. Of those, half went on to confirm they’d be willing to pay a targeted rate, with around two thirds of those willing to pay somewhere between $50 and $250 annually.

There’s a catch here, though, says Ms Wills.

“People are willing to pay something extra, but they want to see it happening faster as a result. AA Members want to see benefits within the next five years – not 10.”

Ms Wills says one of the most important takeaways from the survey was the potential for targeted rates to help fund future infrastructure projects.

“The Council is now looking at ways to plug the funding gap, and targeted rates are firmly on the agenda. The response from AA Members suggests that if the benefits stack up, this could be something they’re willing to explore. The next step is for Council to indicate the role that targeted rates could play in funding infrastructure projects like Lake Road as well as factoring its improvements into the region-wide planning. One thing is clear from AA Members; doing nothing is not an option.”

The high investment option would also revamp the Bayswater Ferry infrastructure including its park and ride.

“The overhaul of Bayswater reinforces the role ferries play across the Peninsula. With ferry users making up roughly one third of all daily commuters in the AA survey, sharing the load between Devonport and Bayswater ferries seems the obvious option to AA Members.”

ENDS

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