Time Of Use Charging A Boost For Business Productivity

The EMA says the Government’s decision to introduce time of use charging schemes will result in big productivity gains for business.

EMA Head of Advocacy Alan McDonald says the initiative will reduce travel times on our busiest roads and better utilise existing road capacity.

"Recent traffic monitoring data has found that Aucklanders are losing 22 million hours per year out of their lives while they sit in traffic," says McDonald.

"That equates to a $1.3 billion annual hit to GPD.

"Time of use charging is an overdue solution that has been successfully trialled around the world."

McDonald says an NZIER focus group funded by the EMA found that time of use charging would add about two extra jobs a day for tradies.

"Time of use charging will increase productivity as more jobs are completed, ensure more goods are moved and that we have better access to services."

"Urban centres in the upper North Island have been suffering chronic congestion and deteriorating links between the cities.

"This Government initiative is key to removing these bottlenecks."

McDonald says the timing of the congestion charging scheme works well with the scheduled opening of Auckland’s City Rail Link, which is a long-awaited solution to getting more commuters out of their cars and onto public transport.

"Along with plans to accelerate many Roads of National Significance through fast-track legislation, and an increased commitment to maintenance and resilience funding for our roading network, effective solutions to the country’s traffic woes are finally being implemented."

Allowing local councils to propose time of use schemes for their networks, with Government approval, ensures that they will be fit-for-purpose in each region, adds McDonald.

With NZTA providing oversight into these schemes and making sure they are not treated as revenue-generating opportunities ensures public confidence that time of use charging is being done fairly and for the right reasons.

"By better managing traffic flows, people can get about their daily lives easier and reduce the climate impacts of idling in traffic," says McDonald.

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