Councillor frustrated to be left out of second Auckland harbour crossing discussions

An Auckland Councillor is frustrated the council has been left out of discussions about a second harbour crossing in the city.

Transport advocacy group Greater Auckland pitched its idea for a bridge next to the current Harbour Bridge, with four motorway lanes, two rapid transit lanes, and walking and cycling paths to the council on Tuesday.

North Shore ward councillor Richard Hills told Morning Report he understood the Transport Agency would be making a proposal to Cabinet soon.

But he said the council had not had a say.

"We need to understand how it affects the north, the city centre. I think most people get excited about a new crossing, but forget that on the other side, you might have to widen motorways, put massive Waterview-style overbridges across parts of our suburbs."

He said that while the council did not have the budget to pay for the project, they should be consulted.

"Aucklanders should understand the options on the table. If there's no public transport, walking and cycling involved, is it going to be worth it? Is it going to be future-proofed? Is it going to be sustainable for the future? We know none of that yet. Which seems extraordinary if the people who are going to use it don't really know what it's going to be."

Hills, who was also the chairperson of the council's Policy and Planning and Development Committee, believed the new bridge needed to prioritise public transport.

"The Northern Busway, when it opened the first couple of years, had 600,000 users a year. Before Covid-19, it had eight and a half million users, and we're getting back to that number. It has meant that about 50 percent of the people travelling over the bridge in the mornings are in a bus.

"There's a lot of growth further north of the North Shore and we need to be moving people faster and more efficiently.

"People have also been really desperate to walk and cycle over that bridge."

He said Transport Minister Chris Bishop had told the council they would get more information before any announcement about a second harbour crossing was made, but he wanted more collaboration with the council before then.