Michelle McCormick: Infrastructure NZ policy director on the new reports revealing traffic congestion costs Auckland $2.6 billion a year

Congestion charging is expected to trigger a change in driver behaviour. 

A bill allowing councils and local authorities to set charges for people using busy routes during peak hours has passed its first reading in Parliament. 

A report released today revealed congestion costs Auckland $2.6 billion a year. 

Infrastructure New Zealand policy director Michelle McCormick says people need to change their thinking around transport. 

"We're quite often lazy and we just jump in the car without a thought about alternatives. But if there's a charge to it, we're paying directly - it might just make us stop and think."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
If you're listening to this and you're in Auckland, you're
probably stuck in traffic. I'm sorry about that. But I've
got a couple of things to update you on. One
is a report that's come out, Wayne Brown's congestion Report.
I'll have the numbers in a second. But Parliament has
this afternoon just passed the first reading of the Congestion
Charging Bill. This is the bill that would give the
councils the power to charge us for going through central

(00:22):
cities at peak times. Now, interestingly, all the parties voted
in favor of this, barring to Party Maori for some
reason they voted against it. Anyway, Wayne Brown's report back
to that. So he's come out today and he said
it's costing Auckland two point six billion dollars a year
by twenty twenty six. This is congestion. Michelle McCormick is
the Infrastructure in z Policy direct issues with me this evening. Hi, Michelle, Hi, Ron,

(00:47):
So how long are we do we know how long
we're each spending on average in traffic?

Speaker 2 (00:52):
Well, I know that there's twenty nine million hours per
year being lost in Auckland, aligned which is a lot
amongst population, So I know everyone can relate to sitting
in traffic and being hugely frustrated and going nowhere.

Speaker 1 (01:06):
How do we compare to other countries? Are the cities
even around the region.

Speaker 2 (01:10):
Well, interestingly, the report has actually shown we're even worse
than Sydney and Melbourne, which is really concerning. Previously, you know,
we we have sort of on par but we have
actually got worse. As implemented other toll roads and improve
their public transport, we're still legging behind.

Speaker 1 (01:29):
Okay. So one of the solutions that they talk about
is congestion charging. Do you support it?

Speaker 2 (01:34):
Yes, we do, yep. We've advocated for this for a
long time. We think it's really needed in New Zealand.
It's vital that this legislation is passed. It's great to
see that there's cross party support through the first reading
and we're looking forward to the select committee process. It's
really important that you know there is control over to
the local cities themselves to help design the scheme that's

(01:57):
right for their circumstances. But this will be a game changer,
just will really make a difference in people's lives.

Speaker 1 (02:04):
So basically what because what it congestion charging is actually saying.
Is it's saying there's a whole bunch of people who
are going through the city or on our motorway is
a peak time who don't need to be, isn't it.
That's basically what it's says. Yep.

Speaker 2 (02:16):
Absolutely, And we know that even in these school holidays
it's quite a difference in traffic levels that we're dealing with.

Speaker 1 (02:23):
Who are these people? Do we know? Are they are
they parents? Are they parents who are picking up kids
from school who don't need to be? What is it?

Speaker 2 (02:30):
Yeah? I think we're quite often leaving we just jump
in the car without a thought about what alternatives. But
if you know there's a charge to it that we're
coming directly, it might make us stop and think, you know,
could we travel at a slightly different times, could be
carful with others, you know we use public transports or
turnasive for that particular trip. I think we'll actually make
us stop and think about our transport journeys.

Speaker 1 (02:52):
All right, Michelle, thanks for coming on the show. Michelle McCormack,
the policy director at Infrastructure and Z. For more from
Heather Duplassy, Allen Drive Live to News Talks It be
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