As reported in the Herald, Labour MP Phil Twyford is proposing a busway along the North Western motorway.
Mr Twyford, who said the proposal originated with the Campaign for Better Transport and had support from western business groups as well as three local boards, won a committee resolution for officers to seek a report from the council-controlled Auckland Transport.
He said the $350 million proposal would complement the western railway line, which went nowhere near Te Atatu and the high-growth northern sector of the former Waitakere City. He preferred it to run down the middle of the motorway and said it would cut the typical bus trips from Westgate to central Auckland from about 60 minutes to about 18 minutes.
This is a great idea and one that the CBT attempted to push a couple of years back. The unfortunate thing about all this is that the Waterview to Lincoln Rd section will already be subject to signficant widening as part of the Waterview upgrade. However NZTA have only committed to bus shoulder lanes, leaving 9 lanes of traffic freely open to single occupant cars at all times of the day.
Hopefully the horse hasn’t bolted and it isn’t too late. The thing about this is that it can be done in a phased manner. Auckland Transport blog carries on with the debate here.
