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Summarised by Centrist
The Infrastructure Commission has suggested tolls of up to $9 per trip on Auckland’s Harbour Bridge to help fund a new crossing across the Waitematā Harbour, potentially a tunnel or a second bridge.
But Greater Auckland editor Matt Lowrie says even at that level, the numbers do not stack up.
Ministers are downplaying the figure as “completely hypothetical.”
Lowrie argued that if only the new crossing were tolled, drivers would simply continue using the existing bridge, leaving a “multi-billion dollar piece of infrastructure … sit unused.” He suggested trialling a lower toll first to assess behaviour and impact.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis rejected claims that a $9 toll on both crossings was being actively considered. “That is a completely hypothetical scenario in the Infrastructure Commission’s plan. It’s not something that the government has given consideration to,” she said.
Transport Minister Chris Bishop confirmed any new crossing would be tolled.
Labour’s deputy leader Carmel Sepuloni said, “We need to make sure that any measure, including tolls, are fair and equitable.”
Willis noted that lower petrol taxes in recent years had required more general taxation to fund roads, raising fairness questions about whether “those who use the roads pay for them.”
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown dismissed the $9 figure as based on “ludicrous proposals” and described a tunnel as “even more insane.”
He backed congestion charging, arguing “anything that’s free gets overused quickly,” but stopped short of endorsing tolls on specific routes.
