A congestion charge in Auckland is no longer a debate - it's happening.
The council agreed on Thursday to develop a time-of-use charge for parts of the motorway by 2026.
But on Friday a veteran transport advocate described the proposal as "ridiculous".
Electronic road pricing has been used in Singapore for decades, and very soon Tāmaki Makaurau will have its own version, to combat the daily rush-hour gridlock.
"[It will] recognise the licence plate on the vehicle and then charge that vehicle the appropriate fee based on when and where it is driven somewhere," said Michael Roth, lead transport advisor at Auckland Council.
Councillors voted overwhelmingly to push ahead with time-of-use charges, to align with the City Rail Link opening in 2026.
"Vote yes, in favour!" said Mayor Wayne Brown.
Congestion is estimated to cost Auckland up to $1.3 billion a year, and an investigation by six government agencies found that a modest charge applied to drivers during peak hours could help reduce congestion by up to 12 percent.
That would be similar to the drop-off in traffic during the school holidays.
The EMA (Employment and Manufacturers Association) is fizzing about potential for clearer motorways.
"You can't get anything through," said Alan McDonald from the EMA.
"There are parts of Auckland now where firms won't deliver after 2pm in the afternoon."
The council will now develop a formal plan, but we know it'll be a charge applied to drivers to use certain areas of the motorway during peak morning and afternoon traffic.
For example, it could apply to busy corridors like SH1 between the Penrose and Greenlane on-ramps.
The mayor has floated $5 per trip as a possible price.
"Rich people are going to continue to drive their large SUVs into town and pay five bucks, who cares? But everyone else, like the people that clean their homes or work in their offices, they can't afford that," said transport advocate Clive Matthew-Wilson.
Councillor Wayne Walker is also concerned about equity.
"How are we going to deal with that? Because this is a penalty, and this is a blunt penalty," he said.
Walker voted against the proposed charges.
And Matthew-Wilson agrees.
He believes a better way to cut congestion in Auckland "is to create more T3 lanes on the motorway" to prioritise vehicles with multiple occupants.
"If you get it to three or four, you're talking about a quarter of the number of cars and you wouldn't need this ridiculous scheme," he told Newshub.
There's also a risk that drivers avoid parts of the motorway where a charge is applied, and clog the roads around them.
"You do get a little bit of that but then they get frustrated with clogging up the rat runs and they come back," McDonald told Newshub.
But no-one is arguing drivers have sat for too long, waiting for a solution to Auckland's gridlock gripe.
