The Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance is warning Auckland Mayor Phil Goff to take heed of the most important recommendation in the road pricing report released today: The primary objective of congestion pricing is to improve network performance, not to raise additional revenue from road users.

Alliance spokesperson Monique Poirier says, “The authors of this report were clear that congestion charging is not meant to be a revenue grab, so it’s disturbing to see Phil Goff already quoted saying he’ll need to persuade Aucklanders it’s a good way of ‘building revenue’."

"Many ratepayers will be open to the idea of using prices to reduce peak-hour traffic, but they won’t want to give Auckland Council yet another stream of hard-earned money to be blown on pet projects.”

“Auckland motorists have been milked enough. Any revenue produced by a congestion charge should be used to reduce, or abolish, the regional fuel tax. Any surplus revenue beyond that should be taken off general rates.”

© Scoop Media