Auckland commuters could face a congestion charge from 2026, with drivers paying a small fee to use motorways during peak times.
It's similar to the system in London, but the tax being touted here is much smaller at $5.
Mayor Wayne Brown said it's about "encouraging a different behaviour".
"It's not a congestion charge, it's a time of use charge," he told Breakfast this morning.
"Congestion charge is where you put a ring around the whole city and have to pay to go into that area. This is a time of use charge.
"If you happen to be on the motorway when the thing jams up, we're just encouraging you to get on at a different time."
He said the city's motorways work well most of the time.
But at peak times, State Highway 1 jams up in key places, the mayor said.
"So if you want to be there in those times, we're going to discourage you to be there in those times.
"You can still go there, but the idea is to adjust your life so that you're not there — and if you have to be there, pay a bit more, and if you pay a bit more, it's encouraging a different behaviour."
Brown suggested the move could encourage carpooling, and he contested whether most people still work traditional hours.
He said Covid changed peoples' working habits and many Aucklanders have adjusted their lives.
'Need to be bold'
Northern Infrastructure Forum (NIF) Chair Simon Bridges backs the charging plan. He said today: “If we’re going to keep up with population growth and rising travel demand, as well as unlocking productivity in this city, we can’t keep reaching for the same tools.
“We need to be open to new solutions, and we need to be bold.”
Brown had a dig at central government, saying: "People come up with solutions, particularly from Wellington, without actually identifying [the problem].
"The problem we're fixing is that two of our motorways jam up in the morning and in the afternoon in exactly the same place."
And the implementation would be "simple", the mayor said.
"They all go under a bridge, on the bridge is a whole lot of cameras, takes your number, knows you're there, and sends you a bill.
"This stuff's been available off the shelf for 15 years," he added.
However, Brown expressed concern that "brigades of bureaucrats" would "muck around" and make it more difficult.
"It's a cup of coffee to encourage you to go at a different time," he said.
"This is optional, you don't have to be on the motorway at that time. You have an option."
Brown said he would've implemented the charge last year if he could've.
The council has a transport and infrastructure meeting tomorrow, where the issue is on the agenda.
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