The Government appears to have softened its stance on road tolls in Auckland, saying that direct charges for road use will be needed to fund the growing city's infrastructure. The Government and Auckland Council today released their second report on the Auckland Transport Alignment Project, which will decide how the city's transport system will be developed over the next 30 years and how it will be funded. Transport Minister Simon Bridges said the joint project had found that achieving a "step change" in Auckland's transport system would require "a range of interventions". Auckland Mayor Len Brown said the report's finding that road pricing was part of the solution to Auckland's traffic woes was "good news". The Auckland Council has long called for motorway tolls to pay for new roads and public transport, but the National-led Government has until now been cool on the idea.

Source: New Zealand Herald June 21, 2016 03:33 UTC