Commuters want more information on upcoming CBD traffic jam

Commuting from east to west across the Auckland CBD will become increasingly difficult as the downtown city becomes a major construction site next month.

The construction of the City Rail Link (CRL), the International Convention Centre and a number of office buildings will practically close Albert St and Victoria St.

The building work will lead to the redirection of public transport and make driving in the CBD a slow prospect for the coming three to five years.

Commuters spoken to by Te Waha Nui in the CBD generally said there had not been enough information about how it would impact on their daily routine.

Andrew Deacon, 27, carpools every day and said he had only just heard about the plans.

“I would have liked to know more about the timeframes, what roads will be closed and where there will be parking spots around the city,” said Mr Deacon.

Cyclist Matthias Erdrich, 53, said he hadn’t seen information on the plans, but they would put him off driving instead of biking to work.

“I live in Avondale and if I want to take my car into the city, I have to go by Great North Road, and it’s really jammed in the morning,” said Mr Erdrich. “And if it’s getting even worse, I will try to avoid taking the car even more.”

Train traveller Cherie Niobel, 44, said she has faith that people would be told what they needed to know in plenty of time.

“I do think that the council is working on that,” said Ms Niobel. “I believe it’s coming.”

Cherie Niobel has faith that people would be told what they needed to know. Photo: Ida Brock

According to Jon Reeves, coordinator at the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA), the constructions’ impact on traffic and public transport is a necessary evil.

Mr Reeves said it will make the rail network function better, cutting up to 12 minutes of transport time for commuters going from New Lynn to Britomart.

“There’s no easy way around it when undertaking such large infrastructure projects. We have to live with it,” he said.

However, Mr Reeves believed there has been plenty of information distributed about the upcoming changes to those affected.

“My office is on Albert St so I will be affected by the changes, and I think we’ve had plenty of information from Auckland Transport, reminding everyone of the upcoming changes.”

The first phase of bus shifts will begin on October 18, and by May no buses will go through Albert St. Auckland Transport are creating 2km of 24-hour bus lanes in the CBD to keep traffic moving.