January 15, 2021

Construction of Tamaki Drive cycleway continues to delay motorists one year on

The Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance is slamming the lack of progress on the Tamaki Drive cycleway project, with the road still operating at just a single lane in both directions. This is despite reassurances from Ōrākei councillor, Desley Simpson, in September last year that Tamaki Drive would only be down to one lane each way for “two weeks” to help speed up construction. Ratepayers' Alliance Ōrākei spokeswomen, Carmel Claridge, says:

“This is beyond a joke now. A year ago, Ms. Simpson said that there would be “hell to pay” if Auckland Transport continued to disrupt traffic on Tamaki Drive. But that warning was obviously just bravado. It’s motorists who continue to suffer the consequences, with local elected representatives being arrogantly ignored by Auckland Transport.”

“The project is plagued with problems, not least narrow lanes that a standard bus is too wide for. It’s a $14 million luxury spend that seems to have no end in sight, and it’s choking Tamaki Drive and adding up to 15 minutes onto a CBD commute from Mission Bay.”

“Auckland Council, Auckland Transport, and our local officials need to front up. How does a cycleway take more than a year to build?”