27 Feb 2024

Auckland Transport board reviewing priorities without Regional Fuel Tax funds

11:19 am on 27 February 2024
Auckland's Devonport on the morning of 26 March, on the first day of the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown previously asked the agency to stop all transport projects funded by the tax, including the Great North Road cycleway, and Glenvar and Lake Road improvements. Photo: RNZ / Nick Munro

A meeting is underway for the board of Auckland Transport to determine which transport projects should be prioritised without funds from the soon to be scrapped Regional Fuel Tax.

The government announced this month that the tax would come to an end in June.

Since then, Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has written to the chairperson of Auckland Transport (AT), calling for a stop on all transport projects funded by the tax.

This included pausing projects like the Great North Road cycleway, and Glenvar and Lake Road improvements.

AT has used the tax to deliver significant projects, as well as fund new trains for City Rail Link and the next stage of the Eastern Busway.

The second and third stages of the busway will go under a review, to assess the options and costs of deferring, cancelling, or reshaping the project.

In chief executive Dean Kimpton's open business report, he said some of AT's programmes and projects would need to be scaled back or deferred if revenue from the tax was not collected.

The board is set to consider which projects should be prioritised in the confidential section of Tuesday's meeting.

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