Targeted rate watch

Construction of Warkworth’s $5 million park and ride, on the former Atlas site on State Highway 1, is scheduled to start next month.

The project will provide 131 carparks and is being funded by the Rodney Local Board targeted rate.

The Board estimates the carpark will  be finished late next year.

The targeted rate was introduced in July 2018 and is expected to raise nearly $48 million over 10 years. During its first three years, it has raised nearly $13 million.

Of that total, $4.2 million has been spent – 72 per cent on bus services, 18 per cent on park and ride investigations and design for Warkworth and Kumeu, nine per cent on bus stops, and just $525 on footpaths.

Auckland Transport (AT) says public transport numbers across Auckland are currently at 65 per cent of this time last year due to Covid-19.

Bus services funded by the targeted rate are also recording lower than expected patronage for the same reason.

“All three bus services performed well before the lockdown and patronage numbers are slowly returning to pre-Covid-19 levels,” an AT spokesperson says. “The Local Board is delivering these services because they have high community value not because they have immediate commercial value.

“This is in line with what we would expect for new bus services in low demand areas with relatively long routes and catchments. Targets for these routes are usually set in passenger numbers rather than cost.

“The zone sizes in Rodney are very large which affects the income. For example, it’s cheaper to go from Wellsford to Warkworth (1 zone) than it is to go from Beach Haven to the City (2 Zones). This is better value to users but means lower returns.”