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More harbour ferries could unclog roads Thursday, 08 March 2007 • Howick and Pakuranga Times AS Panmure Roundabout gridlock causes further delays for eastern motorists heading to the CBD, Auckland City councillor Richard Simpson lifts his head above the smog and talks to Times reporter NIC DALEY about future horizons of transport in the east. FERRIES, and lots of them, hold the key to future public transport for eastern commuters as well as the wider Auckland population. That’s the bird’s-eye view of Richard Simpson (pictured), chairman of Auckland City Council’s transport committee. Long term he wants to see more ferry terminals on Tamaki River, servicing communities such as Bucklands Beach, Half Moon Bay, Farm Cove and Pakuranga. “One of the crazy things is the [present] lack of ferry access,” says Mr Simpson. “You got that whole area and water so close to it. That’s how Auckland is built – around the waterfront. “It’s almost as if the city started looking at the water and then, when we suddenly started to become a motorway utopia 50 years ago, everything started turning back into itself and it’s never recovered since.” Exact terminal proposals are not presently on planners’ drawing boards, but the concept has Mr Simpson’s support. Richard Simpson wants to see more ferries such as this chugging along Tamaki River. Photo supplied. “When you start looking at ferries it’s the way that almost all of Auckland can connect, and more directly than any other way. “A slow car is congested. The slow boat’s romantic. People don’t mind if it takes a bit of time out on the Tamaki Estuary. It’s part of living in the area and it’s probably one of the most social forms of transport.” He says the most successful form of public transport has to be ferries. That’s because of water proximity and the fact that residents in places such as Waiheke Island, Devonport and Cheltenham are also dependent on ferries or becoming so, he says. “It’s part of the charm of living in these places. We could be doing a lot more with the ferries and certainly that’s part of the Regional Land Transport Strategy.” Using low-wake ferries is something transport bodies should also investigate, he says. “We’re exporting all our low-wake ferries overseas. We don’t use them in Auckland.” He’s disappointed at the lack of local interest, with manufacturing companies selling the vessels into markets such as the United States. “We just don’t use them ourselves. We’ve got so much potential to do it. It’s the poor cousin that’s been overlooked,” says Mr Simpson. “But when you stand back and look at it, it’s the most accessible form of public transport that we have. It will always be successful in Auckland because of the harbour.” On a philosophical note he adds transport networks should also allow Aucklanders the opportunity to experience their hometown, not just access a “convenient” network. “In the sense that people can experience the city and they’re not just existing in Auckland, but actually connecting with the city and what makes it a place to live. It’s about the harbour and celebrating that.” He also hints at regaining some Ports of Auckland waterfront land. Think Sydney or Brisbane, he says. “We very much hope that will become the front door of Auckland.”