September 11, 2015 9:00am by David Farrar

Congestion charging in Wellington?

The call for a toll on Wellington’s CBD is growing louder, with studies revealing the central city could be flooded with almost 12,000 more cars once its proposed new motorways are up and running.

Wellington recently joined forces with Auckland to lobby the Government for the law changes necessary to introduce user-pays charges as a means of reducing car use.

Some of the ideas being floated include a congestion charge, such as the one used in central London, and fees that ramp up the cost of long-stay commuter parking.

I favour congestion charges as the most efficient form of user pays.

However revenue from motorists should be used on improving the roading network, not just as a revenue grab. If you bring in congestion charges, then you should reduce petrol tax to compensate.