A bridge too far

The proposal (Editorial, June 12) to spend $785 million on a second Auckland harbour bridge, solely for cyclists and walkers, is an astonishingly single-minded waste of money, especially when the final cost is likely to be in the order of a billion dollars, given the usual cost overruns that accompany such grandiose projects.

I write this as a regular, recreational, non-Lycra-wearing cyclist and an occasional, if reluctant, visitor to Auckland and crosser of the harbour bridge.

This an awful lot of money to appease a few thousand cyclists and walkers. I suspect most users will be recreational, so it will bring little relief to congestion on the current bridge and fail to address Auckland’s wider traffic problems.

If this kind of money is to be spent, a much more holistic approach is needed. The North Shore has a well-patronised dedicated busway that keeps a large number of motorists off the bridge. However, much of the attraction and effectiveness of this public transport is nullified when the buses have to contend with bridge congestion.

Surely, a much better option would be to put this money into