Community Panel on Time-of-Use Charging in Auckland
This project worked with a panel of Aucklanders to discuss priorities for developing a time-of-use traffic charging scheme
What was the project about?
Both central and local government have indicated support for developing a time-of-use charging (also known as congestion charging) scheme for Auckland. However, the public acceptance of such a scheme is in no way guaranteed, and many such proposals overseas have fallen over under political pressure. To ensure successful implementation of time-of-use charging in Auckland, public preferences need to be carefully considered.
This Community Panel project was designed to address this issue using principles of deliberative democracy.
What did the panel discuss?
In Phase 1, the Community Panel was tasked with developing a set of principles and criteria that should underpin the design of a time-of-use charging scheme for Auckland.
What they decided:
- The primary objective must be to reduce congestion
- Strategic use of discounts and exemptions to mitigate social impacts
- Revenue must be used exclusively to provide transport options for Aucklanders, particularly public transport options
- Keep it simple and transparent:
- People need to know what they’re paying and when, and timing and pricing should be reviewed regularly
- Initial geographic boundary for charging zone must not be too complex
- User-friendly and reliable payment systems
- Clear communication of benefits, particularly de-congestion benefits
The community panel worked together to decide on a set of principles to guide the development process
Based on the principles identified, we asked “how do we design a time-of-use charging scheme for Auckland that is simple, effective and fair?”
Building on these recommendations, Phase 2 asked the question:
How do we design a time-of-use charging scheme for Auckland that is simple, effective and fair?
What they decided:
- Exemptions or discounts should be applied on a very limited basis.
- All revenue raised through time of use charging should be ring-fenced for the region in which the funds were raised. This should be legislated accordingly, and spending should be transparent to the public.
- Prices should not frequently fluctuate and should be communicated and signposted clearly.
- The boundaries and times for charging should be limited to what is needed for meaningful reduction of congestion.
- The payment method should be simple, accessible and easy to use.
- The scheme should be a reviewed at regular intervals (minimum every 12 months) and be adapted to ensure that it is effective, and that pricing is fair.
- Consultation must take place at key milestones, including statutory consultation and community consultation.
How did it work?
This project was conducted in two phases.
Panel participants were recruited via randomised emails (to Auckland Council’s ‘Peoples’ Panel’ and the Automobile Association’s ‘AA Voices Panel’) and 2,000 postal mailings. From 733 people who registered their interest, 30 panelists were selected through a randomised sortition process to match the demographic diversity of Auckland’s population. Additional panel members were recruited in phase 2 to replace those members who could not continue, such that the demographic diversity of the panel was maintained throughout the project.
The panel went through a learning process involving interactions with experts and stakeholders, and considered a wide range of perspectives and trade-offs that emerged through deliberation and role play in a bespoke scenario game. They also deliberated online using the Consider.it platform. The group worked together to find common ground and develop consensus recommendations in both phases of the project.
They used their own deliberation data from the Consider.it platform to formulate a list of proposals to evaluate and further develop, before finalising their recommendations on the final in-person day of each project phase.
Phase 1 was run in April and May 2024 and was commissioned by the Northern Infrastructure Forum, supported by Auckland Council and Auckland Transport.
Phase 2 reconvened the panel in October 2024, commissioned by Auckland Transport. The Complex Conversations Lab designed and facilitated both phases.
