New Zealand considers congestion tolling

The New Zealand Government is taking steps towards introducing road tolls by establishing a multi-agency group to look into options for road pricing, reports the New Zealand Herald.

The discussions come as Auckland mayor Phil Goff warns that the city’s infrastructure shortfall has now risen to US$5 billion (NZ$7 billion) because of faster-than-expected population growth.

The group, which will include the Auckland Council, the 6296 New Zealand Transport Agency and the Ministry of Transport, will investigate pricing on a nationwide level, although their main focus is on Auckland, where traffic congestion is worst and demand for infrastructure funding is greatest.