Unbalanced transport spend a ticking time bomb

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Source: Green Party – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Unbalanced transport spend a ticking time bomb



This is yet another NZTA report that suggests the Government has its transport priorities backwards.

The National Government needs to wake up and heed New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) research showing travel demands are changing, said the Green Party today.

New research has been published by the NZTA stating that an ageing population means that future traffic forecasts are overstated by as much as 40 percent.

“This is yet another NZTA report that suggests the Government has its transport priorities backwards,” Green Party transport spokesperson Julie Anne Genter said today.

“An ageing population is just one of many factors that are leading to reduced vehicle trips, and increased demand for public transport.

“The Government had to increase the petrol tax in the budget because traffic volumes have been lower than forecast. New Zealanders are driving less, and this trend will continue because of higher petrol prices, demographic shift, and changing consumer preferences.

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“The Government is pursuing a very unbalanced transport spend over the next decade, and it gets worse each year into the future. In 2020, National plans to spend more than $40 on low-value highway infrastructure for every $1 on new public transport infrastructure. The opportunity cost is billions not spent on affordable transport choices.”

Ms Genter said the Government’s policy statement on transport funding planned for record spending on new motorway infrastructure in 2020/21, while the amount for public transport infrastructure was less than one percent of the total transport budget over the next decade.

“Funding for public transport services is virtually frozen for the next decade under this Government, which is absurd given the high growth we are seeing in demand for public transport,” said Ms Genter.

“This is the perfect opportunity to revisit the ill-conceived motorways programme. Trends are changing, New Zealanders need more transport choice, especially as the population ages.

“We have an opportunity to invest in high quality public transport, walking, cycling, rail freight and coastal shipping. All of these will take pressure off our existing road network and reduce transport costs across the economy.

“With just a tiny fraction of the $12 billion set aside for misguided motorways, we could more rapidly address safety issues and chokepoints on our state highways with targeted upgrades, bypasses and passing lanes.

“Given traffic on state highways hasn’t grown since 2004, it only makes sense to defer the enormous spending planned on a few projects that will carry less than 4 percent of daily vehicle trips and instead prioritise smart projects like the City Rail Link which will have wide-ranging benefits well into the future.

“A smart, green approach to transport will make it easier for ordinary Kiwis to get to work and school, reduce our expensive oil bill, and free up the roads for commercial vehicles and freight,” said Ms Genter.

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