Safety top priority in $54b transport spend
The government plans to plough $54 billion into roads, public transport, rail, coastal shipping and walking and cycling over the next 10 years.
Phil Twyford, Minister of Transport, says spending from the land transport fund can be done without increasing petrol taxes or road user charges.
The spending is outlined in the draft 2021 government policy statement (GPS) on transport, which sets out the government’s priorities until 2030-31. The GPS sets out priorities but does not specify which projects will be funded – those decisions are made by officials at the NZTA.
Feedback is now being sought on the draft GPS from local government, the transport sector and the public before it is finalised by the government.
“This GPS shows our government is putting the pedal to the metal on our balanced transport policy while committing to a massive infrastructure spend over 10 years,” Twyford says.
He adds the $54b spend includes the $6.8b allocated to transport from the New Zealand upgrade package released this year.
Win for regions
Safety is the top priority and the government plans to spend $10b to cut the number of deaths and serious injuries on the road by 40 per cent. In the first three years it will invest $3b in median barriers, safety campaigns and road policing.
The regions will get an extra $1.2b in road upgrades in the first three years, more than double the amount already allocated.
State highway improvements will receive $3.2b in funding over the next three years, while state highway maintenance will receive $2.6b.
The money will come mainly from fuel taxes and road user charges, which are not currently slated to increase. Twyford, pictured, says the regional fuel tax will remain in place in Auckland, which provided about $4.5b of the $29b transport plan for the city.
He adds that the government is also looking to fund rail and coastal shipping to help provide alternative transport options for people and freight.
Twyford explains that his March 19 announcement delivers a substantial pipeline of transport infrastructure that will give certainty to the construction industry during a time of uncertainty.
