Our city’s transport has certainly been a hot topic over the last few months, and that has only been heightened by the release of both the Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s draft Regional Transport Plan and more recently the Draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport. It has started what I sense is a serious conversation about transport and what our community wants to see prioritised moving forward.
Roading priorities
I was amazed, as I’m sure you were, to see what our Regional Council put on their priorities list. Yes, it was great to see SH29 from the Kaimai Summit to Tauriko ranked at number 5, but for the upgrade of 15th Avenue and Turret Road to be ranked number 18 in the regional priorities list is disgraceful. Our community is screaming out for that road to be upgraded. We must get the traffic flowing again. I was just as confused to see SH2 north of Tauranga, New Zealand’s deadliest stretch of road, ranked at number 11. Thankfully our community really rallied to the cause with astounding 7000 submissions made to set these priorities straight.
I’m sorry to confirm that the two local Roads of National Significance announced by the previous National government are off the table. The first of these roads would have seen a continuous four lane expressway from Katikati to Tauranga, and the second from the foot of the Kaimai Ranges to State Highway 1. Both have been cancelled. To add to the frustration, there is still uncertainty about whether the Tauranga Northern Link will go ahead. I’m hearing rumblings that the tendering process has been put on ice, and the Minister is refusing to comment in the House.
Reduced road funding… more consumer tax
A few things are for certain in the Draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport though. There will be an 11 per cent reduction in funding for State Highways, cutting over $5 Billion in investment over the next decade. The Government are also proposing a 9 – 12 cents per litre fuel excise duty and increased road user charges over the next three years – kicking in September 1st this year. This will cost the average motorist an extra $15 each time they fill up.
This is a regressive tax that is going to hurt lower income families who live in our outer suburbs, it’s going to hurt our businesses and primary producers, and it’s going to hurt our rural communities who have less access to public transport.
The money raised will go into the Land Transport Fund which will be opened up to be used by Kiwi Rail for the first time. To give some context, they plan to use $4 billion of the money to pay for trains and trams in Auckland, and only $800 million to improve safety on our regional roads. Our community will be paying more, and getting less. This Government’s priorities are so far out of step with what our community expects that I have to wonder what planet they live on.
This document is currently a draft, so there is still time to act.
Please do ensure you submit so your voice is heard in the process. You can do so by emailing ps2018@transport.govt.nz
Submissions close at 5pm on the 2nd of May 2018.
Todd Muller
MP for Bay of Plenty
