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The government has released a final version of its 10-year transportation plan, which looks at where $ 48 billion in money raised from places like fuel taxes and road user charges will be spent over the next decade.
Road safety, rail and bike lanes are the big winners, each getting a substantial share of the funding. The government also reaffirmed its promise not to increase fuel taxes or road user charges in the next political term.
Funding is established in a document called the Government Policy Statement on Ground Transportation or GPS.
It doesn’t fund any specific projects, those decisions are made by NZTA officials, but it suggests how much money should be spent on different parts of the transportation portfolio.
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simon maude / Things
The plan does not fund specific projects, but suggests how much money should be spent on different types of transportation.
The government presented a draft policy earlier this year, which has not been substantially modified in the final version.
Transportation Minister Phil Twyford said comments on the draft plan had led him to increase the amount of money available for state roads and rail.
“Based on feedback on the draft GPS, we have decided to increase the top range of funding for state highway maintenance by $ 510 million to help address neglect under the last government and keep our roads safe,” Twyford said.
“Rail is also getting a $ 500 million boost in the upper range to keep the network on track, which will help us reduce emissions, accidents and road maintenance costs by shifting more cargo onto the rail.”
RICKY WILSON / THINGS
Twyford wants the government to focus on road safety in his next term.
He said that road safety remains the top priority for the government.
“Our goal is to reduce the number of fatalities and serious injuries on the road by 40% by investing $ 10 billion in our Road to Zero strategy.”
A GPS looks 10 years old, but governments make a new GPS every three years, so the first three years of any plan are the most important.
The big changes include the transfer of funds for light rail to the larger public transportation program.
Light rail received its own category of funding in GPS 2018, titled rapid transit, and was awarded a maximum of $ 760 million over the three years from 2018-2021.
It has now been included again in a new funding envelope for public transport infrastructure.
For the first time, the government will also allocate money to coastal transportation services, which will raise a maximum of $ 45 million over the next three years as part of a movement to move cargo off roads and other forms of transportation such as ships and trains.
