Justin's Transport Minute
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Times up on the first hundred days of the coalition government comes today, so what’s the score card for the road transport industry?
Let’s do a quick survey of what’s across the line so far.
Major project fast track approvals bill – launched by RMA Minister Chris Bishop, and Regional Development Minister Shane Jones yesterday. Cuts the red tape for national and regional projects of significance. Can’t come a moment too soon, New Zealand’s consenting and approvals process is among the most costly and efficient in the world, making our infrastructure the most expensive in the developed world to build. Members in the Taranaki are all too familiar with this - think the Mt Messenger bypass,
with 60% of its $280m budget already spent and not a single kilometre delivered.
Government Policy Statement – Land Transport
You can hear me talk to Mike Hosking this week on the GPS here.
The draft statement launched by Minister of Transport Simeon Brown on Monday, kicks off with a promising start. The first paragraph sets out the government’s land transport investment agenda to “boost economic growth and productivity, resilience, reliability and safety.” Road restoration and pavement rehabilitation are a clear priority, with $640m more allocated than in the GPS under the previous government. $500m of that is targeted in a pothole prevention fund.
The GPS reveals that the Minister has a number of targets in his gunsights. Chief among them are local councils that divert roading funds to non-roading projects. If a Road Controlling Authority is failing to keep up with its number one priority, which is to properly maintain its existing assets, it has no right to spend maintenance funding on traffic calming, cycleways or public transport initiatives. A truism is often forgotten: a well-maintained roading network underpins the economy to earn the money to pay for them.
Under the Local Road Pothole Prevention activity class the GPS states the fund is “ring-fenced to fund resealing, rehabilitating, and drainage maintenance activities on local roads” and “The Government expects that funding in this activity class will not be used to make multi-modal improvements.” The signals could not be clearer.
Also targeted is inefficient spend. Fiscal responsibility is at the heart of this GPS. If your house is falling down, you don’t build a swimming pool.
One of the biggest offenders, excessive traffic management, or death by a thousand cones, is being reigned in. Temporary Traffic Management expenditure is being cut, but still expected to deliver the same safety outcomes. This is not counter-intuitive - safety of road crews is paramount, but it can be done smarter. Moving to risk-based management, and away from the one size fits all will save millions - of dollars and cones.
I’ll leave you with the list of Roads of National Significance (or Rons as they are known in the trade) that are going to make a material difference to the freight task in New Zealand. With the Brynderwyns currently closed for a rebuild that is only going to last 5-7 years, I’m especially pleased to see that bypass at the top of the list. All in all I’d say when it comes to transport for the hundred day scorecard, the Government has been sprinting out of the gate – and long may it continue.
Roads of National Significance (GPS)
Justin
Justin Tighe-Umbers
CEO | National Road Carriers Assn
DDI: +64 9 636 2951