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Transport (2005)

LABOUR’S VISION

Labour is committed to developing a sustainable transport system that is safe, affordable, responsive to the needs of users, and which contributes to New Zealand’s economic development, as well as social and environmental goals. Achieving those goals depends on having a strong, integrated transport sector and good infrastructure.

The Labour led government is tackling a legacy of neglect by previous governments by making structural changes and investing substantial extra funding to improve infrastructure. Major problems such as congestion in our larger cities and poor rural roading networks are now being addressed.

Labour believes it is necessary to take a long-term approach to meeting these transport challenges. We will continue to encourage technological and other innovations and will further integrate different transport modes. We also want to make the transport system more responsive to the diverse needs of different transport users. Labour appreciates the need for co-operation between the public and private sectors and will strengthen the partnership between local and central government to achieve a sustainable transport system. Labour will also continue to ensure the equitable distribution of transport funding across the country via the allocation of national and regional money for land transport projects.

Our vision for the transport sector is reflected in the New Zealand Transport Strategy (NZTS) developed by the Labour led government. It states:

“By 2010, New Zealand will have an affordable, integrated, safe, responsive and sustainable transport system.”

This is the first government with a long-term vision across all transport modes (land transport, air and maritime) in New Zealand. The Strategy’s objectives for transport are:

Assisting economic development,
Assisting safety and personal security,
Improving access and mobility,
Protecting and promoting public health,
Ensuring environmental sustainability.

LABOUR’S ACHIEVEMENTS

Labour has:

Committed to a massive $22.3 billion expenditure programme over the next 10 years to address the following key land transport priorities:

reducing severe congestion,
improving road safety,
assisting regional development and alternatives to roads,
improving public transport,
promoting walking and cycling;

Purchased back the nation's rail track and is investing over $200 million over the next five years on maintenance and new capital projects. In addition, passenger rail in Auckland and Wellington has received additional funding for upgrades to carriages, double tracking and further infrastructure improvement;
Increased funding for public transport, including rail upgrade and busways six-fold. As a result bus, rail and ferry transport is making a comeback;
Addressed the significant transport problems in Auckland by completing the following major projects:

Grafton Gully,
Central Motorway Junction Stage 1,
State Highway 20 Puhinui Interchange,
Stage 3 of the Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS);

Started construction on the following major projects to relieve congestion in Auckland:

SH 1 Northern Motorway Extension (ALPURTB2),
SH1 Esmonde Road Interchange,
SH1 Waiouru Interchange,
SH1 Northern Busway,
Central Motorway Junction Stage 2,
SH 18 Greenhithe Deviation,
SH18 Upper Harbour Bridge and Causeway Deviation,
SH 20 Mt Roskill extension;

Ensured infrastructure deficits in other parts of the country are addressed by:

Investing an additional $900 million into Auckland,
Allocating over $2 billion over the next ten years to every region on a per capita basis,
Injecting an extra $885 million over 10 years into Wellington to address congestion and upgrade the public transport system,
Announcing an extra $150 million for transport in the Bay of Plenty over ten years,
Initiated a special transport funding package process for the Waikato,
A $300 million boost in nationwide transport funding over four years in Budget 2005; and

Produced New Zealand’s first ever Rail Strategy;
Produced New Zealand’s first ever Walking and Cycling Strategy;
Merged Transfund and the Land Transport Safety Authority to form Land Transport New Zealand so that safety is a consideration in every funding decision. Strengthened the leadership and policy making capability of the Ministry of Transport;
Appointed a Minister for Transport Safety;
Passed modern rail safety legislation;
Overseen a road toll decline of 14% (27% in terms of deaths per 10,000 vehicles on the road) in the past 6 years.;
Moved to reduce sulphur in petrol and diesel by 90% and benzene in petrol by two thirds by early 2006;
Reformed and enhanced the National Search and Rescue Centre;
Made mandatory Terrain Awareness Warning Systems on all passenger aircraft with over nine passengers and introduced free Met-Service reports for all non-commercial aviation operators;
Signed open skies agreements with many nations, of which the British agreement may prove the most lucrative for Air New Zealand and our tourism industry;
Signed a mutual recognition agreement with the US allowing US aircraft to be serviced in NZ;
Substantially enhanced our capability in aviation and maritime security.

LABOUR’S PRIORITIES

LAND TRANSPORT

Labour will:

Continue to increase funding for road construction and maintenance, giving priority to the relief of severe congestion, economic development and safer roads;
Work with industry and key stakeholders to ensure we have an adequate workforce to meet the ongoing growth in land transport projects nationwide;
Increase funding for public transport, rail network maintenance and development, travel demand management initiatives, regional economic development roading and walking and cycling and encourage links between cycling and public transport;
Work with regional and territorial authorities to fund and develop land transport packages to improve local regional and national networks. Packages will involve negotiated and appropriate levels of contribution from both central and local government;
Ensure all land transport strategies support walking and cycling and that major road project designs reflect best practice for cyclists and pedestrians;
Ensure greater integration between land use planning and land transport planning;
Work with local authorities to conclude the Review of the Financial Assistance Rate (FAR) scheme, designed to assist local authorities with the construction and maintenance of local roads and investigate the conditions under which the road pricing of certain existing routes would be allowed;
Investigate whether investment to address Auckland's land transport. infrastructure can be accelerated still further, including by floating Auckland Infrastructure Bonds.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Better public transport, with services operating with greater reliability and frequency, forms a key part of Labour’s transport vision for the 21st century. Well-funded and well-used public transport is vital in reducing congestion and shortening trip times in our major urban centres.

Labour will continue to increase support for public transport in order to offer more accessible, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly transport options to the traveling public.

Labour will:

Support the introduction of smart technology for bus users, including real-time information displays, and time of arrival texting;
Progress the development of integrated ticketing, timetabling and marketing, between and across all public transport modes;
Support the further development of bus lanes, and bus and rail park-and-ride facilities;
Take responsibility for upgrading Auckland's rail track and signalling, including the western line, the Newmarket junction and the proposed Manukau link leaving the region free to invest in rolling stock, stations and interchange facilities;
Fund and develop improved, and more reliable urban rail passenger services in order to reduce road congestion, and lessen the impact of vehicle emissions on people’s health and the environment;
Keep the rail network in public ownership and work with both operators and local authorities to develop improvements to the rail network;
Ensure all costs recovered from rail operators are used to further develop and maintain the network;
Encourage the carrying of more freight by rail, in order to reduce traffic volumes, emissions and congestion on or from the roading network;
Invest at least $200 million in the rail network: $100 million for network enhancements and $100 million on repairs and replacements;
Work with rail heritage operators to assist them in maintaining and developing their operations on the rail network;
Work to improve access for the disabled to all forms of public transport including:

Ensuring passenger rail services purchased with government funding allow access for the disabled,
Ensuring that more of the urban bus fleet is accessible to the disabled;

Implement recommendations from the Review of the Total Mobility Scheme for people with disabilities.

ENVIRONMENT

Rising oil prices, along with climate change and the negative health impacts of vehicle emissions, means our transport systems needs to become more energy efficient and environmentally sustainable.

Labour’s transport policies will reduce the negative impacts of transport on land, air, water, communities and the environment. They will also reflect our ratification, along with over 154 other nations, of the Kyoto Protocol.

Labour will:

Ensure that all imported used vehicles, regardless of year of manufacture, meet acceptable emission standards and develop, in consultation with the motor industry, a fuel efficiency and emissions rating standard, to be displayed at point of sale with for all vehicles;
Investigate how best to promote the rapid uptake of more fuel-efficient vehicles such as hybrids;
Introduce, by the end of 2006, a visual emissions test as part of the current warrant and certificate of fitness checks with appropriate flexibility to take account of different vehicle age, type and engine technology;
Encourage government fleet managers to purchase low emission vehicles;
Encourage the production of biofuels with the objective of having them in commercial use in New Zealand by 2008 so as to reduce carbon and other emissions and our dependence on oil;
Encourage large schools in urban centres to have a travel plan allowing children to journey in safety, whilst minimising the use of cars for transporting children to and from school;
Encourage large government departments to have travel plans encouraging staff to make more use of walking, cycling and public transport for work journeys;
Increase funding to support walking and cycling, especially for trips of short duration;
Continue to facilitate and support, in conjunction with local government, the better integration of transport planning and land use planning;
Implement measures to test for and apprehend excessively noisy motor vehicles.

ROAD SAFETY

Labour will:

Work to achieve the Road Safety Strategy 2010 target of no more than 300 deaths a year by 2010, through a combination of engineering, education and enforcement initiatives;
Investigate and implement key initiatives within Road Safety to 2010 including a more effective speed management regime, vehicle crash protection standards, roadside drug testing, driver distraction and fatigue education and reducing risks faced by younger drivers;
Continue police, community and advertising efforts to stress to drivers and passengers the importance of wearing seat belts;
Support campaigns to raise motorists’ awareness of cyclists and pedestrians.

OTHER REGIONS +NORTHERN