Labour's 40-year plan for greener safer transport

A five-fold increase in public transport use - and 50 per cent cut in the road death toll - are two of several ambitious transport targets the Government hopes to achieve within 40 years.

But the initiatives will have hefty price tags, with funding for public transport set to double to $400 million a year within a decade, and road policing funds to increase from $272 million this year to almost $500 million in 2018.

Funding for road projects will also rise significantly, despite a focus on cutting use of private vehicles.

Transport Minister Annette King announced the transport sector targets last night with the launch of the New Zealand Transport Strategy, which provides a 10-year roadmap for the sector.

Coupled with the first Government Policy Statement on Land Transport Funding, also released last night, it is the first time specific targets have been set for transport. Other targets include:

* Reducing kilometres travelled by single-occupant vehicles by 10 per cent in urban centres by 2015.

* Increasing the movement of freight by ship and rail to 30 per cent and 25 per cent respectively.

* Increasing walking, cycling and other active forms of transport to 30 per cent of trips in urban areas.

The targets are tied to a plan to halve per capita greenhouse gas emissions from domestic transport by 2040.

The funding statement forecasts that spending on new and improved infrastructure for state highways will rise from $792 million in 2008 to $900 million in 2018.

That could open the door to more funds for big projects such as Transmission Gully and Auckland's Waterview Connection. It could also lead to alternative ways of funding, including congestion charges and tolls. Auckland regional council voted yesterday to approve a regional fuel tax to help pay for new electric trains, starting at one cent a litre from next July.

The road death toll has more than halved since a record 843 in 1973, but the decline has slowed.

Last year 423 people died on New Zealand roads, up 26 on the year before. The strategy also calls for a cut in serious injuries on roads to no more than 1500 a year.

Ms King said the targets would be achieved through creating safer roads, safer speeds, safer vehicles, greater enforcement and education.

Public transport use nationally has risen in the face of high fuel prices - in Auckland's case, by nearly 30 per cent on the trains. But further reductions will require a massive change in attitude.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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Mark   #2   05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

Using the train or other public transport is not neccessary greener if you have to burn fuel to provide electricty to the network to supply power or there is no or little demand for the service.

If public transport is so efficent and green why does private transport have to subsides public transport through petrol taxes.

But Craig if you want ot be another brain dead Green or Labour moron who can't think for himself then go ahead.

Green policies currently being implemented by lefty governments worldwide is seeing an increase in deforestation, an increase of pollution into the environment by governments that have no Kyoto targets to met, and trade barriers at protecting inefficent, energy wasting industries.

Craig A. Wills   #1   05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

This a step in the right direction. However, a change of government at the end of the year may lead to a period of more dirtier transport under the business friendly Tories.

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