Industry against Bridges' truck trial

Western Bay of Plenty Mayor Ross Paterson does not support a proposal to alter road user charges to divert trucks off State Highway 2. Photo / John Borren

A controversial plan to increase charges for truckies using State Highway 2 has been met with industry resistance and fears it could jeopardise construction of the Tauranga Northern Link.

Transport Minister Simon Bridges said the Bay of Plenty could be the first region in New Zealand to trial the new pricing scheme, ahead of Auckland, which was also in the running.

However, he rebutted claims it would affect any decision on the timing of the construction of the Tauranga Northern Link and said: "It's about understanding what might be possible to get better outcomes on our roads."

Mr Bridges told the Bay of Plenty Times it was "early days but I am keen to consider how we could use demand management and road pricing in a trial for trucks, either in terms of Port of Auckland or Tauranga".

If the proposal got the green light, it could mean an increase of the road user charge on State Highway 2 and a decrease on State Highway 29, he said.

He was concerned State Highway 29 over the Kaimai Ranges was being under-utilised, as trucks went through Waihi, Katikati and the gorge.

That traffic caused wear and tear on the roads and created environmental and noise problems for those townships, he said.

"I want to try to change behaviours to get better results environmentally in terms of infrastructure, socially and improve safety. I am willing to discuss this but we are looking to potentially do something next year." Mr Bridges said a possible trial-route for Auckland had not been discussed.

"I specifically thought much more about the Port of Tauranga one because, I think, it's potentially an attractive option."

However, he stressed it was not about making money and "will definitely be cost neutral".

TD Haulage manager Derek Dumbar questioned Mr Bridges' logic and said: "I am sure it will be met with resistance.

"The people of Matamata will jump up and down as they already have high volumes of trucks passing through.

"What should be happening and what they should be looking at is putting a tunnel through the Kaimais, like the industry has been promoting for nearly a decade."

Western Bay of Plenty District Mayor Ross Paterson said it seemed the idea had more disincentives than incentives.

If the trial scheme delayed the Tauranga Northern Link from being constructed he was not interested and said even more capital would have to be spent on the Kaimai Range if traffic volumes increased.

He believed a reduction of traffic volumes could ultimately delay Katikati's bypass and the Tauranga Northern Link.

"So that is the problem and my council is not interested if someone was going to pull down the volumes in figures on those roads. The Northern Link is absolutely crucial because it's at capacity now."

Mr Paterson said he was willing to sit down and discuss the scheme and there needed to be more clarification about which trucks could be diverted.

"If it's trucks out of Auckland, that is understandable, but it cannot be trucks out of the Coromandel or local or Western Bay of Plenty trucks."

Katikati promotions manager Jacqui Knight said if diverting some of the trucks helped retailers in small towns, "we should pull out all the stops".

Finer Wines owner Jim Barbee said the trucks that went through Katikati "seem to be in a real hurry and move through here really quickly".

Mr Barbee said it was unsafe and it would be wonderful if fewer trucks travelled through the township.