Final rally call over roads bill

By PAULA OLIVER

Road transport lobbyists and business groups are gearing up for a final fight against new roading legislation which they say will take millions of dollars from roads for spending on other "Green dream" initiatives.

The Land Transport Management Bill, reported back to Parliament by a select committee yesterday, fundamentally changes the way land transport is funded and managed.

It establishes a generic framework for controversial road tolling schemes and allows for public-private partnerships - but opponents claim it does not go far enough.

Business New Zealand chief executive Simon Carlaw said yesterday that changes made to the bill by the select committee, after months of submissions and deliberations, were not close to what was needed.

One of the key areas that needed fixing was the fact that funds taken from road-using taxpayers could be tapped for spending on rail, coastal shipping, passenger transport, cycling, walking, and possibly by the new company set up by the Government to buy the country's rail tracks.

"I don't think road users would baulk at paying more for safer roads and to minimise congestion," Carlaw said.

"Where people baulk is where there is clear evidence that large chunks of that money is going to be siphoned off for other things. If you're going to be paying for walkways through the rural green fields, why the hell should road users be paying for that?"

Business New Zealand, the Employers and Manufacturers Association (Northern), the Business Roundtable and the Road Transport Forum yesterday all labelled the work by the select committee as very disappointing.

They claimed the bill had been hijacked by the Green party.

Among the gripes were claims that Public/Private Partnerships were simply too hard under the legislation. While toll roads no longer needed special legislation each time a project came up, the consultation demands and other requirements surrounding them were too onerous.

Road Transport Forum chief executive Tony Friedlander said the bill allowed uneconomic projects as long as Transfund operated and invested effectively and efficiently.

"That could be programmes that make losses. You could sustain losses for a long time with taxation. They have deliberately made sure they can invest in uneconomic projects."

Although disappointed with the result of their work so far, the business and road transport groups are not giving up their fight.

Carlaw said Business New Zealand was hopeful opposition parties would move amendments as it was debated in Parliament. The 'Get Real on Roads' campaign would "take to the streets" and there would be a visible advertising campaign.