Plans to widen 15th Ave, which would help alleviate traffic on Turret Rd (pictured), have been put on hold in a falling out between the NZTA and Tauranga City Council. Photo / George Novak
Plans to widen 15th Ave, which would help alleviate traffic on Turret Rd (pictured), have been put on hold in a falling out between the NZTA and Tauranga City Council. Photo / George Novak
Tauranga's mayor has hit out at the national roading authority, saying its refusal to support the city's transport plan is "gobsmacking" given it helped form the proposal.
In documents obtained by the Bay of Plenty Times, the NZ Transport Agency said it refused to present the city's transport business case to its board because the plan focused too much on providing for cars instead of alternative transport.
But the correspondence between the organisation and Tauranga City Council chief executive Marty Grenfell also reveals the transport agency was involved in developing the plan with the city and regional council over the past three years.
In response, mayor Greg Brownless told the Bay of Plenty Times: "How dare they say that's a surprise to them?
"That is gobsmacking as far as I'm concerned. I'm amazed they can say that with a straight face,'' he said.
"I find this is just not a satisfactory explanation. It's no excuse."
The letters reveal a simmering tension between the organisations that was also highlighted on Tuesday last week when the council suspended $22 million of major transport and safety projects in protest at a "paralysis" of action from the transport agency.
Tauranga mayor Greg Brownless has criticised the NZTA, saying it has no excuse for refusing to support much-needed transport projects in Tauranga. Photo / File
The transport plan was meant to be presented to the transport agency's board in August 2018 to allow for the completion or progress of several key transport and safety projects - including widening 15th Ave.
The plan is officially known as the Tauranga Transport Programme Business Case and was an application requesting Government support for planning and investment regarding projects which could be complex or had a high level of public interest.
However, the business case never surfaced.
In September, city leaders travelled to Wellington to meet the transport agency to prompt progress.
But a February 14 letter from transport agency senior manager of system design Kevin Reid to Grenfell said the plan was not presented because it did not align with the Government Policy Statement (GPS), which had themes of "mode neutrality, incorporating technology and innovation, and integrating land use and transport planning and delivery".
Reid said there was concern at "the continued emphasis on the use of single occupancy vehicles into the future and the lack of emphasis on mode shift and providing transport choice".
Tauranga City Council chief executive Marty Grenfell says the council is disappointed at the NZTA decision not to present a city transport plan to its board. Photo / File
Reid said this, and a "lack of clarity" regarding how the council was to encourage people away from cars, meant the business case was not appropriate to be presented to the board.
Reid suggested an agreement would only come about if there was "suitable recognition and focus on the strategic priorities of the GPS".
In a response letter, dated March 4, Grenfell expressed disappointment "given it was a 3 year exercise jointly developed by TCC, NZTA and BOPRC in alignment with the SmartGrowth Partnership".
Grenfell was also disappointed at the assertion the plan focused on providing for cars when "the preferred programme was adopted and consulted ... with the largest local investment going into improving the range of transport choices".
"Given the misalignment in understanding between the agencies that jointly developed this programme, it would be helpful for us to consider the technical review that was carried out by NZTA and a summary of how the conclusions were reached," Grenfell said.
He added urgent progress and practical ways to finish near-term projects were needed.
Projects to widen roads such as 15th Ave (pictured) have been stalled by the NZTA. Photo / File
"Rapid growth is compounding existing transport and safety issues," Grenfell said.
"With a Government Policy Statement that seeks urgent action on multi-modal, safety and resilience related projects we fail to see how a wait and see approach on a multi-agency programme that seeks to address exactly those problems in a high growth city with urgent housing need aligns with government policy either."
Grenfell met with a senior transport agency official last Friday to discuss the correspondence and "the current impasse" following the council's protest.
Grenfell told the Bay of Plenty Times after that meeting he looked forward to receiving a copy of the technical review to understand the reported gaps in relation to the Government objectives.
A transport agency spokeswoman said the agency was not in a position to comment.
