Waiting game for cycleway funding

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

The Regional Transport Committee will decide if it needs to change plans to seek funding for cycleways after consultation finishes, Gisborne District Council sustainable futures director Joanna Noble says.

That follows the release earlier this week of the Government’s draft policy statement on land transport funding, which has reduced the amount available for cycleways and tightened the rules around what cycleway projects can be funded.

“The draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) doesn’t say it won’t fund new cycleways,” Ms Noble said.

“The justification for funding them has changed to include ‘either clear benefit for increasing economic growth or clear benefit for improving safety where demonstrated volumes of pedestrians and cyclists already exist’.

“It will be up to the Regional Transport Committee to make any changes to the final Regional Land Transport Plan after consultation.

“We can include projects in the Regional Land Transport Plan that may not attract Government funding — an example in the 2021 plan is the rail reinstatement.

“The Regional Land Transport Plan is also over 10 years.

“The council’s three-year plan is the mechanism to confirm its local share of the money.

“Waka Kotahi confirms their share through the National Land Transport Plan, which is released after the council adopts the three-year plan.

“Not all projects receive funding from both parties in a Regional Land Transport Plan.

“When the final National Land Transport Plan is made available, the council will relook at what is funded and what is not, and if we need to change the proposed work programme in the three-year plan and Regional Land Transport Plan.

“Changes to the work programme are then reflected in the following annual plans to provide the updated view on what has been funded and is progressing.

“Staff will review the content of the draft

Government Policy Statement and whether the proposed Regional Land Transport Plan is consistent with it as part of the report provided to the Regional Transport Committee after consultation and hearings.

“Whether individual cycleway projects will meet the new investment requirements is something to work through over the next month, once we receive further detailed information about those investment criteria and the required information for activity classes from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi.

“The draft Government Policy Statement describes the relevant funding class for maintaining the current walking and cycle network and investment in new walkways and cycleways — they are not expressly prohibited.”

However, cycleway funding will not be available from the State Highway Improvements activity class fund.

“Any investment in walking and cycling must be funded exclusively through this activity class so we will need to review our current draft bid to ensure that active transport components are only included in this class.

“Walking and cycling investment is not a large proportion of our current draft bid over the next three years. The priority is recovery and resilience after the severe weather events.”