OPINION
I imagine most people give very little thought to our transport network – how it is funded, or how choices are made about what types of transport to fund. Maybe when you are stuck in traffic you might ponder these issues a little bit. Otherwise it probably fades into the background noise of everyday life and you just use the available network to get from A to B.
In local government land, it is a little different. Transport is a big topic of conversation and it gets even bigger when central government drops its latest policy document – the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport, more commonly known as the GPS.
The GPS is an example of a policy document that can shape our transport network well into the future. This is not a document that sits on the shelf and is ignored – it provides the future direction for the transport network and outlines the funding available for the various parts of the network. It is absolutely critical for determining what work local government can deliver in the transport space.
Horizons Regional Council’s fantastic new bus service improvements in Palmerston North and Whanganui were signed and sealed under the GPS of the previous Labour Government. That GPS used transport policy to address climate emissions from the transport network by encouraging a range of travel options, and public transport met that requirement.