Roads funder hits safety accelerator

By JASON COLLIE transport reporter

Road safety and nearly $10 million for public transport projects are the main thrusts in a $940 million plan for the country's roads announced last night.

Transfund New Zealand's national roading programme - released in an unintentional clash with the Budget - boosts the pot for minor road safety projects by 60 per cent, to $18.3 million, for the next 12 months.

The plan also confirmed Transport Minister Mark Gosche's announcement this week that public transport would get an extra $6.62 million for services and $2.8 million towards design work for the North Shore Busway.

Slightly less money will be spent on building new roads than this year, but the $348.68 million will go into a larger number of projects.

Almost $500 million will be spent on maintenance.

Programme manager Murray Riley said Transfund was boosting the amount for each road safety project from $50,000 to $75,000.

"Some roading control authorities were becoming increasingly frustrated at the scope they had with $50,000."

Transfund's budget for roading and public transport comes from road-user charges, petrol tax and vehicle registrations.

Northland will receive $44.82 million, Waikato $97.94 million and the Bay of Plenty $54.8 million.

Auckland again receives the biggest regional share of $170.76 million, although that is down almost $24 million on last year.

Transfund chief executive Martin Gummer said Auckland was likely to receive a further $25 million to $50 million from a pool set aside for schemes expected to be approved during the year.

Auckland, Waikato, the Bay of Plenty and Northland get about 57 per cent of the total fund, but Mr Gummer expected their share to rise to more than 70 per cent within five years.

"There's an element of catch-up in the Auckland isthmus and it will reflect that these regions are where the growth is and where the safety work is needed."

Mr Gummer said Transfund was moving the programme towards a longer-term outlook for projects. Among the 23 studies it will fund is an investigation of a second Waitemata Harbour crossing, despite the regional hope last year that it would not need to be built for 20 years.

This decision was a case of being prepared, not a suggestion that the project should be advanced.

While almost $2 million less will be spent on new roads, 200 more projects would be funded. Mr Gummer said this was because a number of large schemes had been completed recently and Transfund could not pay for smaller projects.

Mr Gosche said: "It has a totally balanced approach so that we deal with congestion problems in Auckland in an entire way and we have a good commitment to road safety."