I’ve seen a lot of reverse ferrets in my time, but the one yesterday by Michael ‘Donkey’ Wood is one of the fastest I’ve ever seen. Within hours of the policy release came the backdown. Is Michael Wood trying to white-ant Labour and Chris Hipkins?
Newshub understands the Government is reconsidering its transport strategy in light of Cyclone Gabrielle – with a pivot away from bus and bike lane funding.
A Government transport strategy, drafted at the end of last year, prioritised emissions reductions and proposed road maintenance funding be used to replace car parks with bus or cycle lanes.
But in the wake of catastrophic damage to our State Highway network the Government will refocus on a ‘rebuild and resilience’ programme, beginning with reconnecting key routes before moving to build resilience in our transport network – not just in cyclone-hit areas, but across the country.
The original proposal from Transport Minister Michael Wood, first reported on Monday morning by NZ Herald, suggested a significant change in the way road maintenance funding – about $2 billion per year by 2024 – is used.
When a road needs maintenance or renewal, instead of “replacing like-for-like”, it was proposed that “some street space currently dedicated to private vehicles (including for car parking), needs to be reallocated to deliver more bus lanes, separated bike/scooter lanes, and walking improvements”.
The proposal is found in an October 2022 document laying out what were Wood’s indicated priorities for the next Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport from 2024.
The GPS contains the government of the day’s vision for land transport for the coming decade and is updated every three years. It sets out how the Government expects money from the National Land Transport Fund (NLTF) to be spent on public transport, state highway improvements, local roads and road safety.
According to NZ Herald, public consultation on the draft GPS 2024 has been delayed due to the impact of recent weather events.
Newshub
The policy as released by the NZ Herald told everyone who cared to read it that Labour hates rural folks. The very same folks whose roads, bridges and transport links are now in ruins. It was tone-deaf.
After the floods and cyclones, the effects of which were exacerbated by the total lack of maintenance of the roads, Wood planned to eliminate road maintenance altogether:
Transport Minister Michael Wood has proposed changes to the way $2b of maintenance money is spent each year, which could mean swapping car parks for new bus lanes and cycleways – paid for with the money used to fix potholes,
NZ Herald
Oh how far we have sunk. It used to be that a high benefit-cost ratio was needed for all transport investment. Then that was watered down. Now, no economic assessment is required and, in fact, the more negative the BCR is the better. No more roads will be built or even maintained, only useless boondoggles that nobody wants or uses.
A consultation document said there needed to be “high thresholds for investments that do not support emissions reduction objectives”.
This would appear to make it very difficult to build new roads.
NZ Herald
No wonder they performed the fastest reverse ferret in living memory. Any MP or councillor who supported that should be required to take public transport or cycle everywhere, preferably while wearing a blindfold, and earplugs, with a leg in a cast, and trying to carry at least three bags of groceries. That won’t be a problem actually, most of them are already totally blind and deaf to what the people want or need anyway.
But know this, if Labour gets re-elected they will still push this agenda, and push it hard. Like rust, these ideologues never sleep.
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