What direction should land transport take in the Bay of Plenty?

16 December 2014

What direction should land transport take in the Bay of Plenty during the next 30 years? What activities should the region invest in for the next six years to get there?

These are the questions that are being asked by the Bay of Plenty Regional Transport Committee as the draft Regional Land Transport Plan opens for consultation.

Jane Nees, Chair of the Regional Transport Committee and Bay of Plenty Regional Council Deputy Chair, said the draft Plan brings together the best thinking from each of the region’s councils to provide a vision for transport for the next 30 years. It supports the region’s bid for central government investment in land transport activities, from road safety to walking and cycling, to public transport and road improvements.

“It includes a ‘what we want to do’ list for significant land transport activities but the final say on how funds are allocated is determined by the NZ Transport Agency,” Mrs Nees says. “In June next year the NZ Transport Agency will announce their national programme which will have prioritised all submissions nationally for funding.”

She says investment in transport infrastructure in the Bay of Plenty has been well supported in recent years but there is still a lot of investment required to unlock the Region’s potential and to help deliver on our vision for transport – ‘the best transport systems for a growing economy and a safe and vibrant Bay lifestyle’.

“We’ve used this vision and the seven objectives developed in the plan to produce a priority list of activities we would like funding assistance for. The draft Plan sees a yearly average of $220,000,000 worth of activities submitted for funding.”

The prioritised list is:

Priority 1: State Highway 2/State Highway 29 Baypark to Bayfair link upgrade (incorporating Maunganui/Girven Road intersection)
Priority 2: Improving Totara Street between Hull Road and Hewletts Road
Priority 3: Improving State Highway 29 from Tauriko to the Waikato Boundary (National Safer Roads and Roadsides Programme)
Priority 4: Tauriko Upgrade
Priority 5: SH 2 Northern Corridor Safe System Programme
Priority 6: SH5/SH30 Safety Improvements
Priority 7: Tauranga urban cycle network construction
Priority 8: Rotorua urban cycleways
Priority 9: Tauranga Northern Link
Priority 10: Rotorua Eastern Arterial
“We need to know if people agree with the plan, or if they think there are other issues or opportunities which should have been identified,” Mrs Nees said. “Have we got our vision and objectives right? Are we headed in the right direction with a view to the next 30 years in the Bay of Plenty?”

Submissions on the draft Regional Land Transport Plan are open until 29 January. The full document and summary are available on the Bay of Plenty Regional Council website www.boprc.govt.nz/landtransportplan or at the regional council offices and at local libraries.

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