Communities urged to submit on draft Regional Land Transport

Thursday 15 March 2018

Bay of Plenty residents in Western Bay of Plenty, Rotorua and Eastern Bay of Plenty have one more week to make a submission on the region’s draft Regional Land Transport Plan.

Submissions and public consultation on the plan opened on 19 February, and close on Friday 23 March, 2018.

The draft plan sets out the projects, funding and priorities for land transport across the region, including planning, managing demand, network optimisation and potential infrastructure requirements.

The draft plan also outlines an initial prioritised list of 35 activities, including transport priorities from Waihi in the north, around Rotorua and through to Opotiki in the east, and everything from state highway network and local road improvements to public transport and cycling projects.

Bay of Plenty Regional Transport Committee chair, Stuart Crosby says the draft plan has already generated significant discussion amongst communities, reinforcing the value of the consultation process.

Cr Crosby says the release of the draft plan and receipt of submissions are just the first stages, and will be followed by hearings, deliberations, a recommendation from the Committee to the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, and then a final submission to NZTA.

“The delivery of an effective land transport network is complex, challenging and constantly changing – but it impacts us all in one way or another.

“As everyone will be aware, the Bay of Plenty region is facing its share of transport challenges including road safety, population growth, traffic congestion, increasing demand and the need for infrastructure development.

“At the same time, we need to consider the impact on the environment, urbanisation and demographic changes. Our role is to balance all of the transport challenges, needs and priorities across the region, and then put our best case forward to NZTA.
“In order to form the best case possible and ensure that our land transport network is the best fit for our growing region – now and in the future – it is imperative that we hear from communities across the region.

“This process provides a way for people to be heard. Their voices genuinely count and we want to ensure that as many people as possible have the opportunity to be involved and make a submission. This is just the start.”

Cr Crosby says once the Regional Land Transport Plan is finalised, it will be submitted to NZTA, who will make the ultimate decisions on funding allocations.

Full information on the draft Regional Land Transport Plan, including a summary document, the full draft plan and submission forms are available on the BOPRC website.

The Regional Transport Committee is a regional governance body made up of Mayoral or mayoral-nominee representatives from the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, Tauranga City Council, Rotorua Lakes Council, Whakatane District Council, Kawerau District Council, Opotiki District Council and the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, as well as the NZ Transport Agency.

© Scoop Media