Fantastic community response to draft Regional Land Transport Plan
Thursday 29 March 2018

Bay of Plenty Regional Council would like to thank the community for their level of interest that resulted in 1891 submissions on the draft Regional land Transport Plan.

Submissions closed on Friday, March 23 and the Regional Transport Committee Chair, Cr Stuart Crosby, says the response illustrates a high degree of engagement on the draft plan.

“The large amount of feedback will translate into a stronger document which will help better articulate what the region wants from its land transport system”, says Cr Crosby.

The next step in the process is to hold hearings in April, before deliberating on the submissions in May with the final plan to be approved in June. Once finalised, the plan will be submitted to the New Zealand Transport Agency who will ultimately determine which projects are funded through the 2018-21 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP).

A key element in this process will be the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS) that is due to be released shortly. It is likely to signal changes in direction for transport, including specific areas like safety. The NLTP is developed every three years and is a key means by which the Transport Agency gives effect to the latest GPS, which is also developed on a three year cycle.

The Regional Land Transport Plan sets out the region’s vision, outcomes and priorities for the Bay of Plenty land transport system. It is developed by the Regional Transport Committee, which contains a representative from each of the district councils and two from the Regional Council.

The plan is informed by research, data and the views of the community – which are a critical part of the process.

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