Tauranga Organisations And Councils Pledge To Improve Local Travel

Tauranga City has one of the highest rates of private car use in Australasia and traffic flows have been increasing by up to 8 percent each year. The Tauranga City Community Carbon Footprint found transport makes up 61% of the city’s carbon footprint, of which 97% comes from road transport.

Modelling completed in 2018 suggests that if Tauranga was to achieve similar mode shares to Wellington, there would be around 50 fewer premature deaths per year, associated with changes in air quality, road safety and levels of physical activity. In addition to these environmental and public health implications, traffic congestion is a significant concern to Tauranga residents and businesses alike.

During 2021 a growing number of organisations pledged to do their bit to improve the situation by:

Investigating and implementing flexible working arrangements where practicable for their organisation

Supporting and enabling active forms of transport for both staff commutes and work-related travel

Investigating and implementing other opportunities to reduce their environmental / carbon footprint relating to how they travel for and to work

The movement is known as the Greater Tauranga Travel Pledge (GTTP). Combined, the grouping covers many thousands of local employees and a significant amount of economic activity.

All the local councils (BOP Regional Council, Western BOP District Council and Tauranga City Council) have made the pledge. Large employers such as BOP District Health Board, Fulton Hogan, Trustpower, and Zespri have also joined, along with public organisations such as Priority One, Tourism Bay of Plenty and University of Waikato, who all take a close interest in the region’s development.

The Greater Tauranga Travel Pledge members work together to support each other’s efforts to improve their organisation’s travel choices. Chair of the GTTP organising committee Jeremy Levy says “It’s hard to find anyone that thinks the current situation is good. By working together, we amplify the impact of every initiative.”

Any business that wants to take the pledge can join the GTTP grouping. “We are open to all organizations that are willing to commit to being part of the solution.”

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