A bill which would see congestion charges for some of Aotearoa’s busiest roads will be introduced later this year, Transport Minister Simeon Brown has announced, honouring a commitment from the National-ACT coalition agreement.
“Faster, more reliable travel times will increase productivity and lower costs for businesses and their customers. That is why we are enabling time-of-use schemes to be put in place.
“Time of use schemes will improve network efficiency to increase productivity and enable Kiwis and freight to get where they need to go quickly and safely. It is not about raising revenue,” Brown wrote in a statement.
A legislative framework focused on seven key components has been agreed upon by the cabinet, which will enable local councils to propose time-of-use schemes on their networks.
“Schemes will be focused on increasing productivity and improving the efficiency of traffic flow in our cities. Local councils will propose schemes in their region, with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) leading the design of the schemes in partnership with councils to provide strong oversight and to ensure motorists benefit from these schemes. All schemes will require approval from the Government.
“Time of use schemes will need to consider the impacts on motorists and businesses that use the roads that fall within the charging areas, as well as the impacts on the wider network.
“Any money collected through time of use charging will also be required to be invested back into transport infrastructure that benefits Kiwis and businesses living and working in the region where the money was raised. Councils will not be able to spend this money on other priorities or pet projects.”
The government will prioritise working alongside Auckland Council after they were given the go-ahead for a congestion charging scheme in June this year.
“Auckland is grappling with pressing productivity challenges that demand effective solutions.
“Our Government is committed to working with Auckland Council to deliver a time-of-use charging framework that will improve travel times and network efficiency for Aucklanders.
“Travel times per kilometre in Auckland are much higher than in comparable cities in Australia. Aucklanders are fed up with the gridlock that is plaguing our roads and making the city less accessible and productive.
“Allowing businesses and tradies to be able to do more trips per day will mean more productivity on our roading networks, and a boost to our economy.
“While time-of-use schemes will help manage congestion and increase productivity in our cities, it is not a standalone solution. That’s why the Government is continuing to prioritise new Roads of National Significance and major public transport projects to enable Kiwis and freight get to where they need to go, quickly and safely,” said Brown.
The bill is expected to be seen by Parliament before the end of the year where it will then go to a select committee where Kiwis can make submissions on the legislation.