- By Simeon Brown, Member of Parliament for Pakuranga
Our Government recently released the final Government Policy Statement (GPS) on land transport, outlining our ambitious $22 billion transport plan to boost productivity and support economic growth over the next three years.
The final GPS establishes our Government’s Pothole Prevention Fund and delivers significant investment in new Roads of National Significance, major public transport projects, and rail to enable Kiwis and freight get to where they need to go, quickly and safely.
As part of our Pothole Prevention Fund, we are delivering a record $2.07b for pothole prevention on our State Highways, a 91 per cent increase in funding compared to the previous three years.
We’re also delivering an additional $1.9b for pothole prevention on our local roads, increasing funding for local councils by 50 per cent.
Kiwis are fed up with the record number of potholes on our State Highways and local roads.
That’s why our Pothole Prevention Fund is ringfenced towards resealing, rehabilitation, and drainage maintenance works to prevent pesky potholes from forming in the first place.
We’ve also delivered a 41 per cent boost in public transport services and operations funding to ensure there are reliable and efficient public transport options for Kiwis across the country.
Improving road safety is a priority for our Government.
That’s why we’re directing investment toward road policing and enforcement, new and safe roading infrastructure, and targeting the highest contributors to fatal crashes, including alcohol and drugs.
As part of this, we are introducing workable legislation later this year to rollout roadside drug testing, and we’re requiring police to conduct 3.3 million roadside alcohol breath-tests annually.
Ensuring New Zealander can book and sit their driver licence tests will also help ensure we have safe drivers on our roads.
However, Kiwis who have been trying to book their tests have been faced with unacceptable wait times across the country.
Some parts of the country have been dealing with wait times of up to 60 days, largely because of the previous Government’s decision last year to remove re-sit fees for theory and practical tests.
To tackle these unacceptable wait times, I recently announced changes to the driver licensing system.
From July 8, Class 1 driver licence test applicants sitting a theory or practical test will remain eligible for one free re-sit, with payment required for any further tests.
Overseas driver licence conversions will no longer be eligible for free re-sits.
These changes will reduce no-shows and incentivise driver license applicants to better prepare for and pass their tests the first time, reducing the backlog while ensuring Class 1 applicants remain eligible for a free re-sit.
We’re continuing to deliver a transport system that enables Kiwis to get to where they want to go quickly and safely, as part of our plan to get our country and economy back on track.
