Annette King Sets Out Transport Goals
August 7th, 2008
Launching the NZ Transport Strategy and Govt Policy Statement on Land Transport Funding at the Beehive, Transport Minister Annette King revealed Govt investment in land transport ($3.1bn this year) will be stepped up substantially. The NZ Transport Agency will decide on construction starts soon for the Newmarket Viaduct ($190m), Christchurch Southern Motorway ($140m) and Victoria Park tunnel ($320m). King says a decision will also be made shortly on how to procure funding of the Waterview Connection in Auckland and she is awaiting the Wellington region’s decision on the $1bn Transmission Gully project.
King says the strategy ushers in a new era for transport, setting out for the first time defined targets for the whole sector. The first target is to halve per capita domestic greenhouse gas emissions from transport by 2040 and will be achieved by: being one of the first countries in the world to use electric vehicles widely, greater use of renewable fuels, increasing the movement of freight by coastal shipping and rail to 30% and 25% and reducing the kilometres travelled by single occupancy vehicles in major urban areas on weekdays by 10% by 2015.
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Duncan Cotterill