In recent comments about infrastructure funding, Ministers Chris Bishop (Infrastructure) and Simeon Brown (Transportation) have strongly voiced their commitment to user-pay financing.
As an example, they have indicated that the Government is planning greater use of road tolls, particularly when it comes to funding ‘roads of national significance’.
Potential widening of the Hawke’s Bay Expressway falls into that category.
BayBuzz asked MPs Catherine Wedd and Katie Nimon for their views on this. They simply echoed (jointly) the party line: “The Government will support all recommendations by NZTA to toll roads.” Adding: “We are committed to hearing and sharing the views of the Hawke’s Bay electorate as your representatives for the region.”
So for something more thoughtful, we turned to HBRC Councillor Martin Williams, who serves as the chair of HB’s Regional Transport Committee. He was less shy. Says Williams …
“The reality is there is not enough in the Government Policy statement budgets to pay for all the roads of national significance. The Expressway has the advantage of the corridor for four-laning being fully planned (designated) and I understand owned, so it is at the top of the queue.
“Don’t get me wrong. Crown funding for the expressway is welcomed, in so far as it goes. But we can safely assume users will have to pay a share of the project cost, and that means the good folk of Hawke’s Bay will need to pay some form of toll, in addition to what they pay as tax payers including through road use charges, fuel excise tax, etc. The details are not yet worked out including the cost share from this funding method and how it is collected, but I think we can also safely assume any toll would pay for the four-laning itself, rather than coming back to the region in some other way.
“It may be many would happily pay a toll to avoid congestion, others may not feel that way. Whatever we might feel about it, this approach is the new normal under the Government’s road and general infrastructure funding model to get projects over the line.
“My only real gripe is whether, in such an apparently constrained funding context of both tax cuts and fiscal constraint , we should instead look at transport investments in our region that deliver greater returns.
“At the end of the day, this is about choices. For a fraction of the roughly $1B likely cost of the expressway four-laning, we could have a Rolls Royce bus service that takes congestion off the expressway in the morning and evening peaks, and divert the rest of the precious available funding for our region to upgrading State highways 2 and 5, which are critical lifelines to the engine room of the New Zealand economy and on which Wairoa and northern Hawke’s Bay are completely reliant, respectively. Another high priority call would be to fund repair of the nearly $1B of cyclone damage to rural roads to get produce from farm and orchard gate to the Port, with $91M in this year’s budget towards that so far confirmed.
“My fear is that even with tolls paying for part of the expressway, the Waikare Gorge and Devil’s Elbow upgrades to SH2 planned by Waka Kotahi will not be able proceed.
“Put it this way, they are not funded under the budget this year, and Hawke’s Bay’s bid for funding for these projects under the Regional Transport plan will have to compete for the Crown share of the expressway four-laning, and very likely come in second place, because State Highway 2 is not a ‘road of national significance’. In my view, that would be a great pity.”
Amen!
HB needs more access roads between Napier and Hastings. At the time of the cyclone, Napier was cut off from Hastings, eg. the hospital. Replacing Brookfields Bridge is important.
As far as the Expressway goes, observation shows it’s hectic in ‘rush hour’, and quiet outside of that. I really like Martin William’s comment about improved public transport easing those congestion times. Bring that on.
A concern of mine is the possibility of ‘four lanes to Watchman Rd’ (the airport roundabout). Is it necessary that far north? Once again our estuary of significance is under threat of being squeezed further as two lanes would be built over it. That would either cover The Scrapes where the kuaka/godwits gather daily at high tide, or, if the other side, the piece of land south of the Westshore holiday park where there are ‘At Risk’ native plants. (I can hear Shane Jones now).
If 4 lanes are to be built, please stop at the roundabout south of Te Whanganui a Orotu/Ahuriri Estuary. The estuary is under enough threat, without further compromising the water flow, habitat loss, water quality, threatened species, cultural significance, its size, biodiversity, and I could go on …..
Thanks for Not going on Angie.
However, I for one say good on Shane Jones MP, for telling us straight! What needs to be done!
With this stuck in the mud country with a growing population, which imports crap coal from Indonesia opposed to mining our own. That along with Not mining our own minerals……all thanks to Labour’s lustful appetite, for squandering tax payers hard earned money, and being knee deep in cahoots with The Green Economic vandals! Who only know how to spend money and have Zero
Clues as to the hows to make it.
I do not envy for a minute the amount of hard work our present coalition goverment has to do after the previous goverment left the the government coffers bare!
Skined out! With the biggest ever debt, in this country’s history.
Let us hope the present democratically elected Government, gets our country back on track for the benefit of ALL New Zealanders.
Hopefully, through our Parliament without being forever being hindered or intimidated by the looney lefties and David Waititi’s seperatist lot.
Bosley seems to be on something, or has he simply forgotten about the impact of Covid – and the implications for the economy? Perhaps too the promise at the time the Napier Hospital was closed, that we would have four lanes to the hospital in Hastings? That was some years ago.
To back tolls now is antiNapier.
Not exactly ‘back on track’
Yes, thanks Angus..I’m not looking back, but forward, on something called positivity!
Each to ther own.
Cheers
Tolls are never charged for a road you must use. They are paid on roads which increase convenience/speed.
The expressway sits squarely in that category
100% correct.
Like on the way up Northland.
You have a choice. For choosing to take the slightly shorter or more convenient toll road, you pay a small toll fee.
Or, if you choose to take the slightly longer route, or maybe less conveniant route, there is No toll fee.
As we all know, it’s going to take a long time in the.making for it to actually happen here!