Media statement | 26 June 2007

Innovative Palmerston North public transport project gets continuing Land Transport NZ support

A public transport initiative that is attracting attention from other parts of the country will continue to be funded through the Manawatu/Wanganui District 2007/08 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP).

Land Transport NZ Acting Chair Paul Fitzharris says the agency and its partners are committed to making Manawatu/Wanganui’s major routes safer and more efficient and seeing passenger transport become a more attractive alternative to car travel.

“Real progress has been made on the public transport front with the unlimited-access bus services that will continue to be offered to Massey University students and staff. This service is aimed at reducing congestion near the university and has produced encouraging results,” he said.

Land Transport NZ today announced $2.4 billion in transport spending for New Zealand in 2006/07, including nearly $62 million allocated for investment in the Manawatu/Wanganui land transport network.

This includes $43 million for maintenance of state highways and local roads and  $1.4 million for passenger transport operations.

Projects that were completed during the past year include the realignment of SH 1 near Hihitahi Bluffs between Taihape and Waiouru, and four seal extension projects in the Tararua district.

Continued funding has been committed to projects approved last year, including seal extensions of the remaining unsealed length of Whanganui River Road and Raetihi-Pipiriki Road in the Wanganui and Ruapehu districts .

The following projects may be approved during the year:

• seal extensions on the Napier–Taihape road
• construction of a new bridge on Ohakune Mountain Road in the Ruapehu district
• widening of Ferguson Street in Palmerston North.

Mr Fitzharris said a new element  in this year’s NLTP is the inclusion for the first time of community focused activities, such as road safety and sustainability initiatives. This change means the planning and funding of these activities can now be integrated with the delivery of travel behaviour change projects, road safety, engineering and other NLTP activities.

The Road Safety to 2010 Strategy goal for the Manawatu/Wanganui region is that by 2010 fatalities and hospitalisations will be fewer than 300 per annum. There were 31 fatalities and 525 hospitalisations due to road crashes in Manawatu/Wanganui in 2006. Funding for road policing activities to help reach the 2010 target in the Manawatu/Wanganui region totals $16 million for 2007/08.

Mr Fitzharris says the activities funded through the NLTP reflect Land Transport NZ’s objective of contributing to an integrated, safe, responsive and sustainable land transport system.

Regional newsletters, a fact sheet and the NLTP book, which details all projects in the 2007/08 NLTP, will be available at www.landtransport.govt.nz from 6pm today.

For more information:

Ian Hunter
Partnership Manager, Central
(04) 931 8900 or 0274 506 966