Thanks to local government partners the New Zealand Transport Agency says it is making great strides with the 50MAX programme to get more freight on fewer trucks.
The latest local bodies to come on board the 50MAX-one-network permits are Napier city council and Central Hawkes Bay district council.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) agreed with the Transport Agency will allow partial access to these two local body networks with a limited access 50MAX zone available from 1 July 2015.
This allows for 50MAX access on local council roads to key industrial areas, transport routes and freight hubs with the potential to expand this network over time.
With these two councils coming on board NZTA can now issue 50MAX permits on behalf of 82% of local councils. Some of the remaining councils are issuing their own 50MAX permits, taking the proportion of councils either providing permits directly or fully delegated to the Transport Agency to more than 90%.
“We’re making great progress in growing the 50MAX network and I’m delighted with what has been achieved by the end of the June 2015 financial year,” says freight portfolio director Harry Wilson.
“Having more than 90% of local councils allow 50MAX access in less than two years is a great outcome,” says Wilson.
Since the introduction of 50MAX in October 2013 there have been more than 4500 permits issued and more than 210 million km travelled by these safer and more efficient combinations.
NZTA is in discussions with all the remaining Councils which have not signed up to the 50MAX-one-network permit system to see if they want to come on board.
“We are confident that as local councils see the benefits to their local communities of lifting the productivity of local freight movements they will join up to 50MAX,” says Wilson.
