Federated Farmers says rural road users are in for a continued bumpy ride with no extra money for local road improvements in the final Government Policy Statement on Land Transport 2021.
Although the Government has increased the local road maintenance and renewal funding with a forecast range of $650m-$760m next financial year, local road improvements are unchanged from the draft at an upper level of $300m down to as low as $100m in 2021/22.
Federated Farmers transport spokesperson Karen Williams says central and local government share the costs of upgrading local roads, which includes most rural roads.
With councils under heavy financial pressure, there has been considerable under-investment, she says.
“These roads are the lifeblood of our economy and that’s even more so now that agriculture has to do so much of the heavy lifting with exports.
“Federated Farmers said in its 2020 Election Platform that rural roads had deteriorated from systemic under-investment as government funding priorities shifted ever more towards large-scale urban motorways, public transport and cycling projects in urban areas.
“Rural bridges have also suffered from investment neglect and many now exceed their designed lifetime.
“We have a heavily used bridge in my local rural community that has an approach with poor sightlines. It ponds badly with surface water during heavy rain and has no room for another vehicle if a large truck is on it.
“Federated Farmers acknowledges and applauds the record $48 billion overall investment in transport services and infrastructure planned for the next decade but again asks the Government to remember our rural hinterland, from where our economic recovery will be driven,” Williams says.
