Road freight body Transporting New Zealand has given cautious support to proposed congestion charging legislation but says key changes are needed to protect operators and avoid passing costs on to consumers.
In a submission to Parliament’s Transport and Infrastructure Select Committee, the advocacy group proposed four amendments to the draft Time of Use Charging Bill to “maximise network efficiency and incentivise buy-in” from operators and their customers.
The recommended changes include:
- Exempting freight and public transport vehicles from time of use charges;
- Charging light and heavy vehicles at the same rate;
- Requiring time of use charging scheme assessments to include the expected impacts on the supply chain and freight movement;
- Allowing short-term trials before formal implementation.
Transporting New Zealand head of policy and advocacy, Billy Clemens, says the recommendations reflect the reality that freight demand is inflexible and driven by customers’ capacity to receive.
“We know from international experience that congestion charges do not result in material changes in freight vehicles travelling at peak times.
“Without appropriate protections in the legislation, congestion charges act as unavoidable taxes on freight operators, raising costs for businesses and consumers without meaningfully improving traffic gridlock.
“Our members don’t want to have to pass these charges onto their customers, and deal with the associated administration costs.”
Clemens acknowledged that congestion charging remains divisive within the industry. The organisation’s 2025 Road Freight Survey captures a broad range of views.
Of those surveyed, 42% of road freight operators stated they supported or strongly supported the use of congestion charging, 23% were neutral and 32% disagreed or strongly disagreed. The remaining 3% indicated they were unsure.
A total 78% of operators agreed that road freight should be exempt from congestion charging, with 16% being neutral and 6% disagreeing.
Transporting NZ also backed parts of Auckland Council’s submission, particularly around governance and the use of revenue.
“The Council has made some important points around governance and revenue provisions, and complementary measures such as public transport improvements. We hope the Committee will give them careful consideration so we get workable legislation passed,” Clemens says.
*Click here to read Transporting New Zealand’s full submission.
