The Bay of Plenty regional transport committee says that its 30 year vision for the draft regional transport plan is now open for public consultation.
The committee wants to know what direction should land transport take in the Bay of Plenty during the next 30 years, and which activities should the region invest in for the next six years?
Regional transport committee chair Jane Nees says the draft Plan brings together the thoughts from each of the region’s councils to provide a vision for transport for the next 30 years. It supports the region’s bid for government investment in activities, from road safety to walking and cycling, to public transport and road improvements.
“It includes a ‘what we want to do’ list for significant activities but the final say on how funds are allocated is determined by the NZ Transport Agency,” says Nees.
“In June next year the NZ Transport Agency will announce its national programme which will have prioritised all submissions nationally for funding.”
She says a lot of investment required to unlock the Region’s potential.
“We’ve used the seven objectives developed in the plan to produce a priority list of activities we would like funding assistance for. The draft Plan sees a yearly average of $220,000,000 worth of activities submitted for funding.”
The prioritised list is:
- Priority 1: State Highway 2/State Highway 29 Baypark to Bayfair link upgrade (incorporating Maunganui/Girven Road intersection)
- Priority 2: Improving Totara Street between Hull Road and Hewletts Road
- Priority 3: Improving State Highway 29 from Tauriko to the Waikato Boundary (National Safer Roads and Roadsides Programme)
- Priority 4: Tauriko Upgrade
- Priority 5: SH 2 Northern Corridor Safe System Programme
- Priority 6: SH5/SH30 Safety Improvements
- Priority 7: Tauranga urban cycle network construction
- Priority 8: Rotorua urban cycleways
- Priority 9: Tauranga Northern Link
- Priority 10: Rotorua Eastern Arterial
“We need to know if people agree with the plan, or if they think there are other issues or opportunities which should have been identified,” says Nees. “Have we got our vision and objectives right? Are we headed in the right direction?”
Submissions on the draft Regional Land Transport Plan are open until 29 January. The full document and summary are available on the Bay of Plenty Regional Council website or at the regional council offices and at local libraries.
