The Upcoming NLTP: trying and failing to put lipstick on a pig
There will be a lot of discussion over the coming weeks and months about transport funding – how much is going to be spent on what types of transport projects over the next three years. This is because NZTA’s “National Land Transport Programme” (NLTP) is in the final phases of being put together, and it is the NLTP which guides how NZTA spends your petrol tax and road user charges over the next three years.…
26 Comments PT Funding Announcement Full of Spin
The NZTA is out busily spinning stories about how much money it is going to be spending on PT in the next three years but as usual the the reality isn’t quite as good as they make it out to be.…
Blowing the motorways budget
Yesterday I received from NZTA all the board papers from their May meeting. There are probably a few posts to put together over the next while that share information from those papers, but one that stood out as particularly interesting was an update on how actual transport spending is tracking against expectations laid out in the 2009-2012 National Land Transport Programme.…
Exploring the mystery $300 million
I noted in a post last week the weird mysteries in Auckland Council’s draft annual plan when it comes to what they’re going to be spending the transport money on. To refresh memories, here’s a table showing the council’s proposed capital expenditure on transport for the 2011/2012 financial year: The big mystery is the $307 million proposed to be spent on the “road network” in the 2011/2012 financial year.…
How to pay for these rail projects?
Somewhat unsurprisingly, many commentators have been quick to write off Len Brown’s transport vision for Auckland as impossibly expensive, ‘pie in the sky’ aspirations. Some of the criticism has come from predictable sources, like David Farrar’s Kiwiblog:
Len may think he has a mandate for the rail – and he does if the ratepayers of Auckland who voted for him are willing to pay for it.…
France’s transport plan
The French government has just released for consultation its visionary transportation plan for the next 20-30 years, and while I can’t really understand French, if you are able to read French then it will probably make for quite an interesting read.…
Transport spending: what Victoria’s doing
Victoria in Australia is often hassled as being a bit of a “roads loving” part of that country, and certainly Melbourne public transport academic Paul Mees seems to spend half his life hassling the state of Melbourne’s public transport system (usually with some justification).…
The Public Transport Leadership Forum
Amidst spending zillions of dollars on motorways over the next few years, NZTA’s National Land Transport Programme also established the “Public Transport Leadership Forum”. This is what’s said about that forum in the NLTP:
Meanwhile, an NZTA programme will take a longer-term view of public transport investment while seeking to make decision-making processes more robust.…
Worrying Rail Funding Cuts
There was a very concerning article in the NZ Herald today about possible cuts to funding for rail, and public transport in general, in the near future:
Auckland rail passengers are likely to face fare rises early next year and pensioners may have their free travel trimmed to meet a funding shortfall.…
Regional Public Transport Plan
There’s an interesting bit of information in the September 2009 ARTA monthly business report that hints at yet another transport strategy/plan that will be released shortly. It reads:
The draft Regional Public Transport Plan (RPTP) is being finalised and will be released for public consultation in November.…
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