14 August 2024
Media: Local Democracy Reporter
Topic: Time of use schemes announced by Government
Enquiry
Reporter requested mayor’s thoughts on the proposed time of use schemes and whether you would like to see them introduced in Rotorua?
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/time-use-schemes-reduce-travel-times
What do you think of the proposal?
Should they be introduced to Rotorua and why/why not? If not now, in the future?
If they were introduced to Rotorua, where and what times do you think?
What should the charge be?
Noting it is described as not being a revenue tool but for money to be reinvested into regional roading
I see the government through NZTA would be able to propose a scheme - what do you think of this?
Any other thoughts or comments?
Response
Mayor Tapsell provided the following response:
What do you think of the proposal?
The proposal is not relevant to Rotorua in the foreseeable future. But I can see how it'll benefit bigger cities who are suffering major traffic congestion and road capacity issues and needing to raise funds for investment into better transport solutions.
Should they be introduced to Rotorua and why/why not? If not now, in the future?
I would not support this being introduced in Rotorua as we are not currently experiencing or expecting severe traffic congestion issues. It’s not needed and will be an additional cost on our locals. I would be concerned if this applied without an evidence based approach as it punishes commuters trying to drop off kids and get to work during peak times, we don’t have many alternative routes to get through town so there won’t be much choice but to accept new charges.
If they were introduced to Rotorua, where and what times do you think?
We can predict that we may have congestion issues in the long term future coming in and out of Ngongotaha and also the East side of town. My view is these proposals are not a sustainable substitute for our local state highways being improved to function properly. Council has been advocating for years for NZ Transport Agency to put further investment there to bring our local state highways to a fit for purpose level and we’ll continue to push this.
What should the charge be?
Any future charges should consider the individual needs and income levels of the community, what suits Tauranga or Auckland may not be affordable for Rotorua locals. Any additional cost imposition must meet appropriate cost/benefit assessment .
Noting it is described as not being a revenue tool but for money to be reinvested into regional roading
I see the government through NZTA would be able to propose a scheme - what do you think of this?
Investment to improve transport capacity in our regions is crucial. It's noticeable that roading investment currently favours larger populations where the bigger cities win, and it doesn’t consider that places like Rotorua also host up to 3 million visitors a year and they need the appropriate enabling infrastructure for economic growth.
I see the government through NZTA would be able to propose a scheme - what do you think of this?
Any schemes must be proposed by the Council. Any new scheme or cost to locals should have local input and consider the cost compared to benefits.
Any other thoughts or comments?
I agree with the intention of the proposal but it is important that this is not seen as a solution to underinvest in our local transport networks to meet our existing and future needs.
