The Green Party is heralding today’s transport announcement as the start of a new era of investment in sustainable transport in our towns and cities.
The Government released the final Government Policy Statement on land transport funding today. It allocates up to $1.1 billion for new walking and cycling projects, up to $4.8 billion for rapid transit, and up to $8 billion for public transport over the next decade.
“The Greens campaigned on shifting transport funding away from 1950s-style motorway schemes into sustainable and congestion-free alternatives like light rail and safe cycling. This transport budget delivers on that promise,” said Green Party transport spokesperson Julie Anne Genter.
“In the next three years there will be double the funding for safe cycleways, a significant funding boost to make public transport more frequent and affordable, and investment in light rail and rapid bus lines in our major centres.
“These investments will deliver truly fast, frequent, low-carbon transport alternatives to help put our towns and cities on a path to net-zero emissions by 2050.
“It will mean more people have the freedom to escape congestion by jumping on a frequent train or bus or by riding safely to work and school by bike.
“By shifting funding from away from a few costly urban motorway projects we’ll also free up investment to make critical safety improvements on rural roads right across the country.
“An annual 4 cents a litre extra on fuel will support an extra $5 billion of investment over the next decade to deliver more affordable public transport and build safer roads,” said Ms Genter
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