Transport has a major role to play in ensuring a zero-carbon, equitable Aotearoa New Zealand. In this policy, the traditional prioritising of road development and private motoring over all other modes of transport is reversed. For many people, car dependency is an unwanted financial and personal burden. Investment in rail, active transport, electric vehicles and public transport is prioritised so that our towns, cities and rural areas become less car-dependent and the use of fossil fuels for transport is eliminated.
Vision
People experience equitable mobility freedom, where everyone can safely, conveniently and independently get where they need and want to go with minimum harm to the planet. Transport is decarbonised, streets are reclaimed from cars, and people feel a connection to their community.
Values and Principles
Transport policy must be underpinned by the following values and principles:
- Honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi: Tino rangatiratanga is upheld by prioritising Māori communities and aspirations and by deciding all transport projects and infrastructure using a Tiriti-based model.
- Ecological Wisdom: All transport modes should be carbon neutral. Other negative effects of transport on the environment must also be minimised.
- Social Responsibility: Transport should equitably (i.e., including those facing disability or access barriers) connect everyone to their needs.
- Appropriate Decision-Making: People disadvantaged by the transport system, workers, and affected communities should be involved with decisions made about transport infrastructure and services, incorporating evidence-based best practice for emissions reduction and safety improvements.
- Non-Violence: Transport infrastructure should be built and operated with the aim of increasing community connectedness and having nobody killed or seriously injured on the transport network.
Strategic Priorities
The Green Party’s strategic goals include:
“Sustainable transport (...) will predominate.”
Actions in this policy that will help reach this goal include:
- Ensure that public and active transport networks are well-integrated, and provide high-frequency services with high-quality transfers, where appropriate, in order to provide a truly convenient alternative to a car. [...] (3.1)
- Update building planning standards to require safe access for pedestrians (including wheelchair users) and cyclists, including bike parking and connections to public transport. (3.6)
- Banning the import of new and used fossil-fuel vehicles to New Zealand, with limited exceptions. (4.25.1)
- Encourage transit-oriented development (TOD) and other forms of increased residential density along rail and other high-quality public transport corridors. (3.10)
- Build surface light rail through key routes in our major cities. (4.3)
- Ensuring that necessary zero-emission heavy vehicles are affordable (in comparison with diesels), through tax incentives and funding. (4.26.4)
Connected Policies
Transport is deeply connected to many other policies. The Housing and Sustainable Communities Policy is key to enabling successful transport and the Energy Policy is key to ensure our system is reliable, clean and resilient. The Climate Change Policy is integral to all these policies. There are also connections to our Trade and Foreign Investment and Tourism Policies.
