Media statement | 26 June 2007

Safety and improved traffic flows Land Transport NZ’s focus for Canterbury

Improved safety and better traffic flow are the focus for the Canterbury region in the 2007/08 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP).

Land Transport NZ today announced $2.4 billion in transport spending for New Zealand in 2007/08, including $118 million allocated for investment in Canterbury’s land transport network.

This includes $70 million allocated for maintenance of state highways and local roads, and $18 million for the construction of local roads and state highways. Another $16 million has been allocated for passenger transport operations, including funding for a proposed investigation study for a new Christchurch city bus exchange.
 
Land Transport NZ Acting Chair Paul Fitzharris says the agency and its partners are committed to making Canterbury’s major routes safer and more efficient, and making passenger transport more attractive as an alternative to car travel.

Land Transport NZ funding for Canterbury in the past year has enabled the completion of:

• construction of passing lanes on SH 1 at Hinds and Clarence North
• major improvements to the SH 1 east/west intersection in Ashburton
• new traffic lights on SH 1 at Rolleston
• the realignment of Blenheim Road, including a new rail overbridge, in Christchurch.

Funding has been committed for the continuation of other major projects, including improvements and widening to the Tram Road intersection in the Waimakariri district.

Projects which may be funded during the year include:

• new bus priority projects in Christchurch city
• renewal of the Marshland Road bridge in Christchurch
• four-laning of Hills Road in Christchurch
• design of the Christchurch southern motorway extension
• investigation of the Christchurch northern arterial route
• investigation of improvements to the Russley Road/Memorial Avenue intersection.

The Road Safety to 2010 Strategy goal for the Canterbury region is that by 2010 fatalities and hospitalisations will be fewer than 530 per annum. There were 36 fatalities and 699 hospitalisations due to road crashes in Canterbury during 2006. Funding for road policing activities in the Canterbury region for 2007/08 is $24 million to help reach the 2010 target.

Mr Fitzharris said a new element in this year’s NLTP is the inclusion for the first time of community focused activities, including road safety and sustainability initiatives. This change means the planning and funding of these activities can now be integrated with the delivery of other NLTP activities.  

Mr Fitzharris says the activities funded through the NLTP reflect Land Transport NZ’s objective of contributing to an integrated, safe, responsive and sustainable land transport system.

Regional newsletters, a fact sheet and the NLTP book, which details all projects in the 2007/08 NLTP, will be available at www.landtransport.govt.nz from 6pm today.

For further information:

Jackie Curtis
Partnership Manager, Southern                                                        
(03) 964 2866 or 027 249 9566