Media statement | 26 June 2007

Safety, improved traffic flow and passenger transport form Land Transport NZ’s focus for Otago and Southland

Safety and enhancing public transport services are the focus for Otago and Southland 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 $117 million allocated for investment in Otago and Southland’s land transport network. This includes $83 million allocated for maintenance of state highways and roads, and $24 million for local road and state highway construction.

Land Transport NZ Acting Chair Paul Fitzharris says the agency and its partners are committed to making Otago and Southland’s major routes safer and more efficient, and to seeing public transport become a more attractive alternative to car travel.

“Land Transport NZ has signalled its intentions in the public transport area by investing more than $2 million in Otago and Southland passenger transport operations and total mobility activities for 2007/08. It is encouraging to see the Dunedin City and Otago Regional Councils embarking on a major initiative to improve Dunedin’s bus services, as part of a five-year programme that includes plans for new bus routes, more frequent services and an integrated bus ticketing system,” Mr Fitzharris said.

Funding has been committed for the continuation of major projects including:

• the realignment of SH 1 between Tumai and Waikouaiti
• improvements to the Morven Hills bridge on SH 8
• investigation of the Caversham four-laning project on SH 1
• construction of the Tunnel Hill realignment, west of Lawrence on SH 8.

Projects which may be funded during the year include:

• upgrading the zig-zag section of the Crown Range road between Queenstown and Wanaka
• realignment of Three Mile Hill Road between Dunedin and Mosgiel
• consideration of design options for the replacement of the Tiwai bridge near Invercargill
• construction of the Bond Street heavy traffic bypass in Invercargill
• investigation work associated with providing a two-lane bridge with improved approaches at Kawarau Falls on SH  6 near Queenstown.

The Road Safety to 2010 Strategy goal for the Otago region is that by 2010 fatalities and hospitalisations will be fewer than 190 per annum. There were 14 fatalities and 277 hospitalisations due to road crashes in Otago during the 2006 calendar year. The goal  for the Southland region is fewer than 110 fatalities and hospitalisations per annum by 2010.  There were 10 fatalities and 153 hospitalisations due to road crashes in Southland during the 2006 calendar year.

Funding for road policing activities to help reach the 2010 goals totals  $12.8 million for Otago   and $6.5 million for Southland in 2007/08.

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 New Zealand’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