“New Zealand’s transport system is going to continue to suffer as long as it is dictated by anti-progress climate policies,” says ACT’s Transport spokesperson Simon Court.
“National’s Simeon Brown confirmed on Q+A this morning that they agree with ACT’s policies of scrapping the Clean Car Discount and implementing a wholesale shift to electronic road pricing within five years. These are both sensible policies that the next ACT/National Government will fulfill.
“If we want Real Change to New Zealand’s transport network, ACT says we need to go further. That means getting rid of the Clean Car Standard as well, which just adds red tape and costs. And scrapping the Emissions Reduction Plan.
“Being committed to the Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) means being committed to "reduce total kilometres travelled by the light fleet* by 20% by 2035”. This is what’s driving the current anti-car obsession with lower speed limits, speed bumps galore, and a focus on cycleways rather than safe and efficient roads.
“No Government will truly be able to bring productivity and efficiency back to transport outcomes as long as it is signed up to the ERP.
“Transport policy needs to be focussed on transportation. The Government can enact a sensible climate policy that runs concurrently but doesn’t dictate everything New Zealand does.
“If the Government wants to take climate change seriously, all it needs to do is announce that emissions under the ETS would be capped at the same level as our trading partners. That would meet our climate commitments and allow consumers to choose how they limit their emissions. If you emit less, you keep more of your own money.
“After all, the climate doesn’t care which country emissions come from, just the overall quantity.
“In a just a few years’ time Kiwis will have more low emissions vehicles to choose from than they can possibly imagine. Interventions like the ERP won’t change that, they just make progress impossible and New Zealanders poorer in the meantime.”