“National’s Transport announcement is currently a wish-list. Luckily for them, ACT has the policy to make this dream a reality,” says ACT’s Transport spokesperson Simon Court.
“It’s one thing to say you want more roads. It’s another thing to pay for them. ACT has a clear framework for commissioning, funding and financing roads with locals getting a say. ACT would:
- Plan infrastructure over 30 years with a central-local partnership for each region, identifying all the roads that locals would like built
- Identify the roads that central Government can realistically afford to build and when
- Go to the market and invite private investors locally and overseas to build, operate, toll and give back the roads that Government cannot afford so they get done now“
ACT’s approach will give communities a choice when the Government cannot afford to build a road. Invite the world to make an offer to build it now, or wait for the Government to do it the traditional way.
“ACT is giving voters real change. Political parties have been announcing big and ambitious transport projects since forever, delivering them is another story. Rarely do they happen on time, many projects sit in limbo for decades and enter the cycle of being cancelled and re-announced repeatedly as the Government changes from Blue to Red and back again. ACT is proposing to fix the broken system that makes it so difficult to actually deliver these projects.
“Without real change to how New Zealand funds infrastructure, Kiwis reading about National’s announcement today will be lucky to ever drive on the completed roads. National has announced the end goal, ACT has already announced the way to get there.
“New Zealand’s roads are woeful because nearly all new roads rely on excise tax for funding and Government debt for financing. This method of funding and financing means projects don’t get built if the Government can’t afford them, even though they might be needed and profitable.
“Under a world-class toll roading system, New Zealanders will have a choice: make use of new toll roads much sooner or wait for tax-funded roads to be delivered later or never.
“ACT is ambitious for New Zealand, we aspire towards a modern, thriving economy with world class infrastructure. With ACT’s policies the next ACT/National can achieve that.”