$4.3b to cut deaths on road
Cash follows Labour’s promise to prioritise road safety over the next decade
The Government has announced a $4.3 billion investment over the next three years to reduce deaths and serious injuries on New Zealand roads.
The funding comes as part of Labour’s promise to prioritise road safety over the next decade as the country wrestles with a growing annual road toll from vehicle crashes.
As part of the 2018/21 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) investment, $3.1b will be spent on safety to local road and state highway improvements which will target highrisk areas and intersections, Transport Minister Phil Twyford told the Herald.
That’s $1b more than what was allocated in
Twyford said.
A further $1.2b will be put towards road policing and promotion of road safety, $200m more compared to the last three years.
All together, the investment was $1.2b more than the money spent in the 2015/18 NLTP, Twyford said
The rest of the spending on roads over the next three years will be the 2015/18 NLTP, announced by today.
Seven people have died on the country’s roads in the past two days, bringing the road toll to 247 for the year to date.
Annual road deaths in New Zealand increased from 253 in 2013 to 380 last year. The number of serious injuries jumped from 2788 to 3264 per year over the same period. the Government