Manawatū missing from Government’s transport map
Manawatū and most of the central North Island do not have a place on the map in the Government’s freshly released draft policy statement on land transport, and Palmerston North mayor Grant Smith is not happy about it.
The provisional plan was announced on Monday by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Transport Minister Simeon Brown.
The Horizons Regional Council’s regional transport committee took its first look at the draft statement yesterday, with most members still trying to work out the implications. But Smith said it was clear the city and the region needed to do more to advocate for themselves and influence the final statement.
“If you look at where the projects are, there is a big, gaping hole.”
The closest reference to the region in terms of major projects was the Ōtaki to North of Levin expressway, which was awaiting an Environment Court decision to confirm it could proceed and was listed as part of Greater Wellington. The document also mentioned the replacement Capital Connection trains and carriages as part of the lower North Island rail plans for the Wairarapa and Manawatū lines.
Smith said neighbouring Hawke’s Bay was on the map, with a planned expressway that would serve fewer vehicles than travelled between Palmerston North and Feilding daily.
He said for too long the city and region had accepted central government policies and done their best to get on with things.
But if the Government’s signals about wanting to prioritise economic growth, productivity, resilience and safety were to be realised, Palmerston North needed more investment, he said.
Smith wanted the regional council to support the city’s call.
He said it did not help that Horizons’ draft regional transport plan, which was out for consultation, did not back the development of the regional freight ring road around Palmerston North as its top priority.
The National Party had pledged to fast-track the project ahead of the 2020 general election, which it lost, and the project was on the Palmerston North and Manawatū “Our Asks” manifesto put to all politicians ahead of the 2023 election, still without gaining traction.
Smith said continuing to have heavy traffic on urban streets was costing the city dearly. An example was the deterioration of the Amberley Ave culvert, which would have to be replaced with a $3.5 million bridge, part of the consequences of urban streets carrying too many trucks.
He said the region had to get more aspirational in its plans to attract more investment from central government.
Plans for the long-term stabilisation of State Highway 1 at Utiku and those for a shared cycle and pedestrian bridge at Ashhurst to link to the Manawatū Gorge replacement highway, Te Ahu a Turanga, were not the right projects to be top of the priority list, he believed.
The draft statement said investment in walking and cycling should only take place where there were clear benefits for economic growth or for improving safety.
The city’s deputy mayor, Debi Marshall-Lobb, had earlier voted against the regional council’s decision to drop the regional freight ring road, part of the integrated transport initiative, to third on the regional priority list.