Road Maintenance and Improvements Urged in Government Policy Statement on Land Transport

The challenges facing New Zealand's transport system include an ageing road network, extreme weather events, congestion and emissions reduction, according to a briefing by the NZ Transport Agency, Waka Kotahi, to the country's incoming Minister of Transport.

The Coalition Government is being urged to prioritise investment in road maintenance and improvements in the upcoming Government Policy Statement on land transport.

"Over the past few years, our members have been disappointed to see the road user charges they pay go towards speculative investments in areas like rail and coastal shipping, while the condition of the roads continues to decline", said Billy Clemens of Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand, the road freight peak body.