ACT brings new and original ideas to funding roads.

ACT is bringing some new and original ideas to the building and funding of roads,” said ACT Leader Dr. Jamie Whyte. “This new thinking is urgently needed. The costs to the country and individuals of an inadequate infrastructure and the resulting congestion, pollution, and travel time delay are immense.”

ACT favours increasing the use of funding options that better reflect the principle of user pays, such as toll charges on new and existing roads.

“We should broaden the range of revenue collection to include congestion charges, peak time charges and preferential lanes,” said Dr Whyte.

To make these tolls easy to operate ACT would sponsor the establishment of a nationwide easy way to pay all toll operators – KiwiDrive.

When this flexible payment model is in use ACT does not support the use of the revenue collected from motorists to pay for public transport. Motorists pay for roads - not trains or buses

“Regulatory restrictions and poor funding models have restricted road building below optimal levels, imposing large time costs on personal and business trips,” said Dr Whyte.

To build the roads the country needs, ACT supports the use of private public partnerships, and private investment, to fund and maintain new infrastructure - so long as risk is shared in the same proportions as the investment.

Taxpayer’s money is a scarce commodity. The private sector has the capital and expertise to build and operate major road projects. It makes sense to use the available private funds and make use of private expertise to make sure the country has the roads to ease congestion.

The second idea that ACT has to get roads built is to get rid of the Resource Management Act. Over time we have seen that this act doesn’t manage the use of resources. It has turned out to be a charter for bystanders and busybodies. The environmental and planning considerations are best managed by the common law, and any statutory fixes directly necessary, so that development does not face unacceptable delays or costs, and the real environmental factors are considered.

“We think road users are entitled to value for money from the road network. ACT’s policies will deliver roads at good value.”

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