National will outspend Labour on transport, with a big commitment to roads.

Tuesday, 11 February 2020

National is promising to spend more than Labour on transport if it wins the next election.

That is despite the Government announcing a $6.8 billion infrastructure package a fortnight ago.

National transport spokesman Chris Bishop told the Wellington Chamber of Commerce this morning that National would spend more than Labour on transport

'The package will be significant, it will be bigger and better than the Government's proposals,' he said.

* Fuel tax or road-user charges - either way, Kiwis still pay

* National Party leader Simon Bridges refuses to commit to repealing feebate policy**

The Government recently raided National's territory, announcing $6.8 billion worth of transport projects with roughly $5.3 billion spent on roading.

Many of the roads were versions of roads National had itself promised to build under the Roads of National Significance banner.

Bishop described the package as 'a public policy victory'.

'But we are deeply disappointed about the two years of faff it took to get here,' he said.

Pointing towards the Government's record on KiwiBuild and the Auckland light rail scheme, Bishop questioned whether the projects would be delivered as promised.

'Who do you trust to actually get on and build these roads,' Bishop said.

'Do you want to put your faith in a party that said they weren't necessary, that cancelled them?' he said.

The speech did not make any concrete funding commitments, but built on National's discussion document on transport released last year.

The party is currently looking at moving away from fuel pricing and towards universal road user charges and congestion charging to raise money for the National Land Transport Fund.

Chris Bishop has promised more spending on roads should National win the next election.

Transport Minister Phil Twyford said Labour was outspending National on transport.

'If you look at transport spending from the national government's office over nine years and look at what we're doing with the National Land Transport Programme and the Upgrade Programme, we're outspending them massively,' he said.

He questioned National's ability to pay for the new spending.

'Where's the money coming from? They've promised to cut fuel taxes. They promised whole lot of highways but they're cutting the fuel taxes,' Twyford said.

National has promised it would repeal the 10 cent a litre Auckland Regional Fuel Tax and said it would not increase petrol taxes in its first term.

In the last National Government's final full year in office, it spent just over $3 billion on the NLTP, funded through fuel taxes. However it funded other roads directly from central Government or through Public-Private Partnerships.

Bishop also said National would rework Wellington's landmark Let's Get Wellington Moving (LGWM) package.

LGWM is a series of projects in Wellington costing $6.4 billion, with central government picking-up 60 per cent of the bill.

But the Government's decision to prioritise the building of a mass rapid transit system ahead of a second Mt Victoria Tunnel has been controversial.

Bishop agreed with the overall LGWM package, but said it should be reworked, potentially bringing forward the second Mt. Victoria Tunnel, which is currently not slated to be built until near the end of the decade.

'Let's be very clear we think it is ridiculous that in New Zealand's capital city to get to the Airport we are still using a two-lane tunnel build in 1931,' he said.

He said he would not reopen the whole LGWM package, but would rework the existing package.

'We intend to rework Let's Get Wellington Moving based on what's already agreed,' he said.

Twyford had little desire to reopen LGWM.

'All of the mayors and the chair of the Wellington Regional Council unanimously supported Let's Get Wellington Moving, noone wants to renegotiate, not even Any Foster,' Twyford said.

Twyford said he would not relitigate the funding split.

'We spent a lot of time negotiating the funding responsibilities for Let's Get Wellington Moving, they've been signed off by Cabinet, they're not up for grabs,' he said.

However, National would be unlikely to back light rail in Wellington. Instead, Bishop was leaning towards bus lanes.

Bishop would not commit to specific funding levels at the speech, saying those questions were for Paul Goldsmith, the finance spokesperson.