The Campaign For Better Transport

Article by Todd Litman, Victoria Transport Policy Institute

Abstract

Traffic congestion tends to maintain equilibrium. Congestion reaches a point at which it constrains further growth in peak-period trips. If road capacity increases, the number of peak-period trips also increases until congestion again limits further traffic growth. The additional travel is called “generated traffic.” Generated traffic consists of diverted traffic (trips shifted in time, route and destination), and induced vehicle travel (shifts from other modes, longer trips and new vehicle trips). Research indicates that generated traffic often fills a significant portion of capacity added to congested urban road. Read the rest of this entry »

Christopher E Harris, PhD (Planning)

Two recent papers have described an ‘Americanisation’ of transport policy in Auckland, New Zealand, characterised by the successful advocacy of motorways at the expense of rail. Arrested development of rail transit in Auckland presents a striking contrast to Wellington, New Zealand, where suburban rail is as well developed relative to population as in Perth (WA). Wellington’s suburban rail was installed as part of a state-led development planning programme. By the late 1940s this template was intended for extension to Christchurch and to Auckland, then undergoing rapid growth. Following a change of government in 1949 development planning ceased and a state highway fund was established to fund urban motorways instead. The principal conclusion is that state support for development planning along transit corridors may be a prerequisite for successful urban transit development.

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The Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) would like to congratulate the Government for attempting to develop an energy strategy.

As the CBT is primarily focused on transport issues, we have chosen to concentrate our submission on this area.

We have arranged our submission into key headings. We have also included a commentary on some specific wording within the NZES document that we think should be reconsidered in the “Edit; Undo” section at the end of this document.

Finally we have answered selected questions from the “Have Your Say” sections of the strategy.

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A series of videos on Auckland’s auto-dependency:

Cameron Pitches asks what strategy the Government has for rising oil prices.

A little over a year ago, when oil was $US56 a barrel, I wrote an article which concluded that New Zealand needed to diversify away from fossil fuels in order to survive and prosper.

One year on, and with oil now over $US70 per barrel, there has been no policy response at all from central Government. Projects that would reduce our dependency on imported fossil fuels, such as electrification of the rail network, are being passed over in favour of completing “missing” links of the motorway network. With the price of oil forecast to go much higher than the 25% increase we have had in the last year, many fossil fuel dependent projects simply will not be viable.

Fuel prices will continue to rise as they have done for over five years now. This is because demand continues to grow globally, while supply remains flat or even starts to decline. Recent studies show that 9 out of the top 10 international oil companies have flat or declining production rates as a result of their oil fields maturing.

So why do fossil fuel dependent transport projects continue to be funded in New Zealand? Because the benefit cost ratio (BCR) framework used by Government agencies completely ignores the future price of fuel.

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Cameron Pitches / NZ Herald

During the debate about the forthcoming 5c per litre increase in petrol excise, a number of politicians and commentators have suggested deferring the increase until oil prices stabilise at lower levels. Yet no one has been able to offer a valid reason why prices should come down.

With global crude oil consumption running at a staggering 84 million barrels a day, the current price of around $US56 per barrel seems entirely reasonable. At an equivalent price in our currency of 50c per litre, even imported bottled water is more expensive.

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by John Shaw, former Transit Board Member

In a recent paper Christopher Sheil of the University of NS Wales talked about editors of the Australian Financial Review being “PPPed out”. He went on to say that that it may be a deliberate strategy, by supporters of PPP, to make the topic so complicated and boring that raising public awareness of the implications of PPP will be an uphill struggle.

This paper is only a brief description of how new roads are financed and built now; what PPP (Public Private Partnership) is all about; the pros and cons of PPP; which current roading projects are candidates for PPPing and some proposals.

How are roads built now?

The public sector raises the money either directly from taxes/rates or borrowing, organises the design and construction contracts and operates the road after construction.

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