A press release by Smart Transport notes some interesting information released to them under the Official Information Act:
Over $8 million has been spent by the Government on promoting a series of wasteful motorway projects, according to documents made available through the Official Information Act.
“The Government has been concerned that a lack of ‘messaging clarity’ would undermine the credibility of the $12 billion so called “Roads of National Significance” spend up”, says Silvia Zuur, Smart Transport coordinator.
A huge amount of public money has been invested to try and manufacture consent for the RoNS, despite the government’s own commissioned SAHA report confirming their minimal economic benefit.
“With instructions such as: ‘Lack of messaging clarity may undermine the credibility of the programme or leave the way open for critics’ these documents make clear that the government has been preoccupied with neutralizing opposition to the RoNS, rather than evaluating their value to taxpayers and communities”, says Ms Zuur.
Instead of investing in smart transport options, the Government is wasting billions of dollars on a few massive motorway projects, which by any measurement offer a very poor return on investment.
Ms Zuur says: “These motorways, which, it now also emerges will require substantial borrowing, will be an enormous drag on the economy and divert precious transport funding away from essential, everyday transport options, which offer a far better return to taxpayers”
“Instead, the Government should be prioritizing buses and trains, safer walking and cycling, and more cost-effective road improvements” she says.
Smart Transport points out that elsewhere, regions once considered the most car-centric, are now investing substantially in smart transport projects. Los Angeles has now committed to building 1600 miles of cycleways, because of clear economic, social and health benefits.
The Smart Transport Network calls for the Minister of Transport, Gerry Brownlee to stop wasting public money trying defend the indefensible, and to start investing money into a smart transport plan that will benefit all New Zealanders.
Here are some “lines” NZTA have been spending the money on coming up with to combat – again from the media release:
From the NZTA guidelines
“The communities affected by the RoNS consistently feel well-informed and are aware of the projects and resulting economic and social benefits.”
“Ensure the NZTA staff are well-informed with consistent messages and are able to talk about the rationale and benefits of the RoNS programme and understand the broader transport context.”
“Lack of messaging clarity may undermine the credibility of the programme or leave the way open for critics.”
“Lobby groups may seek to undermine the RoNS programme by publicly criticising the projects. Local elections may become a platform for undermining RoNS”
And the spend so far, by project:
Puhoi to Wellsford $1,671,552
Waikato $1,089,595
Western Ring Route and Waterview Connection $1,070,000
Victoria Park Tunnel $1,089,565
Tauranga Eastern Link $268,558
Wellington Northern Corridor $3,080,247
Christchurch Motorways $154,882TOTAL $8,424,399
If anyone from Smart Transport wants to send us the OIA response in full, we’d be more than happy to upload it.
Seriously NZTA piss off! $8 on promotion! Why do you need to promote a road, and millions spent on promotion? Don’t cry wolf when you need money for roads, when there is no money in the kitty for road construction of PT infrastructure.
But there is no cash to build underpasses for the NW cycleway at Lincoln and Te Atatu interchanges? Now I can see why.
There are words I want to use for this but I cannot use them here
“Lack of message clarity” = everyone thinks they’re dicks.
And it looks like the Capital Connection is doomed because of the NZTA ain’t coming to the party to match GWRC and Horizons subsidies. And the Mount Vic tunnel in Wellington still doesn’t have perspex screens to save pedestrians and cyclists from being poisoned by fumes, after who knows how many years of asking.
Priorities NZTA – you’ve got them all wrong. Confidence in the Minister, the Government and NZTA – nil.
You “leave the way open for critics” by your own waste, ineptitude and basically doing everything wrong.
This really beggars belief. The waste and absolute road obsession displayed by this government is appalling.
Would be nice if the questions/request and answers were put online (hint: use http://fyi.org.nz ), just so we can see exactly what the $8m covers/doesn’t.
My parents live in Kapiti. They say there is an (unmanned) information booth at the local shopping center with a ton of literature about their proposed expressway. That will be included. They say they’ve been to several public meetings arranged by both NZTA and the Council where NZTA had engineering, transport, and environmental experts to talk to them. The cost of the meetings and the salaries of the experts will be included. NZTA operate a web site and we’ve seen videos showing the proposed routes showing up on YouTube. That will be included.
It’s all about providing information to people and collecting their feedback. Commenters here think that is a bad thing, NZTA should just plan in secret, and the first thing anyone should know about a project is when the bulldozers move in.
My parents are opposed to the expressway, by the way, partly because they’re at an age where they don’t go anywhere at peak time, and because they’re NIMBYists. However, they’re going to all the meetings AND the protests, and they say that the proposed design and route are changing as a result of the feedback. The location of the junctions has changed, they’re going to do more sound mitigation, and they’re going to flatten some houses rather than route the road through a field. Bizarrely, the Council asked for that last change.
I agree that worthwhile public engagement activities would be included in that figure. Without seeing any breakdown of it, this seems like a poor line of attack.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2528392/$8-point-4mil-splurged-on-pr-and-consultation-for-roading-projects
RadioNZ broke the story using documents obtained under the OIA