With the help of our partners in local government, The NZ Transport Agency continues to make great progress in 50MAX, helping to get more freight on fewer trucks.
The latest Councils to come on board to the 50MAX-one-network permits are Napier City Council and Central Hawkes Bay District Council. The Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) agreed with the Transport Agency will allow partial access to their networks with a limited access 50MAX zone available from 1 July 2015. This allows for 50MAX access on local council roads to key industrial areas, transport routes and freight hubs with the potential to expand this network over time.
With these two councils coming on board the Transport Agency can now issue 50MAX permits on behalf of 82 per cent of local councils. Some of the remaining councils are issuing their own 50MAX permits, taking the proportion of councils either providing permits directly or fully delegated to the Transport Agency to over 90 per cent.
“We’re making great progress in growing the 50MAX network and I’m delighted with what has been achieved by the end of the June 2015 financial year,” Freight Portfolio Director Harry Wilson says.
“Having over 90 per cent of local councils agreeing to allow 50MAX access in less than two years is a great outcome. This wouldn’t be possible without the support and collaboration of our partners within local government,” Harry says.
Since the introduction of 50MAX in October 2013 there have been more than 4500 permits issued and over 210 million kilometers travelled by these safer and more efficient combinations. The Transport Agency is in discussions with all the remaining Councils which have not signed up to the 50MAX-one-network permit system to see if they want to come on board.
“We are confident that as local councils see the benefits to their local communities of lifting the productivity of local freight movements they will join up to 50MAX,” Harry says.
With so much of the network now available operators can keep up to date regarding open routes and restrictions on the 50MAX network using the 50MAX interactive map(external link). This map enables 50MAX permit holders to identify a safe route for their journey; the maps are fully zoomable – just like google maps.
