Work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transport under the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan, specifically actions funded by the Climate Emergency Response Fund (CERF), is now well underway.
Under our recently established CERF work programme, led by Rob Hannaby, Programme Director at Waka Kotahi, we are progressing initiatives to support mode shift, reduce vehicle kilometres travelled by light vehicles, reduce emissions from public transport, and provide cleaner vehicles and better transport options for everyone (including households on lower income.
Working with councils across the country, the team are preparing recommendations on the Transport Choices package: a package of investments to quickly progress strategic cycle networks; create walkable neighbourhoods; ensure safe, green and health school travel; and make public transport more reliable and easier to use. On 3 August, we called for expressions of interest for projects in each of these four areas – with the EOI process closing on 2 September. The next step is for us to work with colleagues from Te Manatū Waka (Ministry of Transport) and Treasury to make recommendations to the Ministers of Transport and Finance by the end of September.
The CERF will fund $350 million over two years for this package. The outcome of this work will be a range of transport services and infrastructure that will help the uptake of active and shared travel options to reduce people’s reliance on travelling by car. We’ll be working closely with councils to deliver to the very ambitious two-year timeframe for this programme.
Work is also underway in the vehicle kilometres travelled (VKT) reduction planning area, where both a national plan and programmes for main urban areas will be developed in collaboration with councils in large and medium urban areas.
As part of the development of Arataki - 30 Year Plan, Waka Kotahi has developed an evidence base to support the planning required to deliver VKT targets. The evidence base builds on existing research, international case studies and local data and evidence to generate insights into existing VKT patterns and trends, the types of interventions (and combinations of interventions) most likely to generate VKT reductions, customer behaviour and barriers to delivering mode shift. This evidence base will be available to share in late September 2022.
Analysis from the evidence base supported discussions with council staff over the last month, led by Te Manatū Waka, on proposed sub-national VKT targets. These targets are important because they will frame the VKT reduction programmes that are to be in place for Tier 1 and 2 urban areas ahead of the next NLTP. Te Manatū Waka is now assessing changes to the proposed targets in light of council feedback. The deadline for getting these targets in place is December.
For Public Transport, work is focused on improving bus driver terms and conditions, preparing to roll out Community Connect - a 50% concession on public transport for Community Services Cardholders, and forming up a national plan to accelerate the transition to electric or low-emission bus fleets.
These initiatives require close partnerships with councils, public transport operators, unions and communities. It’s critical that we can reach a sustainable model for recruiting and retaining bus drivers – who are integral to achieving our mode shift objectives – and we’re closely engaged in supporting the Minister and partners with this work. It will take time to reach a solution on this, and it’s good to see steps being made by some councils and operators in the meantime to lift the bar.
The government’s decision to extend half-price fares for everyone out to the end of January 2023 means that there is more time to develop Community Connect. The new February start date for this project means that we can support councils and operators to firm up interface solutions and other details – it’s great that things look to be on track for the February launch.
We’re in the early stages of commissioning work around development of a bus fleet transition plan and expect this work to take some months ahead of any later decisions about funding allocation. We’ll get back to you on this.
A trial vehicle scrap-and-replace scheme to support New Zealanders on lower incomes replace their old vehicle with a safe, low-emission alternative is in the planning phase. Waka Kotahi is working with the Ministry of Transport, community organisations, the vehicle sector and providers of low emission alternatives to refine the design of the scheme. Later this year Cabinet is expected to confirm the final design, trial locations and start date for the trials expected to start in 2023. An additional work stream is focussed on social leasing is also to be trailed in 2023 and is in the early planning phase.
