Bay of Plenty Regional Council calls for public submission on Regional Land Transport Plan

Bay of Plenty Regional Transport Committee has opened the draft Regional Land Transport Plan for consultation.

Submissions are open to the public for the plan, which the New Zealand Transport Authority has the final say on.

In June next year the NZTA will announce their national programme which will have prioritised all submissions nationally for funding.

Regional Transport Committee chair Jane Nees said the draft plan brings together the best thinking from each of the region's councils to provide a vision of transport for the next 30 years.

"It includes a 'what we want to do' list for significant land transport activities but the final say on how funds are allocated is determined by the NZ Transport Agency."

She said investment in transport infrastructure in the Bay of Plenty has been well supported in recent years but there is still a lot of investment required to unlock the region's potential and to help deliver on our vision for transport.

"We want the best transport systems for a growing economy and a safe and vibrant Bay Lifestyle.

"We've used this vision and the seven objectives developed in the plan to produce a priory list of activities we would like finding assistance for. The draft Plan sees a yearly average of 220,000,000 worth of activities submitted for funding."

Priority 1: State Highway 2/State Highway 29 Baypark to Bayfair link upgrade (incorporating Maunganui/Girven Road intersection)
Priority 2: Improving Totara Street between Hull Road and Hewletts Road
Priority 3: Improving State Highway 29 from Tauriko to the Waikato Boundary (National Safer Roads and Roadsides Programme)
Priority 4: Tauriko Upgrade
Priority 5: SH 2 Northern Corridor Safe System Programme
Priority 6: SH5/SH30 Safety Improvements
Priority 7: Tauranga urban cycle network construction
Priority 8: Rotorua urban cycleways
Priority 9: Tauranga Northern Link
Priority 10: Rotorua Eastern Arterial

Submissions on the draft Regional Land Transport Plan are open until January 29. The full document and summary are available on the Bay of Plenty Regional Council website, www.boprc.govt.nz/landtransportplan or at the regional council offices and at local libraries.