Pillay Lynne: Road Traffic Reduction Bill — Second Reading 
Pillay Lynne: Road Traffic Reduction Bill — Second Reading 
[Volume:615;Page:11149] 
LYNNE PILLAY (Labour—Waitakere) 
: 
 I want to start my speech by commending Jeanette Fitzsimons and the Greens for all the work the principles and the philosophies behind the Road Traffic Reduction Bill. Road traffic congestion is a major problem and I say that as an Aucklander and in fact as a very proud west Aucklander. All Aucklanders know that we need a solution and Auckland’s congestion problems are New Zealand’s congestion problems. This Government knows that one size does not fit all. We are not all the same. The solution has to be an integrated transport system. The Labour-led Government since 1999 has done more for New Zealand’s transport infrastructure than any other previous Government in over 20 years. 
Some people believed that by legislating to remove private cars from busy roads the problem could be fixed. We knew that would not work and we saw things differently. Encouraging users of transport towards using a more effective and better public transport system by having better networks and better infrastructure such as bus and rail would have a much better outcome. Sure we need roads but we also need to use other transport modes. Both Auckland and the regions have been calling out for more transport funding. 
The key issues that were in the Road Transport Reduction Bill have been addressed with the recently passed Land Transport Management Act. Under the New Zealand Transport Strategy which has been developed with the Greens we have seen a fundamental change in the way we deal with transport in New Zealand. The vision for transport—and I think it is a very good vision—is that by 2010 New Zealand will have an affordable integrated safe responsive and sustainable transport system. This is really exciting stuff. The strategy aims to ensure that transport can contribute to the Government’s objective to return New Zealand’s per capita income to the top half of the OECD while also improving our communities and our environment. 
The New Zealand Transport Strategy represents a really new way of looking at things. For the first time we are looking at all modes of transport: road rail sea and air. To this end it has five main objectives: to assist economic development to assist safety and personal security to improve access and mobility to protect and promote public health and to ensure environmental sustainability. 
I sat on the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee and heard many submissions. I congratulate everybody who was committed enough to submit on this bill and they include businesses groups unions councils and individuals. They did not all agree on what the best solution was. Some of them were like Peter Brown; they love cars and find it hard in their leisure time to not be doing something with them—driving them cleaning them repairing them or even taking their photograph. But every submitter accepted that there was not only one solution and that there were real benefits in persuading people that public transport and other initiatives were absolutely crucial to the overall solution. 
Again the National Party is running the same old “one size fits all” line. Its answer has to be roads roads and more roads. We know that a key part of the solution—and we are doing it; we are not just griping about it—is investing for growth. Our growing economy and population requires increased investment. This package will contribute to that. It strikes a balance between a catch-up for Auckland and the need for the rest of the country to develop further infrastructure. 
There is new investment of nearly $297 million per year for land transport initiatives—almost $3 billion over 10 years. All revenue from the increased fuel excise levy will be used to fund land transport initiatives. The revenue will be distributed regionally on a population basis so that every region will get an increase in funding and local bodies will be allowed to borrow and toll. 
Let us look at rail. Last year we opened Britomart and what an event that was. The Labour-led Government has invested in rail by buying back the Auckland rail corridor. In my own electorate we are celebrating the event of double-tracking. It is going to deliver and it is going to deliver west Aucklanders to where they want to go. We have waited a long time for it. Since 2000 the number of journeys taken on passenger transport has increased by nearly 25 percent and we have seen some major initiatives during that time. Central government funding for passenger transport has almost doubled from $36.3 million in 1998-99 to over $71 million in 2002-03. This financial year the national land transport programme has allocated $96 million to public transport. That is good for Auckland and good for New Zealand. For the first time we see that we have a big picture around transport showing work on all our transport initiatives under way. We have all seen it; Mark Gosche spoke very eloquently on that. 
There is road maintenance construction and passenger alternatives—I will talk about those later—and walking and cycling strategies. Transfund allocated almost $1.2 billion last year which is an increase of a whopping 8 percent. There has never been more funding available in New Zealand for transport and there will be more. I want to commend Mike Ward who spoke very well on the advantages to health in this country of initiatives around cycling and walking. I think—and I hate to say it; I do not want to be unkind but the other side of the House ridiculed this and it shows—those members on the other side of the House should get out of their cars and do a bit of exercise. They should get their bodies working and get their brains working. 
Jill Pettis 
: Too late for that! 
LYNNE PILLAY 
: Yes it is too late for that. We know about the health benefits and that is why we are committed to $3 million of funding to walking and cycling. We also have a national walking and cycling strategy which will help inform future funding needs. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: Another strategy! 
LYNNE PILLAY 
: That member comes from a party that could not strategise its way out of a paper bag. Whenever they say anything in this House they keep getting it wrong. They are reduced now to just chirping away and not daring to put any facts on the table because every time they do that those facts are wrong. 
We also and I feel very proud of this are reducing the impact of transport on the environment. In March 2001 we incorporated a 10-second visual test to allow police to more easily identify and prosecute owners of excessively smoky vehicles. New measures are being explored to reduce the impact of vehicle exhaust emissions. This is all good for our health. This Government has agreed to changes in the fuel specifications to lower sulphur levels in diesel used in Auckland. Further changes—and more are coming—will take effect in 2004. We have much to be proud of in terms of transport. We are not resting on our laurels. We are making sure things get done. That is what this Government is about. That is what that party never did when it was in Government. It is good to see things happen and it is great to speak in support of this bill.