Joint transport plan approved by Environment Southland

View the full plan on the Land Transport Plan page.

Environment Southland councillors have approved the revised Southland Regional Land Transport Plan. This covers transport projects in the 2024/27 period.

The review of the Otago Southland Regional Land Transport Plan sets the strategic direction and outcomes for transport across the two regions. It was developed by the combined Otago and Southland Transport committees on behalf of the respective regional councils.

Following consultation and submissions, the revised Plan includes funding bids for transport activities from the National Land Transport Fund. The combined transport funding signalled in the Plan is $1.78b – $1.28 billion for Otago and $495 million for Southland.

Chair of the Southland Regional Transport Committee Jeremy McPhail (deputy chairman of Environment Southland) thanked submitters and those who attended hearings from across Otago and Southland recently.

Councillor McPhail was impressed with the breadth of the submissions. “The submissions we received were thorough and those that spoke to us at the hearings were knowledgeable and passionate. I thank everyone for that. Where we were able, we’ve incorporated those ideas into the plan.

“The submissions we received also asked for more cycle trails and connections between our two regions, improvements to public transport particularly for those disadvantaged and blind community members accessing health services, and requests for some projects to be brought forward for delivery sooner.

“Another strong theme in the submissions was for improved passenger connections between Christchurch and Invercargill, notably rail.”

The Plan includes a significant increase in planned investment for maintenance and renewal of roading infrastructure across the two regions, and strengthens its focus on resilience, safety, productivity, and community wellbeing.

Other key changes to the Regional Land Transport Plan include:

• The importance of alternative transport options has been emphasised. Alternative transport options will be investigated during the period of this plan.
• Greater emphasis has been placed on promoting the development and connection of walking and cycling trails.
• An increased emphasis on the importance of an accessible transport system for people with disabilities.
• Minor changes have been made to reflect the direction set out in the draft Government Policy Statement on land transport released in March.
• More detail has been included about the strategic corridors between the regions and across the South Island.

The next step will be to submit the plan to the New Zealand Transport Agency.

Background

Although the document is called the Otago Southland Regional Land Transport Plan 2021-2031, it is legally two plans within one cover. The Otago and Southland Regional Transport Committees are not a joint committee, so each prepares their own Regional Land Transport Plan. The Plans are, however, developed using a collaborative approach to the combined regions’ transport requirements and combined into a single document.

The Regional Transport Committees of Otago and Southland have been meeting jointly since late 2014.

The Land Transport Management Act (LTMA) requires Regional Transport Committees prepare a Regional Land Transport Plan for their region on a six yearly cycle. The LTMA also requires a mid-term review of these plans.

The draft mid-term review of the Otago Southland Regional Land Transport Plan 2021 - 2031 has now been through the consultation and hearing process. There were 59 submissions received with 23 requesting to appear at the hearings on 31 May in Dunedin and 4 June in Invercargill.