Road tolls to pay for roading costs

Press, 29 April 1981, Page 21

Road tolls to pay for roading costs

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

Considering its small population and scattered settlements, New Zealand has always been proud of its system of highways and country roads. The annual reading budget reflects this pride — $245 million for 1981-82. Yet the reading system is deteriorating, and fears are being expressed that if the decline is not arrested soon it will become irreversible.

During 1981-82, 68.7 per cent of the work budget ($146.1 million) will be spent on road maintenance. A further 11.5 per cent ($24.5 million) will be spent on bridging, 14.8 per cent ($31.4 million) on construction commitments, and five per cent ($10.7 million) on new work, to give a total work budget of $212.7 million. Added to this sum is $15.6 million for administration, $11.5 million for flood damage, $2.1 million for special purpose reading, and $3.1 million on miscellaneous matters. Yet even with $146.1

million allocated, the roads are deteriorating. This is particularly noticeable on rural roads, where the National Roads Board allocates money to subsidise the maintenance work local authorities are doing. It is embarrassing for all concerned, but the councils cannot raise enough money by rates for roading always to match the subsidies available. Some local authorities are more desperate than others, but there are few who are not feeling the pinch. The luckiest are those with a good network of state highways, where the entire maintenance cost is met by the National Roads Board. Most local authorities are just gritting their teeth and doing the best they can. One, however, is not. The proposals from the Taumarunui County Council to

overcome the costs of maintaining roads without bashing the ratepayers have sent shockwaves of alarm through central Government and driver organisations such as the Road Carriers Association and Automobile Association. They are also being watched with intense interest by other local authorities. On May 1. a new by law ■will come into effect in Taumarunui County which effectively gives it the right to levy its own local road tolls. Its' intention is to test the waters, at first, so only two local county roads will be affected, and then only for carriers of coal and logs. The implications are considerable. with two major results. First, there will be nothing to stop other local and roading authorities levying tolls on any stretch of road under their control, in-

eluding access roads to tourist and scenic spots. Second, instead of one universal method of collecting roading fees by central Government, there will spring up a plethora of collections and . collecting agencies. All the National Roads ‘ Board could do was refuse to I subsidise any local authority I road which carries a local A toll. Board members were • also -told that the Minister of ■ Transport (Mr McLachlan) holds the power to stop any activity on any road which he considers “unreasonable.” There the matter rests at present. But all the outcry against what the Taumarunui County Council is doing cannot obscure the fact that vehicles (particularly heavyduty trucks) are pounding the county’s roads to pieces and that the county does not have the money to maintain the roads. Taumarunui is not the only local authority to face this dilemma. •