Labour gives transport priorities

Press, 12 June 1984, Page 2

Labour gives transport priorities

By

OLIVER RIDDELL,

in Wellington The maintenance and improvement of public transport needs to be given priority where a social contract to do so exists, according to Labour’s urban transport policy announced last evening. Priority had to be given to regions where the Government had originally undertaken the main responsibility for housing development, and had sought to attract people by providing cheap transport services. Labour’s transport spokesman, Mr R. W. Prebble (Auckland Central), promised to repeal those provisions of the urban transport legislation that provided for the staged withdrawal from previously accepted Government res ponsibilities in urban transport. An extensive and vigorous campaign of market research was needed to promote the use of urban public passenger transport services as a matter of priority. Mr Prebble said that

special measures would be introduced to encourage and promote urban transport services, which would be referred to the Transport Council for consideration. Special grants for urban transport services, where an established regional development or social need existed, would be integrated with Labour’s policy for the Railways. A series of viable options would be looked at to increase patronage of urban transport services, Mr Prebble said. These could include: dial-a-ride systems, reduction of fares on selected routes, tax deductibility of fares for travel to and from work on public transport, new railway loop systems, further car pooling experiments, special school holiday concessions, the provision of creche facilities for shoppers at central railway stations, and improving transport concessions for senior citizens. Mr Prebble promised that Labour would make public transport an important election issue.