Transport
United New Zealand recognises that an efficient and varied transport sector is an essential component of national infrastructure and economic well-being. We will work towards an integrated national transport system which meets the needs of industry, commerce and the wider community at a reasonable cost. The regulatory regime must treat all forms of transport on an equivalent basis.
United is also strongly committed to effective and reliable public transport systems that are both innovative and environmentally friendly.
Road Transport
United Future will:
- Abolish the Land Transport Safety Authority and reassign its functions to the Ministry of Transport.
- Allocate up to 20% of the ministry's budget towards developing and promoting fuel efficiency and energy conservation programmes.
- Re-evaluate the current warrant of fitness programme, with particular regard to assessing structural standards.
- Set the ACC premium for motorists at a flat rate on a 'pay as you go' basis, with adjustments related to rehabilitation costs.
- Allocate fuel taxes collected within a specific region to improvements in transport infrastructure and efficiency within that region.
Drivers' Licences and Driver Training
United Future will:
- Enable holders of foreign licences to use these until applications for permanent residence have been finalised.
- Evaluate 'personal identifier' methods and various non-intrusive means of verifying the entitlement of a person to control a vehicle.
- Enable drivers who have been wrongfully detained to claim reasonable compensation when they have experienced unreasonable dislocation and inconvenience.
- Ensure there is fair, open competition between driver-testing organisations.
- Support the establishment of a National Driver Education Centre and investigate the feasibility of a national network of such centres.
- Restrict licence fees to cover processing costs only.
Traffic Management
United Future will:
- Upgrade traffic control and monitoring to ensure effective responses to vehicle incidents and efficient management of traffic movements.
- Support temporary charging measures to effectively price the cost of congestion to the general public, including the possible self-funding of arterial and alternative routes, for commercial road transport to reduce congestion.
- Permit toll roads where a reasonable alternative route and transport system is available.
- Evaluate fully the social, environmental and economic effects of all road-pricing policies.
- Place increased emphasis on the role of the transport sector in monitoring air and water quality levels and noise monitoring programmes.
- Request the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment to investigate regularly the impacts of road, rail, and shipping services and their infrastructure and amenities upon local communities and natural habitats.
- Encourage a shift away from non-renewable fuels.
- Introduce appropriate incentives for studies into alternative energy transport.
Aviation and Marine
United Future will:
- Ensure the role and objectives of the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) balance the interests and well-being of commercial and recreational aviation.
- Reduce entry costs to recreational aviation by minimising airport and security charges.
- Require regional planners to designate adequate land for future needs of micro-airports.
- Work with airport companies to improve opportunities for international passenger and freight operators to offer services to air travellers.
- Improve access to New Zealand airspace for overseas charter operators.
- Encourage regional councils to provide adequate river, lake and marine space to cater for the growing interest in powered leisure craft.
- Streamline central and local government regulatory processes for establishing new commercial leisure activities.
- Consider introducing certifications of competency for powered leisure craft, based on the Coastguard Boatmaster Course.
- Remove niche monopolies in the provision of services to shipping.
- ยท Review the current tax treatment of commercial shipping.
United Future Parliamentary Office: Bowen House, Lambton Quay, Wellington
Email: Phone: (04) 471 9890
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