With the Government’s 100-day plan reaching a self-imposed deadline on Friday, Wairarapa MP Mike Butterick insists that “a significant amount of work has been undertaken to comprehensively address many of the transport issues” facing Wairarapa.
Minister for Transport Simeon Brown announced on Monday a draft Government Policy Statement [GPS] on land transport that tackles road safety, public transport, roads of national significance, and fixing potholes.
Butterick said he had been in contact with several agencies that have agency over different parts of transport in the Wairarapa, including roading and rail agencies, as well as emergency responders and NZ Police.
A new $500 million Pothole Prevention Fund was announced as part of the draft land transport GPS and Brown claimed it would “ensure that maintenance funding is ringfenced to resealing, rehabilitation, and drainage maintenance works”.
“This will ensure the NZ Transport Agency, and local authorities, get our State Highways and local roads up to the safe and reliable standards that Kiwis expect,” Brown said.
Butterick said progress will be made with “some urgency on some of the most dangerous potholes in our region”.
“I have already spoken with NZTA and asked them to identify their future work plan to me.”
Allocated funding for track and rolling stock improvements on Wairarapa rail infrastructure will continue as part of the GPS.
“I have spoken to rail service management on a number of occasions recently and urged them to develop mitigations for the multiple service disruptions that passengers have been experiencing,” Butterick said.
“I will continue to press them for improved communication and to include the community more closely in their decision-making process.” He said he had spoken with many commuters in the past few months.
“I believe they will welcome the Government’s clarity and the holistic approach to transport announced.”
In recent times, Wairarapa has been affected by roadworks on State Highway 2, frequent rail issues between Wairarapa and Wellington, and blanket speed reductions.
Butterick acknowledged there had been “loud calls for a return to 100kmh” on Wairarapa’s state highways.
“Government has listened; we had already made it clear that the previous government’s blanket approach to reducing speed limits will no longer be applied and we took action before Christmas to stop further restrictions,” he said.
“Speed restrictions have had a significant impact on business, tourism and everyday life in the electorate, and work to lift the restrictions is underway.”
Minister of Transport Simeon Brown announced in December that the Government would change the Setting of Speed Limits Rule but has not yet provided a confirmed date.
A NZTA Waka Kotahi spokesperson said, “Once that process is established and a new rule is in place, we will be in a position to advise if a review of the safe and appropriate speed limit in this corridor can be considered.”
Butterick said that He could get limit changed even after being told NZ TA had the final say.
McAnulty was rubbished fir not getting it changed . But he was quite correct. No opologise from the Nasty Nats
NZTA should acknowledge that when it reviewed the SH2 100kmh limit, its own engineers recommended it remain at 100. But the engineers were overruled by head office bureaucrats who cited the need to be “consistent”, whatever that meant! Until the silly 80 limit is raised it would help if police would decide to make ticketing people travelling below 100 a low priority. Tailgating, not wearing seat belts, using phones should be the priority,
State Highway 2 needs the speed limit to be put back to 100kmh immediately from Featherston to Masterton.
No one is or has been objecting to the reduced speed limit around schools or city centres , that is totally acceptable, but when the round abouts were installed, the road way should have been put back to what it was, it isn’t a hazardous roadway (you can’t call State Highway 2 a motorway as this would have been 4 lanes ) so be fair and please Simeon Brown , and Mike Butterick get cracking and do whats best for the Wairarapa and all its residents, thankyou
It’s going to take more than 100days to fix what labour’s and greens policies have done in 2190days of nanny state and some stupid environmental policies. And the mixture of fill they use for potholes is totally wrong ? They keep coming back again and again 😒 🙄 filling the potholes with CRAP AND IT’S COSTING A FORTUNE. NZTA failed 😞 it needs fixing from the top down with policies THAT WORK.