Road Transport Association NZ

Single united voice required for road transport

By Simon Carson, RTANZ chief operating officer

At one stage during the recent Canterbury flooding, the NZTA showed the only way to get between Christchurch and Timaru was a 1000km-plus journey!

IT WAS A TERRIBLE START TO WINTER: MASSIVE FLOODING – described as a once-in-a-century rainfall event – devastated Canterbury, cutting off roads and bridges and forcing some small towns and farms to be evacuated. The cleanup operation will also be massive.

For road transport operators, one of the biggest impacts was the closure of State Highway 1 in several places, including the Ashburton River/Hakatere Bridge, after slumping of one of the bridge piers was discovered.

At one stage, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency’s journey planner site showed that the only way to get from Christchurch to Timaru was via the Lewis Pass and Haast Pass and the West Coast – a 13-hour journey of over 1000kms, compared with just two hours normally.

The NZ Herald commented that you could fly to Los Angeles in less time. Fortunately only a handful of vehicles carrying essential items chose to take this route, with most carriers communicating well with their customers and temporarily delaying movements until it was safe to move once a more suitable detour had been established by Waka Kotahi.

From the start, the Road Transport Association worked with Waka Kotahi to try to get an alternative route opened as soon as possible and to keep members informed via email and our website and Facebook page. One post reached over 214,000 people and generated 3700 comments, underpinning just how urgent the situation was and how vital this transport link is for the South Island.

The bridge soon reopened, with restricted access for heavy vehicles and night-time closures – and there was an inland detour via SH72. Longterm, it’s clear that a replacement bridge is needed as soon as possible (the old one is 80 years old!).

All of this shows that we all need to keep fighting for better roads. And we need to work together. “Blanket speed reductions” continue to be rolled out across the country by Waka Kotahi, with a number of district councils following suit.

What happened to the Government’s 2020 announcement that $5billion would be allocated to roading? It’s far easier to identify the work that the Government hasn’t done, as opposed to what it has done for better transport infrastructure. Instead, ongoing reductions for speed limits on roads that are already unsafe seem to be the Labour Government’s approach to increasing road safety.

A bitter taste from this year’s budget is still in the mouths of many due to the decision by Government to allocate $1.3billion of spending to enhance the rail network and build more trains. We can only hope this investment is used wisely, with the aim of addressing environmental concerns created from an ageing fleet and easing congestion in our already crowded main cities. RTANZ will meet with Waka Kotahi portfolio managers and other key stakeholders to address the major issues experienced by the heavy freight industry in NZ.

Conversations relating to concerns that road transport operators have, need to be raised from the grassroots of industry. This usually means operators communicating in the first instance with the RTA branches – the matter then taken to the regions, where an executive committee works for the members.

Each of the four RTANZ regions form individual incorporated societies, with each incorporated society being a member of the Road Transport Forum.

Much of what originates inside a branch or a region often ends up either at the Forum office, or becoming an agenda item for discussion at one of the RTF national lobby groups. Examples of these specialist groups are the National Livestock and Transport Safety Group (NL&TSG) and the Log Transport Safety Council (LTSC). These groups then plan and work toward a sector outcome, often together with representatives from the authorities, such as MPI, CVST, Waka Kotahi NZTA and Worksafe.

Those who sit on a branch, a regional or national committee, a specialist lobby group, or the board of RTANZ and RTF are all elected volunteers who unselfishly give their time to work towards a more efficient, safer, and more productive industry for all members. Many of these people fund their own way, or are generously supported by their employers for the greater good.

Over the years there has been a sentiment from members who demand a strong and well supported “single voice,” which makes perfect sense, and has been a goal of RTANZ and RTF for many years. Put simply, an amalgamation of associations is the only way for this to happen and requires 100% buy-in from everyone involved.

In each instance where an amalgamation discussion has been brought to the table by RTANZ, it is either rebuffed, or has obstacles raised by others that halt the efforts – and the progress of the RTANZ board. Having various industry voices around the country is absolutely counterproductive. Right now, in an age of regulatory and compliance scrutiny, a single UNITED voice is the only way for us to be heard. T&D