NZ has spent the last 50 years mirroring the transport policies of the US - big on road building and very small on everything else. Despite record high oil prices there seems no sign this policy direction is about to change and will mean more pain for everyone in terms of the cost of moving people and freight about the country. Part of the problem lies in the fact many so called transport planners in NZ Local Authorities are merely former roading engineers so have little empathy or interest in doing anything other than building more road capacity. Despite claims by the Govt it wants to reduce NZ’s dependence on imported oil and cut emissions, it gives the green light to funding packages such as the $245m announced recently for the Canterbury region, 98.6% of which is dedicated to increasing road capacity. Such a strategy will not curb rising oil prices.

Different Emphasis. It is time NZ’s political leaders and transport planners spent time in Europe, not to watch rugby matches, but visiting cities there and seeing their approach to tackling transport problems. It would be an eye-opening experience. Almost every provincial French city which hosted World Cup matches, some of which are smaller than Christchurch or Wellington and all much smaller than Auckland, has a modern light rail system. Such systems are hugely popular and immune from the rising tide of global oil prices.

Cycling Key Component. Elsewhere in Europe huge sums are being pumped into cycle infrastructure. Copenhagen and Amsterdam are spending $360m on dedicated cycleways in their respective cities where already up to half of the populations bike to work. Where is such farsighted planning in NZ cities? Even Chinese city authorities are being told by the Govt to reinstate cycleways eliminated in its urban road building frenzy because they have quickly learned of the debilitating congestion and pollution problems caused by over-dependence on cars. NZ’s towns and cities will be very badly placed economically to withstand the onslaught on peak oil unless policies change radically.

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