My Account
Last time I updated Mahurangi Matters readers, Council’s 10-year budget – the blueprint for how our city will grow and develop over the next 10 years – was out for public consultation. Thank you to everyone who contributed their views and ideas and helped to shape the final plan. The budget was struck in June and represents Auckland’s largest ever investment in infrastructure, pumping $26.2 billion into the city over the next decade.
The largest part of that – $12 billion – is going towards transport, of which $4.3 billion will be leveraged from the regional fuel tax, taking the overall transport investment between Council and the Government to $28 billion over 10 years.
That enables Council to quadruple investment in road sealing in rural areas to $121 million over the coming decade. Rodney locals and residents in Auckland’s far north will also benefit from the Ara Tuhono – Puhoi to Warkworth motorway extension, construction of the Matakana Link Road, funding to progress a rapid transit corridor from the north west to the CBD, and construction of the State Highway 16 Brigham Creek to Waimauku project.
An important feature of the budget is its emphasis on road safety – particularly for our rural communities. Tragically, in the last year, 20 people were killed and 101 people seriously injured on rural roads across the region. That’s an appalling and unacceptable human cost.
In the coming year, $5 million, including funding from the regional fuel tax, will be spent on improved road markings and better signage. Improvements to our rural road network in Rodney will include making high-risk intersections safer and providing signage and road markings to help people make better decisions when they are driving, such as slowing down for a bend in the road.
In 2017, four roads, Hunua Road, Paparimu Road, Ararimu Road and Kariotahi Road, were improved as part of the Signage and Delineation Plan. An evaluation showed a 40 per cent reduction in injury crashes along these corridors, with zero deaths or serious injuries reported since the work was completed. Extending those safety gains to all our rural communities is crucial.
The budget will also see Rodney benefit from more than $22 million of funding for parks, sport and recreation, community services, community facilities, governance and environmental management in 2018/2019.
The 10-year budget is the most important plan that will be developed in this term of Council. It’s a plan I’m proud of, and I look forward to seeing it come to fruition, delivering the infrastructure our city needs as we continue to grow.
Phil Goff, Mayor of Auckland
phil.goff@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
More stories from the author
