John MacDonald: How do we pay for new roads without tolls?

Like anyone, if I can get something for free - I’ll take it.

But if it’s something I have to pay for, then I’ll pay it. Which is how I’m feeling about all this fuss over the new Woodend Bypass, north of Christchurch, being a toll road.

Granted, I won’t be a daily user, so the financial impact on me won’t be the same as it will for someone who uses it every day.

But let’s get a grip. Toll roads are the future.

Tell that to Waimakariri mayor Dan Gordon, though, who is very upset that NZTA plans to charge car drivers $2.50 for a return trip on the bypass. He says many families can’t afford that.

It will cost $5 for trucks, by the way.

I'm not sure what planet Dan Gordon has been on for the last 12 months. But this idea of the new bypass being a toll road was being hinted at by the Government more than a year ago.

Last July, Simeon Brown was Transport Minister and he was saying back then that charging people to use the new road was definitely on the table.  

But Dan Gordon's not the only one upset about it. The principal of Kaiapoi North School isn’t happy, either.

Jason Miles reckons most locals will just avoid the toll road altogether - so they don’t have to pay - and they’ll use the road that goes past his school instead.  

And he’s worried about the impact that could have on the safety of his students.

Now if I was awarding a prize to either the mayor or the school principal for the strongest argument against the road toll, I’d give it to the school principal.

Because, ever since the bypass at Woodend has been discussed, safety has been a major issue.

So, yes, it would seem counterintuitive to spend billions on a bypass only to have it create other safety issues because of people not wanting to pay to use it and using an alternative route.

But these days - if we want something, we have to pay for it.

Which is what Nick Leggett from Infrastructure New Zealand is saying too.

He says if we say no to tolls, we’re saying no to new highways.  

He says: “It’s disappointing to see local mayors lining up to oppose tolling the proposed Woodend Bypass. We all need to face facts. If we want safer, faster, better highways, the users of those roads need to be willing to pay something for them.  

“As a nation, we naturally want the best of everything, but that doesn’t come for free.”  

Nick Leggett goes on to say: “The fairest and most sustainable approach is for those who use the road to contribute to its upkeep and operation. It is not fair to ask all taxpayers, many of whom will never use the road, to foot the bill.”

And he won’t be getting any argument from me. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald
from News Talk ZB.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Now, like anyone you know, like you, if I can
get something for free, I'll take it. But if it's
something they have to pay for, then I'll pay it,
which is how I'm feeling about all this fuss over
the new wood End Bypass being a toll road. A
lot of fuss about it. They granted I won't be

(00:34):
a daily user of the bypass, so the financial impact
on me won't be the same as it will be
on someone who uses it every day. But let's get
a gripe in toll roads, they are the future. Tell
that though to way Makreli mea Dan Gordon. He's very

(00:55):
upset at NZTA's plan to charge car drivers two dollars
fifty for a return trip on the bypass he's worked
to not says for the average workday commuter shirting in
town and bank, it'll come to about thirteen hundred dollars
a year, and he reckons many families just can't afford

(01:17):
that kind of money. By the way, for trucks, it'll
be five bucks. Now, I'm not sure what planet Dan
Gordon has been on. For the last twelve months. But
this idea of the new bypass being a toll road
that was being hinted at by the government more than
a year ago last July. Simeon Brown he was Transport
Minister then and he was saying back then that charging

(01:40):
people to use the new road was definitely on the table.
He was also talking about a public private partnership to
build the thing also being on the table. But the
focus today is the charging model and the shock horror
from Wymakabedimya Dan Gordon. He's not the only one who's
upset about it. The principal of Kaiapoi North School, he's

(02:03):
not happy either. Jason Miles is his name, and he
reckons most locals will just avoid the toll road altogether,
won't even use the bypass to avoid paying for it.
And he says they'll use the road that goes past
his school instead. It's another school as well. When it
was another school, Jess another school on the same stretch

(02:25):
of road would end school and Jason Miles, who's the
principal of Kaipois School or Kipoint North, he's worried about
the impact that could have on the safety of the
kids at the school more traffic. Now, if I was
awarding a prize to either Mayor Dan Gordon or the
Kaiapois school principle for the strongest argument against the road toll,

(02:46):
I'd give it to the school principal, because ever since
the bypass at wood End has been discussed, safety has
been a major issue, hasn't it. So yes, it would
seem counterintuitive to spend billions on a bypass only to
have it create other safety issues because of people not
wanting to pay to use it and using an alternative route.

(03:08):
But even then, even then, I'm not buying into either argument,
because these days, if we want something, we have to
pay for it, which is what Nick Leggett from Infrastructure
New Zealand is saying today as well. He's sent us
a statement saying that if we say no to tolls,
we're saying no to new highways. Here's a bit of
what he said, or what he's saying in the statement

(03:28):
he sent us. He says, quote, it's disappointing to see
local mayors lining up to oppose tolling the proposed wood
End bypass. We all need to face facts. If we
want safer, fast, to better highways, the users of those
roads need to be willing to pay something for them.
Nick Leggett says, as a nation, we naturally want the
best of everything, but that doesn't come for free. He

(03:50):
goes on to say, quote the fairest and most sustainable
approach is for those who use the road to contribute
to us upkeep and operation. Having a charge for each
user also properly tests demand. He says, it's not fair
to ask all taxpayers, many of whom will never use
the road, to foot the bill, and he won't be
getting any argument from me on that one.

Speaker 1 (04:09):
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