New Zealand government wants fewer road deaths

The government of New Zealand is developing a plan aimed at reducing 750 deaths and 5,600 serious injuries expected on its roads over the next ten years. Anne Genter, associate transport minister, says: “Most roads deaths and serious injuries are preventable and too many New Zealanders have lost their lives or been seriously injured in crashes that could have been prevented by road safety upgrades.” Genter believes the new target can be achieved mainly by increasing investment in road safety infrastr
July 25, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

The government of New Zealand is developing a plan aimed at reducing 750 deaths and 5,600 serious injuries expected on its roads over the next ten years.

Anne Genter, associate transport minister, says: “Most roads deaths and serious injuries are preventable and too many New Zealanders have lost their lives or been seriously injured in crashes that could have been prevented by road safety upgrades.”

Genter believes the new target can be achieved mainly by increasing investment in road safety infrastructure over the next decade.

“Already this Government is investing a record $1.4 billion over three years to upgrade over 3,300km of our most dangerous roads,” she continues. “This plan proposes greater investment in proven safety upgrades like median barriers, roundabouts and safe cycling infrastructure.”

As part of this ambition, the New Zealand government intends to reduce annual deaths and serious injuries by 40% by 2030.

It is also investing in new programmes targeted at helping younger drivers get their licence and develop safe driving skills.

These proposals are seeking to:

•    make it easier for local government to review speed limits
•    improve the safety of vehicles entering the fleet
•    include a new focus on work-related road safety
•    prioritise road policing to tackle high risk behaviours
•    improve the safety of footpaths and cycleways.

Urban Traffic Control

Related Content

  • We need to talk about AVs
    October 15, 2021
    Will driverless vehicles lead to more deaths and destroy more lives than their manual counterparts? Transport writer Colin Sowman argues that they will
    Read More
  • Trump unveils U.S. infrastructure investment
    February 13, 2018
    U.S. president Donald Trump has announced that he wants Congress to approve $200bn (£144bn) bill, which he said will stimulate another $1.3tn (£9bn) in improvements as part of his plan to fix the country’s infrastructure. One intention of the proposal is to eliminate regulatory barriers and offer more flexibility to transportation projects that are currently required to seek Federal review and approval. $100bn (£72bn) of the proposed bill will create an Incentives Program to spur additional dedicated fund
    Read More
  • Transport Systems Catapult boss: ‘We can’t build our way out of congestion’
    March 4, 2019
    The UK Transport Systems Catapult’s CEO Paul Campion talks to Colin Sowman about helping companies develop tomorrow’s solutions – and explains why you can never build your way to empty roads The future of mobility is going to be driven by services.” That’s the opening position of Paul Campion, CEO of the Transport Systems Catapult (TSC) – the UK government organisation set up to help boost transport-related employment and the economy. Campion was previously with IBM and describes himself as a ‘techno o
    Read More
  • South Africa to revamp transport infrastructure
    August 26, 2014
    South Africa is to invest over US$6.5 billion in the country’s transport infrastructure in a bid to reduce road deaths. Transport Minister Dipuo Peters said that commuter rail infrastructure, identified as the safest mode of transport, will receive the lion’s share of the allocation as her ministry pushes to shift passengers from cars to into railway stations. To achieve this target, Peters said US$5.1 billion will be spent on commuter rail infrastructure and new rolling stock over the next three years.
    Read More

Highlighted Content