John MacDonald: Fuel taxes and toll roads are better than nothing

Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald

At last, Selwyn mayor Sam Broughton has come up with an idea that I actually agree with.

There was his push recently for the speed limit on the Southern Motorway to be bumped up to 120 kph, just because people are driving that fast anyway.

That wasn’t his finest hour.

But this idea he’s pushing today - that new road tolls need to be created and higher fuel taxes are needed because of a lack of government funding for roading projects in our neck of the woods - I think it’s a winner.

In fact, as far as higher fuel taxes are concerned, I don’t think it should be limited to Selwyn. I’d be all-for a Canterbury regional fuel tax to raise money for roads and transport here. Money that isn’t coming from the Government.

Which is why Sam Broughton is speaking out today. He’s saying if we want better roads, and the money isn’t coming from Wellington, then we need to get some skin in the game.

So it’s yes from me for a regional fuel tax. And it’s a yes from me for new road tolls. And I'd start with the Southern Motorway - which is in Sam’s area. I’d also be in favour of a toll on the Northern Motorway.

Both of them very good roads, and both worth paying extra to use.

This practical thinking we’re seeing from Sam Broughton is a far better and more realistic response to the Government prioritising the North Island over the South Island in its roading and transport funding announcement last week, than what we’re seeing and hearing from other Canterbury local body politicians.

They’ve been banging-on about how unfair it all is. Sam Broughton, though, is saying ‘yep, it probably is. But we can either decide to keep whining about it or we can come up with some solutions ourselves’.

They’re not his actual words, but that’s effectively what he’s saying with this talk of higher fuel taxes and road tolls in his area: take control. And I like it.

Because if you just go on like Peter Scott, who is the chairman of Environment Canterbury —he’s saying ‘ooh it’s not fair and we just want our fair share’— if you keep banging on like that, that’s all it is - banging on.

He’s throwing all sorts of percentages around - Canterbury makes up 12 percent of the country’s population, and our roads make up 16 percent of the total roading network, but we’re only getting five to eight percent of the funding. Wah wah wah.

Wellington hears that kind of response and thinks ‘yeah and?’

Sam Broughton, though, he’s telling it like it is.

He’s telling people in Selwyn that, if they want the improvements and changes to the roads that they think are needed, then we need to find a way of doing it that doesn’t rely on the Government and doesn’t mean rates going up and up and up.

Which they already are in Selwyn. Over the next three years, on average, there’s going to be a 48 percent increase. And, without as much government money coming as it had hoped, the Selwyn council reckons that could go over the 50 percent increase mark.

If you’re not convinced that a regional fuel tax for Canterbury is a good idea. Maybe this might convince you. Back in 2018, ECAN did the numbers and estimated that a regional fuel tax here —at say 10 cents a litre— could bring-in an additional $100 million for regional roading projects.

This was just a couple of months after Auckland got its regional fuel tax. Which is history now, but I think it would be a winner here.

If you think of those numbers ECAN did back in 2018. A regional fuel tax —providing the money was spent here— would have brought-in $600 million by now. Do you still think Sam Broughton is dreaming? I don’t think he is at all.

I don’t think he’s dreaming, either, with this call for more toll roads. And I’d be more than happy to pay a toll to use the Southern Motorway and the Northern Motorway in and out of Christchurch.

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