The 2024-27 allocation of "maintenance, operations and renewals" funding from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi was quite close to what the Dunedin City Council had budgeted — other than for walking and cycling improvements.
Walking and cycling were allocated $4.3million, after the city council had indicatively budgeted $19.5m for improvements.
The council was on the other side of the ledger for local road operations and prevention of potholes.
An allocation of $85m to prevent potholes was $2m more than the council budgeted and $47.4m for local road operations was $3.5m above budget.
This created a funding shortfall of $9.7m, but the council said a full programme could be delivered within allocated budgets.
Council infrastructure services committee chairman Cr Jim O’Malley said at a meeting this week preventing potholes was a new activity class and one dear to the heart of Minister of Transport Simeon Brown.
"We’ll be doing very well for smooth road surfaces," Cr O’Malley said.
A greater focus on other work might be achieved in future funding cycles once government policy statements had changed again, he said.
Cr O’Malley said the council did about as well as could be expected in the circumstances, but large swings in government policy depending on who held power were unhelpful, creating enormous "waste in the middle".
Proposed reversal of speed limit reductions, which could impose costs on councils, was one example.
Cr Steve Walker said government transport policy was at odds with international practice and evidence.
Its approach to speed limits would cost lives, he said.
The city council’s overall bid to the transport agency was for $158m.
There was no expectation all of the bid would succeed and the allocation approved was $136.7m.
The city council’s indicative budget was for $146.4m.
Just 24% of the council’s walking and cycling bid for $17.4m was approved.
National funding of new capital projects has yet to be distributed.
Council staff signalled a national subsidy was unlikely for projects such as the proposed Dunedin tunnels trail and for a cycling and walking strategic review.
