Road user-pays plan could hit isolated rural properties hard

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 15, Issue 689, 3 June 1997, Page 1

Road user-pays plan could hit isolated rural properties hard

Farming at the end of Croton's Road, Ruatiti, would become very expensive, and on the Waimarino plains costs would fall, under a commercial model of national roads operation. That was an opinion expressed by acting chief executive Chris Ryan to Ruapehu District councillors at their meeting last Friday, during a discussion on the government' s Land Transport review. One of the five options the government is considering for managing the country's roads would be the setting up of state-owned enterprises to manage roads . Funding might be through road user charges and through loans, with no ratepayer funding for roads. He said at present a $1 million Waimarino plains prop-

erty was paying a great deal more in rates than a $ 100,000 farm "at the end of Croton's Road". "Under a road user system the Croton's Road farmer will pay much more for his transport 40km down the road Turn to Page 2

Road user-pays plan could hit isolated rural properties hard

From Page 1 and the plains property will pay a great deal less in rates." Mr Ryan advised councillors to give the "momentous" issue the attention it deserves, explaining that Ruapehu was particularly likely to be affected by any review as 43 per cent-of RDC's income is spent on roads. "Someone at the end of Croton's road (for example), rather than trying to get some service from the district council, may be forced to go to a corporate headquarters in Wellington," said Mr Ryan. "You will hear (the phrase) 'levels of service' a lot in the discussion," said Mr Ryan, "and they are saying that appropriate access (for a remote property) may not be for a 40-tonne truck — it may be for a 4-wheel motorbike." Cr Bob Peck said he could not see rates reductions happening, even if road user charges increased. "Be very wary of promises of reduction in rates — I've never seen it happen yet," he opined.