The Labour government and the opposition National Party have now released major transport policies that put the emphasis on maintaining and expanding roads.
The cost and priority of various projects will clearly be an election issue. But at the heart of the debate lies an inconvenient truth about climate change: encouraging road transport while needing to reduce carbon emissions simply does not add up.
We can see this tension in transport agency [Waka Kotahi’s ](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/waka-kotahi/)own policy statements: road safety and better travel options on the one hand, addressing sustainability on the other. But transport is responsible for 17 per cent of New Zealand’s total greenhouse gas emissions.
Furthermore, road vehicle use has been increasing, as has the popularity of larger cars and SUVs that create more emissions per kilometre. Road congestion has become worse, with the popular response being to expand road capacity.
Hence the Government’s recently announced plans for a second harbour crossing in Auckland involving two road tunnels. And the main thrust of National’s Transport for the Future policy is on more urban and intercity roads. Labour and National favour a second Mt Victoria tunnel in Wellington.
