Chapter F10 Other road-related funding policies

F10.14 Community transport fund

Introduction

The NZTA has adopted a funding policy providing funding assistance for activities, or combinations of activities to meet transport needs for communities in areas of high socio-economic deprivation when these would not otherwise be prioritised for funding from N or R funds.

This funding source will be known as the Community transport fund, or T funds.

Criteria for use of the Community transport fund

The Community transport fund provides funding assistance for activities, or combinations of activities, that are prioritised and approved according to the following criteria:

• are infrastructure and/or services;
• will benefit established communities in areas with high levels of socio-economic deprivation as measured by the NZDep2006 Index of Deprivation (and updates);
• are important for these communities, but may not be considered a regional or national priority to receive funding assistance;
• will either
  • benefit these communities that are isolated or under threat of isolation and have unreliable or poor access to the rest of the land transport system due to poor infrastructure or services; or
  • improve access and mobility for the communities economic well being, where the direct and indirect costs of transport are restricting access and mobility for these communities; or
  • contribute to the other transport objectives of improving safety and personal security, economic development, public health and environmental sustainability transport outcomes for these communities.

Note: For the purposes of this funding, an established community is defined as a long standing community containing a number of primary residences in close proximity to each other and includes shared community facilities (such as halls, churches, schools, marae). The fund is not intended to provide funding assistance to recently established communities (or residential areas) or individual properties and dwellings.

Information on the NZDep2006 Index of Deprivation is available online at the Ministry of Health.

Eligible activities

Activities that will be considered for funding from the Community Transport Fund include the work categories for:

• public transport services (including shared transport initiatives, excluding total mobility) (511, 512, 515)
• public transport infrastructure (531, 533);
• walking and cycle facilities (451, 452);
• coastal transport infrastructure;
• improvements to local roads (renewals, or preventative maintenance can be considered for funding where they meet the criteria for the fund) (241, 321, 322, 323, 324, 325, 332, 333).

Note: Funding will only be available for infrastructure activities where the property or infrastructure is in public ownership and used for transport purposes, as set out in NZTA's funding principles contained in Section A2.7.

Passenger transport services will only be considered for funding on a kick-start basis, provided at a higher level of assistance over a short time to initiate a new service, with a maximum duration for funding assistance of three years.

Alternatives and options

The funding allocation process requires that alternatives are considered and other options are assessed. The alternatives should take into account the hierarchy of interventions (see p.17 RLTP guidelines for three-year period 2009-12) and could include non-transport solutions and options (possibly at a lower level of service), which maintain access and are more integrated, safe, responsive, sustainable and affordable.

Funding assistance

The funding assistance rate (FAR) for activities meeting the criteria for the Community transport fund is halfway between the relevant approved organisation construction FAR and 100%. For public transport services and infrastructure the funding assistance is halfway between the applicable FAR and 100%.

Method of assessment for activities funded from T funds

Assessment by approved organisations and review by the NZTA will use the standard assessment factors as outlined in Chapter G, except that special attention will be given to the following matters when considering eligibility for use of T funds:

• the number of people, normally resident in the specific community;
• the level of socioeconomic deprivation for the area (using NZDep2006);
• geographical isolation, or the risk of isolation, from the main sources of social, community, health or educational services, markets for goods and services, or employment centres;
• poor levels of service for transport around community facilities;
• significantly higher transport costs in relation to individuals' ability to pay (such as increased fuel use, increased travel time, vehicle operating costs and distance to essential services);
• detrimental safety or health impacts (such as traffic conflicts between modes, community severance, excessive dust around community facilities or affecting local drinking water supplies, or reduced mobility due to poor or narrow roads and associated infrastructure such as inadequate pedestrian or cycling facilities);
• the number and significance of existing community facilities affected (such as schools, kindergartens, preschools, kura kaupapa Maori, childcare centres, kohanga reo, community halls, marae, cemeteries, urupa, dental or medical clinics, RSA halls);
• movements of freight, goods or services in and out of the community (such as produce from established orchards, farms, forestry), tourist traffic or public services (such as school buses, total mobility services, public transport, mobile lending libraries);
• availability of alternative routes, particularly for emergencies.

Quantitative or qualitative evidence must be provided to support the claims made, this may include taking photos or water quality testing to demonstrate negative impacts of excessive dust in seal extension proposals.

Justification for the use of T funds should be included in the comment field of LTP Online when the funding source is chosen.