27 Oct 2021

Former Associate Minister not happy with road safety progress

From Morning Report, 7:39 am on 27 October 2021

The new strategy for making roads safer is far off its targets, following on from the flop of the previous strategy.

This comes hard on the heels of another high holiday weekend road toll with eight deaths - the same as last year.

A former Minister says the track record of failure to make roads safer shows the Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, has contempt for the public, and should be overhauled.

Phil Pennington reports.

NZTA chief executive Nicole Rosie in a statement says Road to Zero is one of her highest priorities, and the agency's 'resolve to reduce deaths and serious injuries on our roads is unwavering'.

She says its leadership, governance and reporting have all been significantly strengthened over the past year, and she's confident Waka Kotahi will pass muster in a review of the strategy's infrastructure building and enforcement recently ordered by the Transport Ministry.