Transport

Our Journey

Connecting our communities with sustainable, safe and smart journeys

By 2050 the western Bay of Plenty is projected to be home to 258,000 residents which could create one million transport movements per day on the transport network.  Our roads are already significantly congested in places, our infrastructure is ageing in some areas and our city is built on narrow peninsulas and a diverse geography, so we need to do things differently to adapt to change.

The Transport System Plan, ‘TSP’ is in action to protect our people, economy and our environment in the western Bay of Plenty so we can enjoy our way of life in the future. There’s no room for more roads – we need to offer people choices like public transport, cycling and walking, and to make it safer and easier for people and freight to move around.

The TSP is a shared transport vision for the next 30 years.  It’s a significant milestone, bringing together Tauranga City Council, Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Western Bay of Plenty District Council, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, tāngata whenua, Priority One, KiwiRail and Port of Tauranga to coordinate planning, investment and project decisions.

The TSP has more than 80 chosen projects that will make it easier and safer for people to get to schools, jobs, healthcare and shops by walking, cycling or public transport, to easily connect within their local communities and to wāhi tapu, for freight and inter-regional links to be reliable, roads to be resilient from the effects of natural hazards and for lower emissions to help our environment.

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We're protecting our environment for future generations

We're making it safer and easier for people to use public transport to help reduce transport-related emissions in line with the Government's Emissions Reductions Plan.

We're keeping people and goods moving

We're keeping road and rail links predictable, reliable, and resilient in off-peak times to keep goods moving and our economy strong.

We're connecting people in different ways

We're making it safer and easier for people to get to schools, GP clinics, community, and shops in different ways, including walking, cycling, buses, and vehicles.

We're making it safer to travel around

We're improving travel safety and working towards an outcome where no one is seriously injured or killed in road crashes.

The Transport System Plan delivers the SmartGrowth Strategy 2023, which considers how transport along with housing, infrastructure, community facilities and the environment work together, and the Urban Form and Transport Initiative’s Connected Centres programme. The TSP has a separate Governance Board but works collaboratively to ensure decision making, planning and funding is coordinated.

The TSP will also closely align with national and regional policy and strategic direction, including Tauranga City Council’s Long Term Plan, Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s Regional Land Transport Plan and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency’s National Land Transport Programme. This will make sure projects get funded and underway at the right time.

For more -

• TSP Executive Summary
• TSP Frequently Asked Questions
• TSP Projects

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