Protecting and promoting public health

Related outcomes

NOT RELATED: Assisting ecomomic developmentRELATED: Assisting ecomomic developmentNOT RELATED: Assisting safety and personal securityRELATED: Assisting safety and personal securityNOT RELATED: Improving access and mobilityRELATED: Improving access and mobilityNOT RELATED: Protecting and promoting public healthRELATED: Protecting and promoting public healthNOT RELATED: Ensuring environmental sustainabilityRELATED: Ensuring environmental sustainability

The government's high level outcomes for land transport were first stated in the New Zealand Transport Strategy (NZTS, 2002) as five objectives. They are

  1. assist economic development
  2. assist safety and personal security
  3. improve access and mobility
  4. protect and promote public health
  5. ensure environmental sustainability.

The NZTS makes it clear that "economic development, social cohesion and environmental improvements must be progressed in parallel" (NZTS, p4). It provides guidance by stating that "the government will put in place policies that encourage modal shifts that enhance air and water quality and reduce exposure to transport noise or other aspects of transport systems that can impinge on community and personal health". (NZTS, p34).

Since the publication of the NZTS, the Ministry of Transport, the NZTA and other organisations have provided their interpretation of the objectives and begun contributing to the process of achieving them.

Interpreting the objective

Since the publication of the NZTS, the Ministry of Transport, NZTA and other organisations have provided their interpretation of the objectives and begun contributing to the process of achieving them.

Of particular importance to "protecting and promoting public health" are the following:

  1. 'Community Outcomes' are defined under the Local Government Act 2002. The Act requires a consultative process to ensure that the desired outcomes, including public health outcomes, belong to the local community rather than the council.
  2. The principles and objectives for land transport are detailed in the NZ Transport Strategy (NZTS, 2002) and reiterated in the Land Transport Management Act (LTMA, 2003).
  3. Transport sector strategic directions (TSSD) are defined by the Ministry of Transport in the TSSD document (2005). The TSSD developed a set of directional statements to enable measurements of New Zealands progress in moving towards an affordable, safe, responsive and sustainable transport system.
  4. The Government Policy Statement (GPS) expresses Government's priorities for land transport in New Zealand. The first GPS was produced in 2008; an update is currently being prepared.
  5. NZTA's approach to achieving the GPS is stated annually in its Statement of Intent (SOI). In its SOI 2007-2010, the NZTA "identified a number of trends that need to be addressed for the sector to progress towards land transport sustainability and safer transport on land". The trend statements of particular relevance to protecting and promoting public health are also the statements that ensure environmental sustainability:
    • development of towns and cities, design of networks, and operating rules provide a safe and convenient environment for walking, cycling and other personal travel options.
    • the commercial and private motor fleets become more energy efficient, safer and have improved environmental performance.
    • commercial transport operators adopt management practices that promote safety, use less energy and reduce emissions, noise and vibration.

Achieving the objective

The NZTS (NZTS 2002, pages 34-38) indicated that both positive and negative health impacts can come from transport. The positive impacts come from "healthy physical environments…and…the level of physical activity". "The negative health impacts of transport can come from a wide variety of areas including emissions, contaminants, noise and accidents.

Examples of the transport issues that need to be addressed to protect and promote public health include:

  • stress and isolation caused by high volumes of traffic
  • respiratory problems cause by emissions to air generated by cars and trucks
  • contamination of water when liquid and solid residues from vehicles are picked up by rain and then runoff to waterways
  • noise from motor vehicles, particularly in urban areas.

A range of initiatives are underway to address these issues. They include:

  • ensuring the quality of fuel sold in New Zealand will be dramatically improved
  • introducing emissions standards
  • research on understanding the health impacts of water runoff
  • research on understanding the health impacts of noise from roads
  • providing safe and well-designed facilities and encouraging active health modes such as walking or cycling
  • public transport that offers the potential to improve public health outcomes through reduced vehicle emissions
  • meeting the particular needs of many aged and disabled people who have no other means of transport through the total mobility scheme
  • changes to driver licence procedures for particular groups, that maintain or improve their level of access.

Monitoring the outcome

NZTA and the Ministry of Transport have been assembling data and publishing it, to help track progress in dealing with the issues and to help decision makers with evidence-based planning wherever possible. Publications include: