Transport campaigners say the budget has to be carefully balanced between roads and public transport.
A new poll shows most New Zealanders want the Government to spend more on public transport and less on roads but the Road Transport Forum says the strategy needs to be determined by benefit cost ratios.
Chief executive Ken Shirley said discussion pitting road spending against public transport is a "silly debate".
The National Party has promised $9 billion for new roads in the next 10 years but the Colmar Brunton and WWF (the World Wide Fund for Nature) poll reveals 70% of people want to see more money going into improving public transport.
Shirley told TVNZ's Breakfast this morning that there is already a massive investment in roads and rail in Auckland and Wellington and funding priorities need to be very carefully determined based on what is best for the economy.
Cameron Pitches from the Campaign for Better Transport said each transport project needs to be looked at individually and prioritised. He told Breakfast that more and more Aucklanders are using trains and when electric trains are introduced people will start flocking to them.
Pitches said with the projected population growth in Auckland better public transport is going to be essential but he said "it's not an urban versus non-urban issue" and the poll shows people in the regions support money being made available for public transport in the major cities.
Shirley agreed there's a place for rail for passenger transport and bulk cargoes but said "there can't be a rail line to every supermarket".
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