The road lobby and unhealthy transport policy discourse in Aotearoa New Zealand: A framing analysis

Transport is an important determinant of population health. Decarbonisation of the transport system is also a critical part of climate policy with additional health co-benefits to be gained by reducing car dependence. Despite this knowledge, there has been inadequate progress in transport policy to protect the health of people and the planet.

Aim

To discover whether commercial entities in the road transport sector of Aotearoa New Zealand are using techniques common to other harmful commodity industries to influence transport policy to further their interests at the expense of health.

Methods

We used qualitative document analysis to describe a sample of road transport interest groups and analyse the framing and arguments these organisations used in submissions to national transport and climate change policy consultations.

Results

The examined “road lobby” included commercial organisations representing the automotive, road freight and energy industries. These organisations were well-resourced and undertook political activities intended to influence government policy. They supported policies that promoted private vehicles and investment in their supporting infrastructure whilst opposing the reallocation of transport funding from roads to low-carbon transport modes and tighter regulation of vehicle emissions. Submissions used similar framings to those commonly used by other unhealthy industries but with different arguments relating to road safety and transport funding. We identified some “circular policy-blocking arguments” that countered policies designed for mode shift and climate mitigation.

Conclusion

Public health should use commercial determinants of health frameworks to guide action on transport. Transport policymakers should ensure that vested interests do not distort policy choices and that decision-making frameworks accurately reflect the short and long-term harms of different transport modes. Further research is needed to determine to what extent the “road lobby” influences policy outcomes, and if other techniques of influence are being employed.