New bus stops, routes and cycleways are on the cards for local councils around the country, as the government announces $350 million in funding for transport projects.

Forty-six local councils, including those in the Bay of Plenty, have been selected for funding for their transport projects, intended to encourage people out of private cars and onto buses, bikes and footpaths.

The Transport Choices package was first promised in Budget 2022, and Minister of Transport Michael Wood says it's all about creating alternatives to cars.

Wood says the money will fund 397 new or upgraded bus stops, 242km of cycleway and 11 new bus lanes around the country, from the major city of Auckland to the rural town of Stratford in the central North Island.

Tauranga City Council commissioner chairperson Anne Tolley says while the exact amount of funding they will receive is yet to be confirmed, their portion will go towards a bi-directional cycleway, walking path and bus lane through the suburb of Arataki, which connected Papamoa Beach to Mount Maunganui.

The city's bus service has been badly affected, with criminal activity and youth violence leaving drivers feeling unsafe, on top of the nationwide driver shortage causing irregular services.

Council will be looking for innovative ways to make buses and cycling safer, Tolley says.

The infrastructure has to come first, as people will not change their habits without safe, reliable alternatives, she says.

"Sometimes you feel like you're putting the cart before the horse, but if you haven't got those good alternatives for people, then you can't really have that conversation with them about getting out of their cars."

Government support for projects like this is essential - rates alone can not fund the changes, she says.

"Even a big city like Tauranga, which is the fifth largest city in New Zealand but the fastest growing at the moment, we just can't do it on our own."

Hamilton's mayor Paula Southgate says their share of the money will go towards new bus routes and finishing cycling connections on the western side of the city.

"If you're cycling, of course, you want safe connectivity, so that you can get your whole journey in the safest way possible."

The funding is an opportunity to push their changes further and faster, she says, and their current transport network is the product of an ageing city.

"It's in good shape, but our city is changing so fast.

"The need to transition from private vehicles to other modes of transport is of course greater given our obligation to [the] climate, and we just don't have the money to change overnight."

People will choose to leave the car at home, so long as the alternatives are safe, reliable and convenient, Southgate says.

Wood says emissions are not just an urban issue - local jurisdictions will have to work together.

"What's really important is that these aren't projects that have been imposed from on high. These are community-level projects that have been advocated to central government by local government, and by local communities."

The funding will help to make cities more people-friendly places, and safer for young people to get around independently, Wood says.

In New Plymouth, Mayor Neil Holdom says the funding will help school students get around by bike.

"It's really about creating safer, more inviting cycle infrastructure," he says. Their project will link the central city to the suburbs via the major schools.

The Taranaki region is heavily reliant on cars, but it needs to adapt and evolve, Holdom says.

"We know that separating bikes from cars and trucks, particularly in Taranaki where the volume of heavy vehicles on our road is really high, is critical to growing the number of people choosing to cycle."

The government says construction could begin on some projects by June.

-Kate Green/RNZ.