Media statement

4 April, 2007

Waitakere welcomes Transit change of heart on ring road tolls

Waitakere City Council has welcomed Transit New Zealand’s decision not to proceed with plans to toll the Western Ring Road.

The Transit board has decided to investigate alternative funding options.

Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey says the original toll proposal did not meet Waitakere’s transport and business needs and therefore, did not meet the region’s needs.

“We simply could not have lived with it and so we are pleased that Transit has changed its mind,” he says.

Mayor Harvey praised the Transit board for coming to Auckland, to deliberate on the issue of tolling the ring road.

“It’s not easy to understand why some things simply won’t work unless you go to the affected place and look for yourself. Well, they’ve come to Auckland and good on them,” says Mayor Harvey.

He says Waitakere City understands and supports the need for a user pays system, in order to reduce region wide congestion and get vital traffic moving.

“Waitakere is one of the four cities of the Auckland region and we contribute to the congestion that is killing our regional economy. Therefore, Waitakere needs to be part of the solution. If Waitakere cannot do its part to reduce congestion and promote business and economic growth, the region cannot meet its objectives either.

“The original proposals didn’t permit Waitakere to do that. The proposed toll road would have passed right through Waitakere with no way for our vital traffic to get onto or off it. All this will do is increase the problems for the fifth largest city in the country - and help to guarantee that all the work we are doing across the region to deal with congestion and promote growth will be far less effective than it should be,” he says.

There is now no reason not to start on the Hobsonville deviation, the Mayor says.

***ENDS***

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