Media Release
City Vision-Labour Councillors - Auckland City Council
For Immediate Release

5 November 2009

Roads Win, Kids Lose at Auckland City

Keeping kids safe lost out to major roading improvements when Auckland City Council decided today to reprioritise their spending in the wake of the reduction in government transport subsidies.

At this morning’s Transport Committee, the Citizens & Ratepayers (C&R) majority group voted to make huge cuts to local road safety improvements, school travel plans, community road safety education and power line undergrounding.  Auckland City Council transport budgets have been hit hard by the Government’s transport funding now being ploughed in to “Roads of National Significance” - such as the holiday Highway to Wellsford - at the expense of a range of local road safety projects.  C&R councillors could have maintained the current range of very successful local road safety programmes but chose not to do so.

Cr Denise Roche said “ It’s clear that the majority political party in council value roads more than they do the safety of our citizens or the urban environment and how we live in our city.  It is tough trying to do more with less government money, but frankly I think getting children to school without loss of life is more important than building more roads.”

Cr Richard Northey said “The last thing the Auckland City Council should have slashed was the programmes to promote the safety of children.  City Vision and Labour asked that the road safety and community education programme, the school travel plans and the undergrounding of  street lighting be exempted from the cuts because they are relatively inexpensive and deliver huge safety benefits particularly for children.  I am appalled that C&R Councillors voted to chop these regardless.”

Cr Graeme Easte attempted to save the power line undergrounding programme but it is still to be axed once existing commitments are completed.

“I am bitterly disappointed that Auckland City residents will lose out because this Council will not pay its fair share..  I understand that the Manukau and Waitakere City Councils will continue their undergrounding projects but Auckland will miss out.”

Cr Cathy Casey said  “It is abundantly clear that the C&R councillors support the Government’s focus on roads.   I’m only sorry that they do not value the magnificent work being done with children via the school travel plans across the city.  Obviously there are no votes in saving children’s lives or they would not slash this budget.”
ends

© Scoop Media