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Funding needed for cycling in Hamilton budget
Funding needed for cycling in Hamilton budget - Generation Zero
Youth climate action group Generation Zero have
developed a quick submit form to encourage submissions on
the Hamilton City Council’s 2015-2025 10 Year Plan
consultation running until May 15th.
“We’ve created this Quick Submit form to help residents submit their views on what should be prioritised in Hamilton over the next ten years,” said Generation Zero Spokesperson, Aaron Wong.
Generation Zero campaigns on issues around urban planning and transport to work towards a low carbon future.
“The council’s core services are water and transport, these services take up 77% of the Council’s draft capital budget. Transport choices other than roads are seriously neglected and represent a tiny if not non-existent proportion of the so named transport budget.”
Within the $216 million budgeted for transport in the draft plan, there is no specified budget for cycling improvements.
Managing population growth is going to be a key priority for the Hamilton City Council who are forecasting a net population growth of 60,000 and a 66% increase in motor vehicles on Hamilton’s roads, both by 2045.
“To cope with this growth in population, the council is planning to build more roads and upgrade existing ones. This plan is likely to increase the growth in motor vehicle journeys and induce greater congestion, as well as burdening the council with more debt.”
Meanwhile Waikato Regional Council have not proposed any major upgrades to Hamilton’s urban bus network, and Hamilton City Council has no committed cycling funding until 2028, outside the 10 year period being consulted on. $77.6 million of new roading projects are budgeted to accommodate further development in Peacocke, Rototuna and Rotokauri areas over the next ten years.
“Hamilton needs low carbon alternative transport choices to really grow as a liveable city. We don’t want to build ourselves into gridlock.”
Submissions close at 4pm on May 15th. The quick submit form is available at generationzero.org/ham10yearplan.
ENDS.
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