27 January 2005

Hon Jim Anderton MP, Progressive Leader, MP for Wigram

2004 a record year for transport spending in Canterbury

Canterbury drivers are motoring on better roads, built and improved with more funding than ever before.

Wigram MP and Progressive leader, Jim Anderton says the 2003/04 saw huge improvements in transport funding for Canterbury, with more than $90 million of government money allocated to the region, in addition to spending by local councils.

This represents a 50 per cent increase in transport funding for the region compared to the chronic underinvestment under previous governments.

The areas where most of Canterbury's transport funding is spent include:

Maintenance - $54 million Main North Road bottleneck elimination - $12.9 million Normanby realignment - $4.4 million (includes new passing lanes) New combined stock effluent dump, weigh bridge and compliance station opened at Glasnevin in North Canterbury and an effluent dump at Tinwald, South Canterbury Clandeboye dairy factory access project, Temuka - $3.1 million. Christchurch City cycling projects – over $640,000

The MP Jim Anderton says, "spending on public passenger transport in Canterbury has also accelerated since the change of government.

"In 1999, funding amounted to just $4.37 million. This year it’s over $11 million. That's a 150 per cent increase. Over the same period, the number of passenger journeys taken on public transport in Canterbury has increased by five million.

"The last National government spent nowhere near enough on transport but Labour and the Progressives are putting that right, " said Jim Anderton.

ENDS

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