Trade figures show need for public transport plan not more motorways
24th August 2006
The latest trade figures, with their jump in oil imports and drop in large car imports, show that the Government
urgently needs a serious public transport plan, says the Green Party.
“Subsidising roads while requiring rail to pay its own way is bad economic planning in the era of the end of cheap oil”,
says Russel Norman, Green Party Co-Leader and Economics Spokesperson.
“We are now witnessing a classic case of infrastructure planning falling behind real world developments. The Government
decided some years ago that it needed to invest heavily in roads but the rising price of oil is changing the fundamental
assumptions of that planning yet they seem unable to stop the road building juggernaut.
“The public understand what higher oil prices mean - that’s why large car imports are down and public transport use is
up – but the Government, driving around in their gas guzzling ministerial limos, still don’t get it.
“Public transport is good for people, good for the environment, and as these trade figures show, good for the economy.
“Time to get out of the ministerial limos and try catching public transport like the rest of us, then they might
understand that we need more public transport infrastructure now.
ENDS