31 Oct 2008
Labour's transport policy: more cars
"Despite Labour's rhetoric of sustainability and some baby steps towards this, their newly released transport policy is
business as usual: more funding for roads," Green Party Co-Leader Jeanette Fitzsimons says.
"Labour's main initiative on sustainability is...more cars. Electric cars.
"Electric cars can't help ordinary New Zealanders for at least another twenty years. Away from Labour's Jetson-like
vision for the future, electric cars won't solve the congestion in our cities or the quality of life in our suburbs,
which are rapidly becoming more and more dominated by roads.
"The Green Party is not opposed to electric cars. We're just concerned that they're being used as a smokescreen to
justify Labour's massive road-building agenda.
"If the Green Party is going to work with Labour after this election, we will shift the disproportionate levels of
funding in the National Land Transport Fund from building new roads into more sustainable alternatives like public
transport, travel demand management, walking, and cycling.
"Building world class public transport services is the very best way to deal with congestion on our roads -along with
preparing us for an end to cheap oil and the need to reduce our transport-related carbon emissions," Ms Fitzsimons says.
ENDS