10 April 2013

Smarter priorities for transport budget than Holiday Highway

There are smarter transport priorities the Government should fund, rather than wasting more money on the Puhoi to Wellsford Holiday Highway, Green Party transport spokesperson Julie Anne Genter said today.

The New Zealand Transport Agency has today announced it will spend $17.5 million on contractors for the consents process for the Puhoi to Wellsford route.

“The Holiday Highway should not be a priority when far more important projects, like urgent safety upgrades to SH1 north of Puhoi and the Auckland City Rail Link, languish for want of funding,” said Ms Genter.

“The Puhoi to Wellsford route carries relatively few cars, less than 20,000 per day. In contrast, there are more than 30,000 passenger trips on Auckland rail each day and the City Rail Link will double the network’s capacity.

“The City Rail Link will not only allow tens of thousands more Aucklanders to travel by rail, it will free up Auckland's congested roads for freight, commercial vehicles, and those who need to drive. The Puhoi to Wellsford highway would increase congestion in Auckland by facilitating sprawl and delivering more cars into the city.

“The Government should aim for best value for money from the transport budget. That means investing in Auckland’s public transport system to decrease congestion and fixing the safety blackspots on SH1 now, not wasting millions more on a duplicate highway,” said Ms Genter.

ENDS

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