Minister of Transport to Attend Election Debate Tomorrow

Organisers of tomorrow night's transport debate in Auckland are delighted that Minister of Transport Hon. Gerry Brownlee will now be attending.

Previously National had advised that North Shore MP Maggie Barry would be speaking, however the announcement comes after reported comments from Mr Brownlee on the possibility of an early start to the first downtown stage of the City Rail Link.

"It will be a great chance to hear how the National Party are planning to improve the movement of people and freight in Auckland," said Cameron Pitches, spokesperson for the Campaign for Better Transport.

"We are looking forward to having a policy based discussion in the public arena. We are hoping for some solid transport policy commitments for Auckland from each of the parties attending.

Representatives from six political parties will be speaking, followed by an opportunity for members of the public to ask questions.

TransportBlog contributor Patrick Reynolds will also be on hand to talk about the Congestion Free Network, a public transport initiative that focuses on moving people effectively around Auckland at peak times.

"The competing demands for infrastructure investment takes place in a fast changing global context and the stakes are high. Nothing short of the nation's economic performance, quality of life, and international competitiveness are at stake. So which parties can provide most compelling evidence that their policies have the best fit for this new century?," said Mr Reynolds.

Luke Christensen from Generation Zero explained; "We'll be looking at how each party will reduce congestion and if they have an integrated long term transport strategy for Auckland to achieve their proposed reduction."

In addition to Mr Brownlee, the full line-up of speakers includes Phil Twyford (Labour), Julie Anne Genter (Greens), Denis O'Rourke (NZ First), David Seymour (ACT) and Damian Light who will be representing UnitedFuture.

Members of the public are advised to arrive early for the meeting, which starts at 7:30pm sharp at the Ellen Melville Hall, which is located on O'Connell St in central Auckland.

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