Public Transport On Its Own Network Is The Answer To Congestion

Enabling more people to bypass motorway congestion by taking public transport running on its own corridors is the answer to Auckland being brought to a standstill by motorway accidents, says ARC Transport Committee chairman Les Paterson.

“Today’s accidents that paralysed the Southern Motorway and Great South Road and had repercussions as far as the North Shore, are a result of Aucklanders’ dependence on the motorway network as their only option to get to work,” said Councillor Paterson.

“The Auckland region has not put any money into public transport infrastructure for decades and this is the result.

“The Auckland region’s councils have the solution and we’re working hard to build a rapid, frequent, integrated public transport network throughout the region with a backbone runs off the roads on its own dedicated network,” said Councillor Paterson.

“Then, just as in other internationally competitive cities of the world, Aucklanders will have a choice of how to get to work in the morning and home in the evening – they won’t have to use the motorways.

“Completing the motorway network alone won’t solve these problems – gridlock will just get worse when there are accidents.”

This morning, the train service was chocker with people cramming into the services to get to work on time. “The ARC’s vision is to improve public transport infrastructure and services hugely so that people can easily access the stations and thousands more can travel to work or school on the rapid transit services,” said Councillor Paterson. “We will be integrating all services across the region so that public transport works for people.”

Information about public transport is available 24 hours a day on our website, www.rideline.co.nz, and also people can phone Rideline 7am to 8pm Monday to Saturday and 8am to 6.30pm on Sundays.

Ends

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>