CBC Saddened By Decision To Fund Inner-City Bypass

Campaign for a Better City was upset to learn that Transfund granted construction funding to the Wellington Inner-City Bypass at its board meeting on Monday 3 May.

"We are extremely disappointed by this decision" said CBC spokesperson, Caro Henckels. "Transfund has failed to abide by its objective - to allocate resources is a way that contributes to a safe and sustainable transport system - and is in clear breach of the Land Transport Management Act."

"Transfund has failed to take the needs of all road users into account, and has simply acted as a rubber-stamp for roading."

"In particular, Transfund has not fulfilled its requirements to ensure environmental sustainability and the protection of public health. Transit's funding application for the project did not adequately address either of these two issues."

"Transfund has opened itself up to a judicial review of the decision. We are confident that a court would find in favour of the applicant and find fatal flaws in Transfund's decision-making process" said Ms Henckels.

"This 'dinosaur' of a road will have negligible benefits, which will dissipate within a few years as more and more traffic comes into the city."

"Even Transit never claimed that this road would improve travelling times to the airport and hospital, and they admit that all they can do is move the congestion point to the Basin Reserve" said Ms Henckels.

"The Land Transport Management Act is a farce. We are completely disenchanted by the failure of these government agencies to follow the requirements of the new legislation."

"We have exhausted all of our legal avenues. The community is mobilising to prevent the destruction of the historic Te Aro area. This is only the start of a direct action campaign to obstruct the construction of this road" said Ms Henckels.

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>>