Marian Hobbs backs retention of trolley buses

Wellington Central MP and Environment Minister, Marian Hobbs, has expressed concern to Transport Minister Pete Hodgson that Wellington's new trolley buses may be under threat from public funder Land Transport New Zealand.

Greater Wellington Regional Council has been asked by LTNZ to justify the expense of keeping trolley buses rather than opting for diesel buses.

"There are strong environmental reasons for trolley buses and these benefits must be taken into account when comparisons are made with the costs of operating diesel buses," Marian Hobbs said. "I am 100 per cent behind Greater Wellington's efforts to see the trolley bus fleet upgraded.

"I will contact regional council chairman, Ian Buchanan and offer to attend any meetings he is having with LTNZ about the trolley bus fleet upgrade.

"Wellington and its trolley buses are the envy of other cities, ratepayers want the trolleys retained and and its incredibly important we keep them."

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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>>