22 March 2007

WRC's 10 Year Transport Strategy out of date on delivery

Wellington Regional Council seems to be sunk in total denial about the looming challenge of climate change, and the related need to invest in modern public transport services," Green Party MP Sue Kedgley says.

"The Council's ten year transport strategy is a flawed, obsolete, backward-looking and deeply disappointing strategy," Ms Kedgley says

"Train services are already bursting at the seams as a result of a huge increase in patronage at peak time. Yet the Council is proposing to spend nearly 90 percent of new capacity funding on roads, and only 10 percent on public transport, walking and cycling.

"Council should have learned from the recent over-crowding on trains and buses, and should be investing 50 percent of new funding on upgrading those services, not building new roads.

"Incredibly, the strategy does not anticipate any real increase in public transport useage in the next ten years, and instead expects most Wellingtonians (76 percent ) will continue to commute by car, and only a pitiful 3 percent by train, and 4 percent by bus," Ms Kedgley says.

"Our public transport services are so run down the Council is having to get train carriages out of museums. This is madness. What we need is a far-sighted ten year transport strategy which will see at least a third of Wellington commuters switching to public transport, enabling a dramatic reduction in carbon emissions from the region.

As a first priority the following new projects should be funded:

* Sufficient new, easy-to-board rail units to meet growing demand on all lines

* Double tracking and upgrade of the Kapiti line, electrify and double track to Otaki

* A light rail connection across the Hutt Valley between Melling and Waterloo, and between Johnsonville and Courtenay Place and then to the hospital and airport.

* 'Single ticket' travel so people can change services without paying more.

" Wellington Regional Council is driving into the future with its eyes firmly glued to the rear view mirror. It needs to engage meaningfully with transport demand management - and start treating a modern public transport as a key solution to the city's transport needs," Ms Kedgley says.

ENDS

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