The five year moratorium on urban highway building proposed in the Green Party's Transport Policy would be a huge leap backwards and delay projects such as Wellington's Transmission Gully, Transport Minister Maurice Williamson said today.

"The major congestion problems we face, such as those in Auckland, must be alleviated. Allowing private companies to build toll roads, which would be transferred to public ownership once the company has recouped its investment, is one major solution. Even the Labour Party seem to agree with this."

"The millions of dollars this Government puts into roading must continue. A moratorium would make the problem a great deal worse and adversely affect motorists in Auckland and throughout the country "

"Helen Clark must tell the voting public how the Labour Party feels about this wacky policy as it would cause huge ramifications if ever implemented."

"It's also interesting to see the Greens complaining about cheap imported cars and comparatively cheap petrol. Are they advocating a system where cars are a luxury only the rich can afford?"

"They're once again stressing the importance of using public transport when nearly every time I see them at meetings, they've driven their own cars."

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>>