Local communities need better public transport

Public transport across Auckland needs an upgrade, but it won’t get the attention it needs because of cuts by the National government, Labour’s Mt Albert candidate David Shearer says.

He says Auckland will be let down by news that public transport funding could fall to as little as $60 million, compared to between $290 million and $550 million under the previous policy.

“Auckland’s local communities need better public transport. Public transport needs investment.

“Too many suburban railway stations are substandard.

“In Mt Albert, for example, I have stood in the rain with people waiting for the train. Unless there is a decent train station, most commuters are just going to drive their cars.

“If the government is serious about upgrading railway stations, now is the time to announce it. And if they are not announcing it, they are not serious.

“Better roads don’t work properly unless you also invest in the quality of public transport.

“If you take climate change seriously, you need to move more commuters from roads to rail. That won’t happen unless the quality and frequency is good enough. If we invest in public transport, more people take it and the fares fall relative to other ways of getting around.

“The last thing the communities of Mt Albert need are National’s cuts,” David Shearer says.

ENDS

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