Tolls On Auckland Roads - Highway Robbery

An Auckland City Councillor tonight hit back at Mayor Dick Hubbard’s promotion of the option of tolling of roads to fund solutions to Auckland’s traffic woes. Councillor Cathy Casey said that she was disappointed at Mayor Dick Hubbard fronting on “Close Up” in support of road tolls:

“My reaction to Hubbard’s statements tonight on road tolls was very similar to my reaction on his public denouncement of the Civil Unions Bill – how dare he insinuate that the new Auckland City Council would wear this for one minute. I will be opposing his position every step of the way.”

Dr Cathy Casey, while new to Auckland City Council, served three terms in South Wairarapa. She said that one of the largest turnouts in the town of Featherston was a meeting organised by her in the Anzac Hall to oppose a suggestion by Transit New Zealand to toll the Rimutaka Hill Road.

“Over 500 townsfolk turned up to tell Transit that if they dared to follow through on their suggestion they would face mass protest. Indeed the following campaign by townspeople which picketed cars coming off the Rimutaka Hill Road was a huge success. The issue of tolling went away after that.”

Dr Casey says that “user pays” is unfair and penalises people on low incomes.

“There is an army of workers who drive in every day from outlying districts to work in Auckland City. They already have to pay increased petrol and parking fees. Paying a toll on top of that is just not an option.”

Councillor Casey says that she will be raising the matter of the Mayor’s TV statements at councillors’ monthly breakfast meeting with the Mayor tomorrow morning.

“I will give the Mayor a copy of the fax I sent to the programme as soon as I heard his statements. I state categorically that I will fight road tolling in Auckland every inch of the way and I will be lobbying every other councillor to join me in opposing this highway robbery.”

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