Tuesday 30 May 2006

Eastern Motorway To Be Main Election Issue In 2007

The eastern motorway will again be the main issue in next year’s local body elections in the Hobson Ward, Action Hobson councillors Christine Caughey and Richard Simpson said today.

“C&R Now remains obsessed with tarmacking Hobson Bay, destroying our local environment and, consequently, trashing property values in the Hobson ward,” the councillors said.

“Last night, C&R Now formed an unholy alliance with a handful of City Vision councillors to vote against even allowing council officers to formally talk to the public about the merits or otherwise of removing the motorway designation from the eastern transport corridor.

“Why would you oppose even such a moderate proposal for public consultation on this matter? It reveals that, whatever they may say, C&R Now has learned nothing from their rejection by the voters in 2004 and that a motorway across Hobson Bay remains their true agenda.”

The councillors said they deeply regretted that C&R Now wanted the motorway – or “busway” as some are now describing it –to remain alive as the Hobson ward’s dominating issue.

“Until we put this issue to rest permanently, Auckland will never have the serious debate about modern, 21st century transport options that other world cities take for granted – a proper, integrated system that can get people from one side of the city to the other in half an hour, not half a day.

“And until we seriously address transport, how can Auckland move on to tackling broader issues – from cracking down on graffiti and youth crime, to protecting our heritage and quality of air, to upgrading Auckland to truly be part of the digital age?”

The councillors said Action Hobson would campaign on a wide range of issues in 2007, “but we will be strongly pointing out that C&R Now is so obsessed with having a motorway across our front yard that they oppose even public consultation on the matter”.

ENDS

© Scoop Media