NEWS RELEASE
7 May 2008

City Council recommends draft plan for consultation

Wellington City Council’s Strategy and Policy Committee yesterday agreed to forward the draft Ngauranga to the Airport Corridor Plan to the Regional Land Transport Committee for its consideration and further public consultation.

The draft plan, which will also be considered by Transit New Zealand and Greater Wellington Regional Council this week, includes greatly improved public transport in Wellington city and suburbs, more lanes on the motorway between Ngauranga Gorge and Aotea Quay, a flyover at the Basin Reserve and detailed feasibility studies on duplicating the Mt Victoria and Terrace tunnels and a high quality public transport system.

The Council’s Urban Development and Transport Portfolio Leader, Councillor Andy Foster, says the draft plan provides a flexible approach.

“The plan is designed to be responsive to changes in the environment, such as fuel prices, lifestyle choices, urban form changes.” he says. “The draft corridor plan allows for choosing the mix of investments that best responds to what is clearly a changing environment.”

In its submission to the Regional Land Transport Committee, the Council is recommending working with private car park owners with a view to altering tariff arrangements that currently favour long-stay parking by commuters over short-stay parking by people who come into the city for shopping and other reasons.

The Council also wants to see modelling work carried out to look more closely at several scenarios – what a significant change in the price of private motoring would mean; the impact of implementing Wellington city’s proposed “growth spine”; and the impact of proposed changes in the eastern suburbs, including the Rongotai retail area, indoor sports centre and airport bus service improvements.

The Council will recommend detailed feasibility studies on possible high quality public transport systems, Mt Victoria and Terrace tunnel duplication and adding two more lanes to Ruahine Street and Wellington Road happen within 10 years, but following the corridor plan’s first five-yearly review. It will also ask the Regional Land Transport Committee to investigate ways Wellington can reduce the greenhouse gas emissions produced by traffic and public transport using the Ngauranga to airport routes.

Public consultation on the draft Ngauranga to the Airport Corridor Plan is expected to begin next month.

ENDS

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