PAEKAKARIKI COMMUNITY BOARD

Media Release 19 March 2009

Let’s keep out of a cul-de-sac!

The region is being led into a cul-de-sac by a renewed campaign to four lane Centennial Highway, says Paekakariki Community Board Chairman Adrian Webster.

Mr Webster was commenting upon the Wednesday Dominion Post article by Road Transport Forum’s Tony Friedlander.

“The campaign appears aimed at the new Minister of Transport Steven Joyce and wants to turn him away from the region’s rejection of this four laning idea three years ago.

“At that time the Greater Wellington Hearing Panel on the Western Corridor received over 6000 submissions and more than 90% of them opposed four laning Centennial Highway,” said Mr Webster.

He said that Tony Friedlander’s article simply doesn’t stack up against the science based evidence and conclusions of the Hearing Panel which were later accepted by the Regional Land Transport Committee and Greater Wellington.

“The Hearing Panel found that four laning Centennial Highway would conflict with the requirements of the Resource Management Act and would not be consentable. None of the Government’s proposed changes to the RMA will alter this conclusion.

“So let’s not lead the Minister and our region into a costly and time wasting cul-de-sac of again having to prove that four laning the coastal highway simply can’t be done.”

ENDS

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