*Boards must take control of Dominion Rd shambles*

“We are thrilled by C&R’s limp back down on their shambolic Dominion Rd proposal, but we are concerned by what will happen next”, says Michael Wood a spokesperson for Roskill Community Voice, a team contesting the Puketapapa Local Board.

“From the beginning C&R’s plan was a shambles. They purposely tried to force it through in a rushed timeframe to get it in place before the October elections. So flawed was the plan though, and so great was the resistance from local communities, that they had no choice but to back down”, continues Wood.

“The tragedy of the botched process is that it has obscured the fact that there are real issues on Dominion Rd. It is not pedestrian friendly, traffic is often heavily congested, public transport requires further improvements, and cyclists face real peril. We have always agreed that Dominion Rd needs changes, just not in the way that C&R proposed.”

“Following on from that undemocratic process, we are now really concerned that Auckland City is sending the issue to Auckland Transport, the new CCO that is run by unelected government appointees. What we really need is for the issue of Dominion Rd to come back to the communities of Dominion Rd.”

“Our position is that a new plan for Dominion Rd needs to be developed at the grassroots. A Roskill Community Voice Local Board will hold public hearings about the future of Dominion Rd, and we will include all of the stakeholders from the start. We did not accept C&R hijacking the development of this Auckland icon, and we will not accept an unaccountable CCO doing the same”, concludes Wood.

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