The new proposal released by the NZTA is every bit as bad as we feared. Far from being the ‘cheapest route’ and the one which ‘doesn’t affect properties’, this new route is fast becoming the most expensive, and with upwards of 86 properties directly needed, has a far more severe impact than many people realised.

In all the literature that NZTA has produced, there is still no mention of the thousands of people adversely affected by having a motorway over the fence. The fact that NZTA has no plans to compensate these people must be of concern to our Council, and ASK calls on Mayor Rowan to stand up for our community and demand compensation for the loss of property values.

Many people will need to move to escape the noise, vibration and pollution, and it is shameful that they will be required to bear the costs and effectively subsidise this route for the Government.

ASK is horrified that people will lose their homes and lifestyle merely to accommodate a new strip of tarseal, which according to the economic analysis will mainly benefit the logging industry.

The new proposal for a southern entrance to the route, while saving one section of Raumati South, annihilates another. NZTA is very good at setting one section of the community against another, with the objective to ‘divide and rule’.

Our Community must stand together to fight this, and we can and will win. There is a logical, cheap, effective and popular alternative; upgrade SH1, replace the lights with interchanges at either Ihakara St or Kapiti Road and Te Moana Road, build a short section of the WLR between Ihakara and Te Moana, encourage commuters to travel by rail by massively improving the service here and in Wellington, and instigate the whole range of traffic demand management measures available.

Now that NZTA will allow local traffic onto the road, it is time to review the SH1 option, which was discounted because of the cost of keeping local traffic off.
ASK encourages the community to respond to these latest plans by rejecting them in favour of a sustainable option.

Ends.

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