Kapiti experience of NZTA likely to be repeated in Wellington City.

The wishes of Wellington citizens will be over-ruled by central government. This is the inevitable result, if city residents don’t wake up fast, says Kapiti Expressway opponent group “Save Kapiti”.

There are alarming parallels with the high handed tactics employed by the government and NZTA in forcing an unwanted Expressway through residential areas of Paraparaumu, Raumati and Waikanae. Dismissing any alternatives but NZTA’s own (including the well thought out and well advanced “Western Link Road”) and running a manipulative and cynical consultation process over 2 months in 2009 has left a community bruised and divided. Despite 65% of people wanting other outcomes, the community was forced to take the “cheapest” alternative possible, which NZTAs own independent urban design review panel had earlier rejected.
That cheap option has now increased in price from $380million to $550 million
Not only that, deliberate avoidance of time consuming planning processes and issues around potential trouble spots (eg Queen Elizabeth Park in Raumati and the Urupa/ Wahi Tapu at Waikanae) has meant large tracts of residential homes previously regarded as safe from such developments are suddenly now earmarked for the bulldozer.

“This ‘blank cheque’ approach that NZTA have given themselves, means that anything is possible” said group spokesperson Jonathan Gradwell. “ Based on the Kapiti experience, anyone within 500 metres either side of any suggested route in Wellington City should brace themselves for some big surprises “ he said.

The government and NZTA were desperate to be able to claim progress in these projects, despite them being years away in reality, and the funding under considerable doubt due to the stagnant economy and flow on effects of the Christchurch earthquake. Rumours out of NZTA indicate Transmission Gully may be 10 years away from a start at earliest. The posturing appears to be based more on politics than reality , but the experience for ordinary citizens is nightmarish, to say the least.

The message is clear...”don’t sign up to anything open ended and do not expect common sense or expert advice to be listened to. NZTA will have already determined what they want and any public consultation process is neither independently managed or genuine, unless all possible solutions to transport issues are on the table”.

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