8 May 2000

Prebble a blast from the past on roading

The Green Party today said the ACT Party was decades behind the times in failing to recognise workable solutions to city transport and congestion problems.

ACT are meeting city officials in Auckland today to advocate for more new roads in the city.

Green Party Transport Spokesperson Sue Kedgley said Richard Prebble's comments that public transport wouldn't help solve Auckland's transport crisis were "a blast from the past".

"Traffic planners have acknowledged that building more roads does not solve transport problems but in the long term actually exacerbates congestion," she said.

"At a time when car use among New Zealanders is soaring, the global temperature is rising and our cities are clogged with cars, Mr Prebble's 'transport solutions' cannot be taken seriously."

Ms Kedgley said she was heartened to see Infrastructure Auckland setting aside more than half a billion dollars for long overdue investment in public transport infrastructure and was confident that Mr Prebble's visit would be a waste of his time.

"Finally Auckland is catching on to what other cities around the world have long known - neither cities or our environment can sustain the extraordinary three to five per cent growth in car trips per year," she said.

Ms Kedgley said the only positive aspect of ACTs meeting with city officials was the party's acknowledgment that they were the only party in parliament who didn't believe public transport was the solution to transport problems.

Ends

Sue Kedgley MP: 04 470 6728, 025 270 9088 Jonathan Hill (press secretary): 04 470 6719, 021 110 1133

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