11 January 2002

Time For Auckland City To Talk Tough With Govt On Eastern Corridor

Auckland City has the chance to move the Eastern Corridor debate on from words to action when it considers the review of Eastern Corridor information next month, National's Transport Spokesperson Belinda Vernon said today.

"The stop watch is on and Aucklanders want to see the long drawn-out Eastern Corridor issue resolved within a prompt timeframe. "The Council must put in place a time-limited process that will tackle the tough issues associated with the Eastern Corridor head on. There have been enough studies. It's time to make decisions.

"The Council must give Aucklanders a realistic timeframe, with a definite end point, to sort out the Eastern Corridor issues. Indications that it could take at least a year before decisions on mode are taken are far too long. "The Council also has to be blunt and tell the Government what it can do to make progress easier.

"When Mayor Banks was elected Prime Minister Helen Clark was quick to point out that he couldn't make much progress without Government help. The city needs to spell out what help it needs - then we'll see just how serious the Government is about addressing Auckland's transport problems.

"The Government has paid lip service to helping Auckland but so far has done nothing - except progress projects that were already in the pipeline. The litmus test will be when Auckland City tells the Government the ball is in its court.

"National welcomes the Council's commitment to streamline the process. We now want to see the Eastern Corridor used to benefit the people and economy of Auckland," Belinda Vernon said.

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