Labour says my way or the highway

“Wellingtonians now have a clear choice in front of them. Despite having eight ‘local’ MPs, Labour has now made it clear that Transmission Gully will never happen if they are re-elected,” say local National Party candidates.

“The simple fact of the matter is that Labour is going to continue to plunder $600 million a year from the petrol tax into hip-hop tours, sing-along courses and twilight golf through the consolidated fund. A Don Brash-led National Government has pledged to spend all the petrol tax on the roads, and this will deliver an extra $4.5 billion over the decade,” says National’s Otaki Candidate, Nathan Guy.

“The Wellington region’s share of that $4.5 billion, plus changes to the consent process, will allow Transmission Gully to remain a viable option, if that is what the local mayors pick as the best option,” says Mr Guy.

“Labour has trampled over the robust consultative process currently in place by announcing a funding package which leaves mayors with little choice but to go with the coastal route upgrade. This is typical arrogance from a Government which specialises in ‘my way or the highway’,” says Wellington Central candidate Mark Blumsky, who is a former Wellington City Mayor.

“Marian Hobbs has said ‘It is now up to the region to agree on the best solution’, yet her Government makes it almost impossible to choose any other option. This is like saying you can have any colour Model T, as long as it is black,” says Mr Blumsky.

“While we are not going to pre-judge what the local authorities should decide, we note that Labour has not made it very clear that the so called four-lane coastal highway will remain two lanes through Mana. Any engineer will tell you that’s a recipe for snarl-ups. And it is not an option to have four lanes through Mana as this will devastate the local communities,” says Mana candidate Chris Finlayson.

“Wellingtonians should be very disappointed Labour has pre-empted the process, in the hope of a rare positive pre-election headline. Once residents see beyond the spin, they will realise the region has been sold short,” say the candidates.

ENDS

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