Darien Fenton MP
Spokesperson on Transport Safety

18 November 2009
Media Statement

Minister misleading Kiwis about road safety

Labour’s Transport Safety spokesperson Darien Fenton says that Transport Minister Steven Joyce is misleading the country about road safety.

“Today in Parliament the Minister denied that community safety programme funding will be cut, but his own transport agency spokesman has said $17.2 million would be spent on community safety programmes this year, compared to $19.8m last year,” says Ms Fenton.

“The agency has cut the Safe with Age course for older drivers and the Roadsense programme for intermediate school pupils in Wellington.

“In addition, Auckland City Council's Transport Committee has been told that huge cuts are planned for local road safety improvements, school travel plans and community safety education, and other councils are also making cuts to community safety education.”

Darien Fenton says that community road safety cuts are additional to the Government’s decision to cut back on road policing.

“Over the next three years, National will spend $50 million less than Labour had planned on road policing --- an area covering crash investigations, traffic management and clamping down on speeding and drink driving.”

Darien Fenton says she is very concerned that the cuts will impact on road accident rates, particularly for school children.

“The government is building roads at the expense of community safety, and people will inevitably pay for it with an increasing toll of injury and deaths,” Ms Fenton says.

ENDS

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