Rt Hon Winston Peters

New Zealand First Leader

Member of Parliament for Northland
4 NOVEMBER 2016

Trucks Making SH1 ‘Dangerous’, Get Them Off the Road on to Rail

Get the big trucks off State Highway One between Picton and Christchurch, and put freight back on the rail, says New Zealand First.

“NZTA’s statement that it is a winding road with coastal tunnels, inefficient for heavy traffic and dangerous to all, points to the solution,” says New Zealand First Leader and Northland MP Rt Hon Winston Peters.

“You’ve got a railway line, why aren’t you using it? It is under-utilised yet the government can’t look any further than roads.

“Statistics show truck numbers have increased steadily as have the number of crashes. The AA says the road is over congested.

“The increase in heavy traffic has caused more maintenance issues, adding huge costs to the taxpayer.

“It’s a road cut through rock and steep terrain, and would cost billions of dollars to upgrade for the even bigger trucks the road freighting industry wants on it.

“This is utter nonsense. There’s no common sense here. Freight should roll off the ferry and be carted south on the main trunk line, or be shipped from the North Island to Lyttelton.

“It’s essentially a scenic, holiday highway, where big trucks and trailers should have a limited place – in fact they lessen the tourism experience and make it a frustrating journey for locals.”

ENDS

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