Coalition Govt’s expensive tunnel vision for Wellington comes at the expense of the regions

A second Mount Victoria tunnel, a duplicate Terrace tunnel alongside highway widening will dump more traffic in the centre of Wellington and result in more pollution.

“We know urban highway widening does not solve the problem. It’s a 1950s-style solution that makes traffic and pollution worse,” says the Green Party’s spokesperson for Transport, Julie Anne Genter.

“The only way to ensure more people can move easily around Wellington in the future is to substantially invest in rail, public transport, and active transport. If the Government eventually brings in congestion pricing, people will want and need those alternatives - so logically, they should be the priority.

“If the Government is going to spend a few billion dollars on a road, it would be better spent in the regions where it will actually make a difference - not just a few kilometres of an extra lane in the centre of Wellington.

“The cost of these projects has not yet been publicly disclosed, but it will easily be more than the $3 billion deemed ‘unaffordable’ for the crucial inter-island ferries project, or the Dunedin hospital.

“It’s outrageous that the Coalition Government is prioritising billions of dollars for a few kilometres of an extra car lane in Wellington, while cutting rail and public transport improvements that would deliver more for our people and our climate.

“The most concerning aspect is the use of the Fast Track Bill, which means local government, communities and the environment will not be considered in the least. This is a classic example of the Government dodging democracy to implement policies and projects that are bad for both people and planet.

“Wellingtonians deserve to have a say on a project that will have such a monumental impact on the outlook of our city and its future,” says Julie Anne Genter.

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