The Government’s Major Transport Projects Pipeline, released today, shows billions of dollars of mega-roads still unfunded with no timeframe for when many will ever be built.
“After years of pressure to front up on how it would pay for its roading wish list, the Government has released less a pipeline and more a pipe dream with no clear way to fund its mega-projects,” says Green Party transport spokesperson Julie Anne Genter.
“Putting projects in the ‘slow lane’ is an admission that the numbers don’t stack up for the Government’s $56 billion Roads of National Significance programme.”
“The real cost of this fantasy is what it crowds out. This Government gutted funding for public transport, rail, walking and cycling to clear the way for mega-roads it now admits it cannot pay for.”
“Communities have lost the projects that were affordable and ready to go, and in exchange they get roads that exist only on paper.”
“While we are happy to see a few major public transport projects in the list, there’s no mention of mass transit for Christchurch, Wellington City, or other fast-growing cities like Hamilton and Tauranga.”
“Every dollar sunk into a low-value motorway is a dollar not spent on the things that actually get people moving: reliable buses and trains, safe streets, and a roading network that doesn’t wash out every time it rains.”
“Funding needs to be where it moves the most people: rapid, reliable public transport, safe streets and a resilient roading network. That is a transport plan New Zealanders should have, not what the Minister has presented today,” says Genter.
