Editor
Mr Thomas makes some outrageous and ill-informed comments in the KCnews (Expressway section) regarding the growing opposition to the proposed motorway.
However his final question is ironically pertinent as he asks if we have to wait until Kāpiti is gridlocked by traffic like Auckland before we do what is needed.
The answer is, of course, ‘yes’ as the NZTA have taken away the quicker option of the WLR, state highway improvements and improvements to rail. It is doubly ironic that he fails to see that his comparison with Auckland is exactly what we are worried about; building more motorways as Auckland has done has not relieved congestion there, and will not here.
What is required is a comprehensive and holistic approach to the problem of congestion, safety and connectivity, encompassing our health, environment and cultural values, not just a simplistic ‘build bigger roads’.
He claims that it is false to say that we could have had a 2 lane WLR over the river by around 2012. His logic is flawed. Until August last year that is exactly what we could have had. Until that time NZTA fully supported the WLR and would have contributed 90% of the cost because of the benefits to the state highway network. This is a simple statement of fact.
Mr Thomas is also incorrect when he claims the original ‘sandhills’ motorway has always been on the District Plan; he seems to have missed the fact that the designation was lifted in the mid nineties and replaced with a local road designation as reflected in any LIM issued since. Perhaps some old fossils hung on to the idea and have now resurrected it, but meanwhile thousands of people have bought properties alongside a designated local road and have overnight each had hundreds of thousands of dollars wiped off their property values.
Perhaps Mr Thomas should have attended the recent public meeting in Waikanae where he would have heard NZTA spokespeople confirm that they cannot identify any economic benefits for Kāpiti residents. He would also have heard them admit that despite claiming this route was ‘cheaper’, they haven’t actually worked out the financial costs, let alone the health, cultural and environmental costs to the community.
Kāpiti needs Councillors who will advocate for Kāpiti residents, not ones who promote an unsubstantiated national interest.
Nick Fisher
ASK
Kāpiti
