Inner city motorway worse than Wellywood sign

The New Zealand Transport Agency's proposals to put a motorway flyover in front of the Basin Reserve and widen Ruahine St up to 7 lanes in Hataitai would be even worse than a Wellywood sign, said the Green Party today.

On Saturday the New Zealand Transport Agency released plans for consultation on controversial road works. The plans include two options for flyovers, both of which would be visible from the Basin Reserve cricket grounds, and widening of major roads in the inner suburbs of Hataitai and Mt Victoria.

Green Party transport spokesperson Gareth Hughes said the Basin Reserve flyover and 7 lane scar on the road to the airport would be much worse than a controversial Wellywood sign.

"This project will be bad for Wellington because it will bring even more cars onto streets already choked with congestion.

"It will result in the destruction of dozens of homes, including a number of heritage buildings, and reduce the property values of surrounding buildings because of increased noise and traffic.

"The new route in Hataitai will also take out a number of unsuspecting apartment dwellers, who had no previous indication the motorway was a threat to their building.

"Whether we choose flyover A or flyover B, both will be a visual blight on the historic cricket grounds at the Basin Reserve.

"Steven Joyce may as well as keep wasting taxpayers' money on a gigantic statue of himself as the Colossus of Roads next to the Wellywood sign, as a monument to his 1950s transport thinking," said Mr Hughes.

Hataitai resident and Green Party Co-leader Dr Russel Norman said for the five hundred million dollar price tag the Government could invest in significant improvements to public transport, walking and cycling, and attract more people into the city.

"Why would we pay hundreds of millions of dollars to turn part of our city into a car slum? It is people, not cars, who make the economy run.

"Against the Council's vision of a smart green city, we have Joyce's vision for a dumb grey city.

"Destroying the liveability of our city for the sake of a motorway is the last thing we should do, especially when money is tight and oil prices are high.

"We have the opportunity to create a great city with cheaper, greener transport options."

Dr Norman and Mr Hughes encouraged all residents of Wellington to make their voices heard before consultation closes in August.