It continues to be disappointing, but not surprising, that there has literally been no visible progress on transport infrastructure in this area. I should no longer be surprised by the slowness of government wheels turning but cannot understand why progress has been not only slow but non-existent. At the end of the day, it cannot and should not be difficult for organisations with the word “transport” in their name to deliver on safer roads and better transport options for everyday New Zealanders who just need to get from A to B, as quickly and as safely as possible.
The closest thing there is to an actual update concerns the right turn out of the Coatesville-Riverhead Highway onto SH16. It is being banned from May 2022, although this is long overdue and only a Band-Aid fix. Whilst this ban may make the road safer than the status quo, we are still waiting for the much-needed roundabout that was promised. I will keep lobbying the government for this change, which will rightly deliver safer roads and better protection for our drivers.
Speaking of roads, the government has now raked in $300,000,000 from Regional Fuel Tax. This revenue was intended to fund public transport projects yet this money has not actually been spent or even more importantly has not delivered any new transport options for Auckland. If the government are looking for some suggestions on how this revenue could be spent, I recommend the following options, just as a starting point and all within the very large electorate I represent: fixing Hill Street Intersection in the vicinity of Warkworth, fixing SH16, repairing rural roads (think potholes) and better public transport in north and northwest Auckland.
The National Party Leader and Leader of the Opposition, Christopher Luxon, visited North West Auckland recently. He witnessed the underdevelopment of infrastructure in the area, as compared with the development of housing, seeing first-hand the need to sort out the transport and other infrastructure issues facing the North West. Should National form a government at the 2023 election, we are committed to resolving the lack of transport options here. Until then, I will keep the pressure on the government to sort out the transport works that are desperately needed.
