PRESS RELEASE FROM WELLINGTON REGIONAL TRANSPORT ACTION GROUP

The Transit study must not be put up as a straw man to defeat the possibility of any further investigation of the Transmission Gully route, according to the chair of the Transport Action Group (Fran Wilde).

In a statement issued after the release of the study, Ms Wilde called on all central and local government leaders to ensure that Wellington's economic growth and the social well being of coastal communities were not further debilitated by even more delay in the decision process.

"Wellington needs a functional western access route. The alternatives for Transmission Gully are not simply a full motorway standard highway or just one lane in each direction", Ms Wilde said.

"We agree there should be a corridor review, to provide a clear basis for the decisions that are urgently needed. It is time to invest sensibly in examining all the credible options, including an upgrade of the current route, with the same quality of cost estimation that has been applied to the study of the full motorway option.

"Wellingtonians are entitled to know that the research underpinning decisions on this critical issue is actually comparing apples with apples", Ms Wilde said.

The Transport Action Group comprises the Wellington Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Employers and Manufacturers Association (Central), the Central Road Transport Association, the New Zealand Taxi Federation and the Automobile Association.

ENDS

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