Alliance says Nats transport plan panders to gas guzzling road hogs

Alliance Party media release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday 25 March 2009

The Alliance Party says slashing of investment in shipping and rail shows the National Government is "supremely ignorant and arrogant."

Alliance Party spokesperson Victor Billot says the Government has sunk billions into road projects that would simply make New Zealand's transport woes bigger and postpone the inevitable day of reckoning.

The Government has cut proposed spending on developing New Zealand coastal shipping to a fraction of previous commitments in its amended Policy Statement.

Mr Billot says the Government should be investing in coastal shipping and rail to move goods.

"By its craven pandering to big business, the National Government has shown it is anti-environment and completely irresponsible towards planning for New Zealand's future."

Mr Billot says that over the next few years, peak oil, climate change and political instability would mean that road transport would become increasingly expensive and harmful.

"This proposal is going to pour pollution into the atmosphere, make travelling by road less safe, worsen our addiction to oil, and reduce our ability to transport our goods in a low-impact way."

He says that the idea that roads are economically efficient is wrong.

"The fact the Government is wasting billions of dollars to subsidize an outdated transport mode shows just how inefficient this is."

Mr Billot says the Alliance stands for major public investment in coastal shipping and rail, developing New Zealand's shipping by a cabotage policy where New Zealand coastal shipping is given priority, and futureproofing New Zealand's economy as fossil fuels are depleted and the environmental emergency worsens.

ENDS

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