More broken promises

Newsroom reports:

A climate-conscious and increasingly cost-conscious Government has cancelled some of its biggest promised highway projects – even where groundwork has already begun.

It has defunded or indefinitely suspended funding for Whangārei to Port Marsden, Mill Rd, Papakura to Drury South, and Te Puna to Ōmokoroa, in the Bay of Plenty. 

I don’t think I can ever keep track of how many broken promises this now makes. It would be easier to count the promises they have successfully delivered on, than the ones they have broken or failed at.

And as reported this morning, the Government is to spend $785m on a new cycle and pedestrian bridge across Waitemata Harbour and linking the cycleway up to Auckland’s North Shore.

Business leaders are dubious. Auckland Business Forum Chair Michael Barnett said the fact the Government had been forced into cutbacks because its initial cost estimates for the Upgrade projects were so far wrong was deeply concerning.

No explanation had been given for the decision to scrap the Whangārei-Port Marsden highway project, in favour of upgrading the North Auckland rail line, Barnett said.

“Whangarei-Port Marsden was critically important a year or so ago, but now it doesn’t make the cut. What’s changed?

“What impacts will this have on the safety, efficiency and resilience of Northland’s road network? Where’s the case to support the massive increase in investment in the rail line? We need answers.”

And Barnett questioned the justification for spending $785m on new stand-alone harbour bridge that would support only a tiny number of users.

ACT’s Transport spokesperson Simon Court called on Michael Wood to release the cost-benefit analysis for the walking/cycling bridge.

The benefit to cost ratio will be miniscule. It is madness to incur the huge cost of constructing a second harbour crossing and not allowing any buses, trains or cars on it.