Brownlee needs to get on bike and get transport plan moving

While the newly proposed Riccarton Road bus interchange is a vital and welcome part of Christchurch’s ‘Hubs and Spokes’ public transport model Gerry Brownlee needs to get on his bike and actually start the wheels turning, says Labour’s Christchurch transport spokesperson Megan Woods.

“ECan and the Council are doing their bit to move the central city transport plan forward. Unfortunately Gerry Brownlee is failing to do his, ignoring advice he received in July that approving it was urgent to ensure commissioning of key anchor projects got underway.

“The plan – ‘An Accessible City’ – was originally due to be ticked off in April, yet the Minister’s office was telling us last month Christchurch wasn’t at the point in the rebuild where the transport plan was considered vital.

“I couldn’t disagree more. Road users in Christchurch have been willing to put up with some level of disruption in their lives, but three years after the earthquakes they shouldn’t have to be subjected to unnecessary delays in renewing transport infrastructure.

“A hub in Riccarton makes sense and I’m sure most residents will recognise the value of this infrastructure. The importance of connecting our suburbs to the central city via public transport cannot be understated.

“It’s great to see local government committing to a strong public transport infrastructure with progress being made on suburban infrastructure.

“All we need now is for Mr Brownlee to step up and get the transport plan for the central city on the road.

“ECan is releasing the proposal for the Riccarton interchange for consultation later this week. I would encourage people to submit on this, to send a clear message that public transport is vital to rebuilding the city. “

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