Government should listen to the community about motorway proposals

Local communities affected by new motorway proposals have been treated poorly by both the New Zealand Transport Agency and Auckland Transport, says Labour MP for Mangere Su’a William Sio.

“The agencies might have agreed to meet with the Respect Our Community Campaign (ROCC), a group representing the residents of Mangere and Otahuhu, but they have done so only after the community presented me with a petition of more than 4000 signatures opposing all four motorway options for the East-West Link.

“There is little faith in the genuineness and sincerity of this last minute gesture when the very peoples whose lives will be affected, who’ll potentially have their homes bulldozed, weren’t consulted right from the very beginning.

“The 4000-plus people who signed the petition are extremely angry.  Each of the four motorway options proposed will potentially mean disruption to whole communities.

“Vital community facilities – such as schools, early childhood centres, sports clubrooms, bowling fields, community language nests, churches – are all at risk.

“NZTA and Auckland Transport are arguing the roads are needed for the movement of freight which will lead to jobs, but they’ve not considered the on-going social cost of tearing up of families and the cost of displacing well established community infrastructure.

“I’ll be tabling the petition today in Parliament and will be calling on this Government to respect the wishes of the local community. This Government needs to listen, hear them out, and treat people with dignity”, said Su’a William Sio.

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