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Climate change emissions and truck increased use is now found to be really occurring as trucks are dirty emitters of climate emissions/carbon.
In 2018 after Napier has now become a “truck gridlocked” community with a large export port and over 90% of all export freight is still carried on trucks we are now so desperate for a safe quiet environment we have now referred this issue back to the Ministry of the Environment after 18 yrs of no solution yet being offered.
We have asked for a inland port to transfer the freight onto rail to Napier Port as it was recommended by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment in 2006.
Ministry for the Environment
PO Box 10362
Wellington
Dear Ministry of the Environment. 3/3/18.
As you may already be aware, we have over the last 20 years, we all have had extremely serious public health related issues regarding urban residential communities who are constantly exposed to adverse health effects from heavy truck traffic passing through their urban areas on a ‘truck route’ highway that very often in NZ has inadequate mitigation measures to protect the health and well being of those communities.
As it is the policy of a Government to advocacy and to seek solutions through public and local input and consultation, as defined by the Court of Appeal 1992!!!!
We have been involved heavily in that process since our communications to you since May 2002.
Since then, we have been gathering evidence, reports and results of air quality studies independently conducted in coalition with Watercare Services, NIWA, HB Public Health and Ministry for the Environment, through the technical assistance of your staff.
Your staff has requested that we keep an open communication line to them, and that they would assist, as able, to resolve the issues of concern.
To date, three reports from Water care Services, NIWA and Public Health have validated the health concerns that affect our community living near truck routes, and with that information, we were hopeful that local and regional councils would resolve the issues surrounding public health by supporting a reasonable list of early mitigation measures, such as:
1. speed reduction to kph on Highway 50 as it passes through west Cities residential suburbs.
2. smooth road surfacing to reduce tyre particulate pollution.
3. barriers and dense vegetation to contain and absorb traffic pollution
4. return road freight to rail through Napier to the port.
We held a series of meetings with our local City and Regional councils, which resulted in the regional officers agreeing to put the matter before Council, in a bid to have those measures supported.
A press release from the Council came out on 25/2/03, supporting in principle our request for reasonable mitigation.
We had the support also of our Regional Chairman, and a Councillor, previously involved in health issues in central government.
Unfortunately, the following day in council, a majority voted against supporting those measures, which quite honestly left us gutted.
After other meetings with our City Council Mayor, the Mayor did agree to write a letter to The road controlling Authority (then in 2003) Transit NZ supporting a speed reduction to 70kph.
Our Regional Council did admit the planning was questionable before the road was re designated as a ‘Truck Route.’
Quote; “the problem has arisen because prior to the expressway’s construction, the local council allowed residential developments to abut the proposed road.
The decision was unwise and was made when environmental concerns were not as strong and awareness of the possible consequences much lower, a council report by environmental manager, Murray Buchanan states.”
“the community properties, by an act of past planning, are closely adjacent and many are well below the expressway level. This is a unique situation in the district, and because of the elevation of the expressway, noise travels over a wider area.”
Those admissions clearly suggest that both councils should now be actively supporting further mitigation measures to protect those residents, but very little is really being achieved, which now places us in a position to legally challenge their lack of providing a safe environment, and all the other issues raised in that letter by our legal counsel 1/4/02, if the situation is not resolved in the next few months prior to completion of the over bridge and State Highway extension
Important to note is that two of the mitigation measures, 70kph speed and smooth road surface, changes to planning have to be instituted ahead of the completion of that road upgrade, or else it would be cost prohibitive to promote later.
Therefore, we would request that you allow us this remaining time to seek further support prior to instigation of legal proceedings, noting that it is highly likely that this route may be required if councils do not offer adequate mitigation for the health and well-being of our community.
We hope that this further information to you addresses paragraph 3 of your letter dated 11/2/03. We are very sincere in our desire to resolve these health issues in any means available to us and support for environmental legal assistance, should it finally be required, is vital as a means to protect the health and well being of our community.
The current truck ‘movement’ counts for every 24hrs on the Napier south end of the HB Expressway is now on 3rd March 2018 is at a whopping 2489 trucks every day average when in 2001 we measured 997 every day.
Thank you very much for your consideration,
Yours truly,
Even though the turn out for the CP TPP was disappointingly small – the speakers were very good and the message was still loud and clear after 6 years of protest: the deal is a dog – just another corporate grab that is all about money and greed – nothing to do with the welfare of the people or planet.
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