The non-plan for Wellington transport
Stuff reports:
A $6.4 billion plan to fix Wellington’s traffic congestion problems has been announced.
The media have fallen hook line and sinker for the spin. What they should do is ask questions like:
- How much money has the Government allocated for the next financial year
- How much money has the Government allocated for the rest of its term of office?
- If the Government got a 2nd term, how much money have they allocated to spend then?
- If the Government got a 3rd term, how much money have they allocated to spend then?
The answer to 1 is zero. The answer to 2 is zero. The answer to 3 appears to also be zero. The answer to 4 is $600 million.
So forget the $6.4 billion. 90% of that is for stuff that “We may do this in the future one day”.
Contrast that to National that actually made things happen. After 50 years of debate, they made Transmission Gully happen. They put in the Kapiti Expressway.
Labour is saying they will do some minor tinkering at best in the next seven years.
Most of what is in the announcement is stuff that at best will start in a decade or so, and not conclude for two decades.