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Download AudioA planning expert says National’s promised four lane highway from Whangārei to Tauranga is not an efficient transport solution.
The National Party yesterday announced if elected, they will spend $6 billion linking Whangārei and Tauranga with a four-lane highway.
Timothy Welch from the school of architecture and planning at the University of Auckland Waipapa Taumata Rau says those kinds of projects create demand and lead to more vehicles on the road.
“So within a few years we see all that excess road capacity go away and we’re right back to where we started, and sometimes even worse with congestion. So the better route is to find ways for people to not have to drive and make those trips more efficient so we’re not putting more cars on the road,” he says.
Dr Welch says heavy rail could be a more efficient and longer lasting solution, even if the initial capital cost may seem higher.
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