Simeon Brown, MP for Pakuranga, today delivered a petition of 1553 signatures to Auckland Transport on behalf of the community calling on them to remove the T2 Lane from Pakuranga Road and focus their time and resources on the completion of the Eastern Busway and Reeves Road Flyover.
“When AT first proposed the idea of a T2 Lane on Pakuranga Road at the beginning of this year the local community expressed their concern that such a move would actually make things worse for the majority of commuters in our area,” says Mr Brown.
“As the local MP I hosted a public meeting in February where around 200 locals turned up to express this view and offer their suggestions on how the lane could be improved to ensure it was actually effective.”
“Despite the community’s experience with their own main thoroughfare, AT decided to go ahead with its poorly thought out plan that failed to take stock of certain aspects of how Pakuranga Road works.”
“This included problems like the 50m clearance the T2 Lane would impose upon motorists wanting to turn into Gossamer Drive from Pakuranga Road, when previously they could safely switch lanes, and concerns with how traffic joining Pakuranga Road from main feeder streets like Cascades Road would fare.”
“When the T2 Lane was installed at the beginning of June it became quite clear early on that AT had failed in its objectives and had simply made the journey worse for motorists, without any significant benefit for those using public transport.”
“This is what projects like the Eastern Busway are designed to solve, by making public transport more reliable and convenient for Pakuranga, but until it’s ready there is simply no point in implementing half-baked ideas like this T2 Lane.”
“Our congestion issues are made even worse by the fact that another key piece of the overall AMETI project, the Reeves Road Flyover, was recently delayed. The AMETI project was designed to be staged, with the Reeves Road Flyover to be built prior to the Botany to Pakuranga stage of the Busway. This work will now take place together, meaning more congestion for Pakuranga motorists.”
“As a result, my petition not only calls for the removal of the T2 Lane but urges AT to start construction on the Reeves Road Flyover as soon as possible and stop the continued delays.”
“Pakuranga has waited over a decade for this project and now that the Eastern Busway is finally underway, we cannot afford to see the rest of it pushed back.”
