Selwyn Times: April 18, 2018
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22 Wednesday <strong>April</strong> <strong>18</strong> 20<strong>18</strong><br />
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi<br />
Your Local Views<br />
A reader responds to an<br />
article in <strong>Selwyn</strong> <strong>Times</strong><br />
on a new working group<br />
which will be set up to<br />
help restore the <strong>Selwyn</strong><br />
River/Waikirikiri<br />
Pat Palmer – The <strong>Selwyn</strong><br />
River is not short of reports,<br />
plans and studies from committees.<br />
It is short of water.<br />
Two or three cusecs (a unit<br />
of flow equal to one cubic<br />
foot per second) of Rakaia’s<br />
surplus via the Central Plains<br />
irrigation canal could give it<br />
a permanent flow along most<br />
of its length. A benefit to<br />
everyone.<br />
Transport plan won’t ease ‘pressure’<br />
<strong>Selwyn</strong> MP Amy Adams<br />
writes about the impact<br />
the Government’s new<br />
transport plan will have on<br />
the district<br />
THE PRESSURE on our state<br />
highway network was evident<br />
over the Easter weekend.<br />
Sadly the Government’s subsequent<br />
announcement of its transport<br />
plan offers little hope of any<br />
improvement to this situation.<br />
In its announcement, the<br />
Government indicated that it<br />
plans to cut $5 billion from the<br />
state highway construction programme<br />
over the next 10 years.<br />
What this means locally is<br />
that a planned upgrade to State<br />
Highway 1 between Ashburton<br />
and Christchurch proposed by<br />
National before the last election<br />
is highly unlikely to go ahead.<br />
This roading project would<br />
have improved safety, created<br />
jobs and allowed more efficient<br />
transportation of goods and<br />
people around our region.<br />
Even more concerning is that<br />
local motorists will be stung at<br />
the petrol pump with an annual<br />
increase in petrol tax each year<br />
for the next three years, resulting<br />
in a price rise of about nine to 12<br />
cents per litre.<br />
For those living in the regions<br />
Amy Adams<br />
<strong>Selwyn</strong> MP<br />
ROADING IMPACT: Amy Adams says a planned upgrade<br />
to State Highway 1 between Ashburton and Christchurch is<br />
unlikely to go ahead under the Government’s transport plan.<br />
and travelling significant distances<br />
each day, this will mean a<br />
noticeable increase in their costs<br />
of transportation.<br />
Struggling working families<br />
living in the outer suburbs of<br />
Auckland will be even harder hit.<br />
This is because Aucklanders<br />
will be paying an additional 10<br />
cents per litre under the regional<br />
fuel tax legislation the Government<br />
introduced recently.<br />
SELWYN TIMES<br />
These increases also have GST<br />
added to them, resulting in a<br />
potential total increase of up to<br />
25c per litre.<br />
Of course, when fuel prices increase,<br />
the cost of transportation<br />
rises so prices increase for goods<br />
and services.<br />
Weekly grocery bills will<br />
go up, hurting those who are<br />
already struggling to make ends<br />
meet.<br />
So if fuel taxes are increasing<br />
and funding for regional highways<br />
is decreasing, where is all<br />
the money going?<br />
The Government has indicated<br />
that it intends to allocate $4<br />
billion over the next 10 years<br />
to “rapid transit” or light rail<br />
projects.<br />
The Government has stated<br />
that it hopes to start building a<br />
light rail or tram route from the<br />
Auckland CBD to the airport<br />
and then wants to expand this<br />
system to other areas such as<br />
West Auckland.<br />
There has been some talk of<br />
a Rolleston to Christchurch<br />
rail link. However, the reality is<br />
that if Auckland’s underground<br />
rail system is also to be funded<br />
from the $4 billion allocation for<br />
rapid transit, there is unlikely to<br />
be much left over for light rail<br />
anywhere else.<br />
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