Letter to the NZ Herald from Garth Houltham, Roskill Community Voice Candidate for Puketapapa Local Board

Congratulations to Brian Rudman on yet another thought provoking article on Auckland’s transport issues. His support of the Auckland Transport Blog’s alternative 2013-2030 transport plan shows there are better ways of achieving public transport that isn’t programed to fail.

I encourage all Auckland citizens to go on line and read what is suggested. As one who has strongly advocated expansion of our rail network I was delighted to see among its suggestions that work be included to build a line from PaknSave Mt Albert to Dominion Road Extension. This would bring rail to the residential suburbs of Owairaka, Wesley, Roskill and White Swan. When built in conjunction with the CRL it would provide faster travel times to Downtown Auckland and take pressure off Dominion and Sandringham Roads.

When I campaigned for the reopening of the Onehunga line people said no one would use it. After a year patronage figures proved how wrong they were. Another example of where new transport options are provided people will make use of them has to be the Northern Busway on the North Shore. Both these projects helped get people out of cars and on to public transport.