Congratulations, Jack. It is heartening to see a Youth MP with more commonsense and understanding of the implications for Kāpiti of the proposed expressway bypass than our Mayoral candidates and many of the Council candidates. It certainly was a shoddy ‘consultative’ process and does represent a real threat to our quality of life on the Coast. What’s more, I doubt if it will ever eventuate. From a purely pragmatic perspective consider how Transmission Gully has taken decades to balloon in cost and still no action. With the recent earthquake disaster in Canterbury likely to cost billions there will be nothing except massive debt to fund the expressway.
What the expressway proposal has really destroyed is the Western link option which would have relieved the congestion on SH1 and provided a valuable link between our communities. That option is also blocked now and will balloon in cost as well. We need a Council that is willing and able to listen to Kāpiti people and advocate for our communities.
Marilyn Stephens
Council Candidate for Paraparaumu Ward
