Letters: Enough is enough - time to fix the roads

Morning traffic on State Highway 2 at Bethlehem. Photo / File

Another crash on State Highway 29 causes chaos, and at the same time State Highway 2 is jammed full of vehicles crawling at 9km/h, if they are lucky, and clogged up from Bethlehem as far back as the Whakamarama store.

When will this Minister of Transport and the NZTA wake up to the fact that urgency is required?

No point reducing speeds when the roads just cannot cope.

The devastating economic cost to large and small businesses; to the port; to the mums and dads who just want to get home or to work, means our quality of life is suffering. It is not good enough.

The Northern Link should be under way as it will ease the congestion through Bethlehem, Te Puna, Cambridge Rd and SH29 intersection.

Then there is the Omokoroa Interchange - how many people have got to die before any government will take action and do what is its responsibility and build the infrastructure that we can use safely and efficiently?

Our other huge responsibility is making sure that our port continues to be the best. Action Wellington decision makers, please. We are sick of waiting - hasn't the Government heard people are dying?

Margaret Murray-Benge
Western Bay of Plenty district mayoral candidate

Greens in the driving seat?

It appears to me that the Green Party is currently driving all the decisions of this coalition government with the latest being, by Associate Minister of Transport Julie-Anne Genter, that they are planning to make electric and hybrid vehicles cheaper and fossil fuel cars, vans and trucks more expensive.

This is beginning to sound more and more like the policies of the Helen Clark government which resulted in them being accused of operating a Nanny State which ultimately cost them the following election.

Even worse to me, it appears to be the reverse of the Robin Hood theory whereby they will be taking from the poor to give to the wealthier who will be more likely to be able to afford expensive electric vehicles.

Roll on election 2020.

Mike Baker
Bethlehem

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