Wellington mayors agree congested city is priority

Three Wellington region mayors agree that the congested city centre should be given priority.

They were responding to a report today that Wellington City Council had made a submission to Greater Wellington regional council, urging a rethink on roading priorities.

The submission said preliminary results of studies of roads through the central city showed those leading to the airport had worse congestion than the coastal highway.

Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast said the council was in the middle of a CBD Corridor study.

"Until we see the outcome of that then we don't know how important the airport to Basin Reserve will be. It may end up being a higher priority than anything, including Centennial Highway," she said.

The regional mayors - Porirua City Mayor Jenny Brash, Hutt City Mayor David Ogden and Upper Hutt City Mayor Wayne Guppy - said today they agreed that the congested route to Wellington International Airport should be given priority attention.

"That is exactly what we argued for at a meeting of the Regional Land Transport Committee on August 18. Kerry didn't agree then, but we are delighted that she has had a change of heart," they said in a joint statement.

At that meeting Porirua City argued that the regional transport solution had to reduce the reliance on a single route into Wellington and it had to help the region grow.

It said the solution had to be phased and integrated and it had to deal with the sharpest points of congestion first, that is, from south to north.

The mayors said it was a positive move forward that Wellington City appeared to be acknowledging that it had a regional hospital and regional airport and other cities in the region needed good access to those.

- NZPA