Long-serving local politician and businessman Harold Thomas has an extensive history with actual and proposed Kāpiti roading. Mr Thomas is a candidate for the Waikanae Ward and he gives his views on the Expressway.
As the Chairman of the Works Committee of the K.C.D.C. when the Western Link Road was first proposed at the time of mayor Brett Ambler I find I need to counter some of the misinformation being spread within the community by so called protectors of Kāpiti or is it ‘not in my back yarders.’
The general designation for an originally proposed Sand hills Motorway which was dropped in 1989 and later promoted as the route for the Western Link Road has always been displayed on the District Plan in all of that time.
It is not as some people would like us to believe a decision out of nowhere.
Many of the concerns now expressed by some organisations now raised as reasons not to proceed with the expressway have over the years been mitigated by council to avoid sensitive areas within the Community.
Had the council not procrastinated for so long and had stuck to the original proposal for the Western Link Road with NZTA support to the level of 90% funding it would have certainly avoided the split which is in the community and coincidentally coinciding with an election.
The fact is that your council cannot proceed even with just a two lane Western Link Road which is the council’s latest proposal because they do not have the money.
Many people are saying that we could have a two lane WLR by 2012 which they know to be false as the money for the project is controlled by NZTA who are the roading agency who respond to Government policy which is quite clear at the present time.
Anyone who thinks that a road of national importance from Levin to Wellington is going to be interrupted by two separate roads through the Kāpiti area after being constructed as an expressway to the north of the District and south of the District should think again.
Your New council has a short time to get together with NZTA and the Government to arrive at the very best options for all parties involved lets not waste it.
Do we have to wait until kapiti is gridlocked by traffic like Auckland to do what is needed now?