NZ First Candidate promises to put Tauranga First, starting with traffic issues

As Tauranga continues to grow, traffic congestion is one of the biggest concerns I hear from our residents. Fixing our roading and infrastructure will take time, but in the interim we need to look for quick wins and removing the tolls is a great place to start. 

​​Nationally, New Zealand has three toll roads with two of those are right here in the Bay of Plenty; Tauranga Eastern Link Toll Road and Takitimu Drive Toll Road (also known as Route K). Tauranga is a rapidly growing part of New Zealand therefore, we need to front foot investment, future proofing our city. We need greater investments from our next government to help solve our transport and infrastructure challenges. 

Although I understand that removing these tolls doesn’t solve our roading and infrastructure issues, it would address traffic congestion to and from Tauriko/Pyes Pa into the CBD, as well as the growing frustrations on Cameron Road, especially in Greerton. Using the toll road every day, twice daily can add up quickly if it's part of your daily commute to work, by removing these tolls would ease some of that congestion off Cameron Road immediately. 
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In 2014 NZ First MP Clayton Mitchell succeeded in removing $63 million of roading debt from Tauranga City Council’s books and we are committed to continuing this further, by removing the final two toll roads in our region.  These past few weeks I have been out talking to people in the community and it was clear, if there were no tolls, more people would use them. 
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I have built a strong reputation for getting things done within our community and I’m excited to share more about what the NZ First team and I are working on, especially when it comes to Tauranga.  I want to work as a link between local and central government to find practical solutions to the real problems faced by the residents of Tauranga.

​I'm interested to know your thoughts, comment below.  

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