Letters: Twyford and NZTA must review roading decision

Transport Minister Phil Twyford. Photo / File

Twyford and NZTA must review decision

I completely agree with what Peter Williams (Opinion, November 2) has said re the NZTA revised plans for this highway.

Transport Minister Phil Twyford and NZTA seem to forget that in this region, we have two tolled highways, the only ones in the country.

I recently drove through the great new Waterview tunnel, in Auckland, 2km of three lanes each way. No toll here. What about the Cambridge bypass and expressway? No toll there.

If the Tauranga Northern Link (TNL) is built and connected to the present Takitimu toll road, as planned, under the previous government, all those people commuting to and from the city, will increase the toll revenue significantly on this road.

Surely this huge revenue could fund the TNL at least. This would free up other funding for the upgrade of the rest of the highway and the Katikati Bypass.

Like many others, I spent a lot of time preparing and presenting a submission to the NZTA, all to no avail. Yes, we are paying the penalty of having such a staunch National voting area.

Our present local Labour and NZ First MPs have so far, in my view, proved useless in representing us in relation to the SH2 and TNL programmes.

Politics should not be part of decisions affecting people's lives on this dangerous stretch of road. Twyford and NZTA must be made to reconsider their recent decisions for this highway.

John Watt
Tauranga

No crisis

The Bay of Plenty District Health Board Mental Health and Addiction Services Dept is reported to have lost 107 staff over the past five years (News, November 3).

It is suggested that this is a high turnover and somehow reflects problems within the department.

I do not know anything about the department however if the total staff of 283 is correct then the staff turnover does not look bad at all.

There can be no doubt that the District Health Board has a tough job managing this challenging area but the turnover statistics do not suggest a department in crisis.

David Riley
Tauranga