State Highway 2 from Katikati to Tauranga is a nightmare: Scott Simpson

Coromandel MP Scott Simpson. Photo / Hagen Hopkins

OPINION

Driving between Katikati and Tauranga continues to be a nightmare for most road users. The painful delays and unpredictability about how long a trip in either direction will take is causing heartache and havoc. Sadly, there’s no quick fix, but I will continue to push for a smoother allocation of the work so that disruption is kept to an absolute minimum.

The good news is that the Takitimu Northern Link Stage 2 development has been designated as a Road of National Significance in the recently released Government Policy Statement on transport. While it won’t happen overnight, Katikati and Western Bay residents can be assured that investing in this key transport route is a priority, and that when completed it will be a four-lane highway.

I’ve also heard from a lot of people who are unhappy with the safety measures implemented on SH2, particularly the median barriers between Katikati and Ōmokoroa. We won’t be undoing the work that has already been completed or stopping the work under commercial contract, but I’m hopeful the third stage can be halted. Moreover, while we recognise that speed is a contributing factor to road safety, we won’t be continuing the previous Government’s blanket speed reductions. We’ll take a more balanced approach that takes into account the views of local communities.

Our transport policy is a signal that we are committed to addressing the country’s infrastructure deficit. We will be laser-focused on delivering a better transport network for the Western Bay and the rest of New Zealand.

Down in Wellington, the coalition Government has been busy completing its 100-Day Plan. This consisted of actioning 49 key policy points. A lot of the work was repealing the worst aspects of the previous Government’s six years in office. We got rid of the Ute Tax, we repealed Three Waters, and we disestablished the Maori Health Authority. With this work completed, we can now look forward to the next 100 days and the rest of the parliamentary term. We’ll be outlining a much more constructive and ambitious plan for where we want to take the country.

Scott Simpson is MP for Coromandel