6. Question No. 6—TransportHon PAUL GOLDSMITH (National) to the Minister of TransportQuestion No. 6—Transport6. Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH (National) to the Minister of Transport: Is he satisfied the Government has the right priorities for transport investment?Hon PHIL TWYFORD (Minister of Transport): Yes I am. Our Government is rebalancing investment away from a few expensive motorway projects and putting it towards saving lives and getting our cities moving. Last year 377 people died on our roads. We are not accepting neglected and dangerous roads. We're committed to improving thousands of kilometres of dangerous rural roads with interventions that prevent deaths—like side and median barriers and wider shoulders. I make no apologies for putting safety first. New Zealanders are sick of seeing their loved ones die on the roads.Hon Paul Goldsmith: Why is an improvement to the already very good public transport service down Dominion Road his priority for the largest and most expensive single new transport project in New Zealand?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Well the member should consult his colleague the former transport Minister Simon Bridges who oversaw the work that selected light rail as the appropriate mode to reduce bus congestion on the Auckland isthmus and provide Aucklanders with rapid transit that connects two major concentrations of jobs: one in the central city and one out at Māngere. That is a priority project. It was apparently a priority for the former Government but not any more.Hon Paul Goldsmith: Why did he tell reporters last week that he wanted to be reassured that investment in extra roading capacity—this time in Wellington—won't undermine the core objective we have to get people out of single occupant vehicles and into public transport and walking and cycling."?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Yeah I did tell journalists that precisely because it's not our Government's view that the only answer to congestion is to build more motorways or add extra lanes on to the ones you've got. We had a nine-year experiment in that and during that time congestion got worse in all of our major cities. Our Government believes actually that building modern public transport systems alongside our roads and motorways is the only sustainable way to ease congestion and actually allow our people to move around our towns and cities and get access to jobs and education and all the things they need on a daily basis.Hon Paul Goldsmith: Is he worried that doing something to reduce congestion on our roads would only encourage people to use cars?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: No our Government is committed to actually reducing congestion by building modern public transport systems in our city. That's why we've committed alongside local government in the Wellington region to a $6.4 billion investment to get Wellington moving and to solve the chronic congestion that we inherited after nine years of the former Government.Jami-Lee Ross: Is an airport to Botany connection still a transport priority; if so what further progress will be made on this connection?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: I thank the member for his question. In fact only last week Mayor Phil Goff and I announced the letting of a $60 million contract to build a public transport interchange at Puhinui on the southern rail line that will allow any Aucklander who has access to the rail network in west east south or central Auckland to have a convenient congestion-free 10-minute access from Puhinui station to the domestic and international airports. That connection which will start off as high-priority bus moving to rapid transit will be the first link in a rapid transit line that will connect the airport with Puhinui Manukau and up in to the south-east of Auckland.Jami-Lee Ross: Does he support an extension of the Eastern Busway down Te Irirangi Drive as part of an airport to Botany connection?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Well very early preliminary work is being done on that by officials in the Transport Agency and Auckland Transport but that is the logical development that would lead to a rapid transit connection between the Auckland-Manukau Eastern Transport Initiative Howick Botany Flat Bush Manukau Hurunui and the airport. That would be a vital addition to the Auckland rapid transit network that the city desperately needs.Hon Paul Goldsmith: Does he agree with his colleague Julie Anne Genter's description of some opponents of the transport plans for Wellington as "car fascists"?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Minister Genter has acknowledged that she didn't perhaps use quite the right words but what I would like to point out is that this Government is taking a balanced approach to transport. This Government is investing in rail and public transport walking and cycling and roads and motorways rather than just focusing its policy—[Interruption] SPEAKER: Order! Order!"