Smith pushes for highway while hailing Victory award
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Nelson MP Nick Smith is forging ahead with plans to build a highway through Victory despite it being named New Zealand's 2010 Community of the Year.
He today hailed Victory's award as fantastic news but said congratulating the community did not contradict his view that Nelson had to sort out its transport issues.
"There is no reason why the road would take away from what this community has developed itself successfully to be," he said.
Despite Victory's success, there was still the issue of the wider community, he said. The road that had been planned 40 years ago was still the only realistic option for solving the broader arterial problems.
There were many successful communities that had major roads through them, he said.
Four years ago, the Environment Court turned down Transit New Zealand and Nelson City Council's southern link plans, saying the route was not suitable for a major highway, but now $700,000 funding from the Land Transport Agency is being used to come up with new designs.
Dr Smith said the previous designs did not sufficiently alleviate the impacts on the Victory community and work was being done to come up with a road that was better designed.
He hoped the new designs would be completed by the end of the year.
"I don't doubt there will be pretty vigorous community debate after the engineers and planners have completed their work."
- © Fairfax NZ News
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""There is no reason why the road would take away from what this community has developed itself successfully to be," he said."
Apart from the fact that it would pass through the school playground, community garden and the middle of the shopping centre!
Victory Village - Community of the Year - Congrats, but let's bulldoze a road through it anyway ? What part of NO (Environment Court decision) is so hard to understand? Not hard to see why Nick polled lower than Mary-Ann Street at the Victory polling booths at the last general election is it? Let's come up with a better idea, Nick.
Incredible. I would of thought after the environment courts decision, Dr Smith would not waste time and money for a 'new' southern link plan. I am not sure how there can be a new plan to make a highway anymore different. A newer, fresher idea needs to sought that won't have health/environmental implications or create something unsightly (Nelson unfortunately has made too many of these mistakes). I find worse is the gall to announce this plan after the top prize for the best NZ community. Victory is a vibrant, multicultural suburb and what a terrible loss it would be to lose this. I bet Nelsonians have better ideas of what they want other than this unpopular idea.
Where on earth are your sub-eds?
Nelson MP Nick Smith is forging ahead with plans to build a highway through Victory despite it being named New Zealand's 2010 Community of the Year.
"despite ITS being named New Zealand's 2010 Community of the Year." if you don't mind
Nick has a 'higher' constituency...like the folks up on the hills with their views of the cut and the western ranges. If we can all just be patient, peak oil will kill off the supposed traffic problem and these Taliban of capitalism can crawl away into their posh holes and leave Victory alone...
Building a motorway through Victory or along Rocks Road would be absolutely devastating for either community. In the case of Victory it would destroy the brilliant Railway Reserve walking/biking path and if they widened Red Rocks road it would make an already busy road even more difficult to use for cyclists, pedestrians and local residents.
Nick Smith should stop presenting us with only Option A (destroying victory) or Option B (destroying Red Rocks road) and work with others to develop and promote a much more sustainable, economical and progressive Option C, centred on promoting public transport, walking, cycling and car pooling.
Before Smith and other supporters of the backwards motorway plan go any further they need to ask all the tourists, new residents and other visitors to Nelson "what does Nelson need to make it a better place to live?" I think very very few would say "a new motorway".
Building a new motorway would be a backwards and embarrassing move. We don't need a new road - I think what we really need is a new MP with some better ideas.
Where's Victory? - isn't that the place most of us don't want to live in but can't publicly admit that because it's not PC? Would be nice to get into town a little quicker from Stoke/Richmond each day. You shouldn't lose many votes Nick.
Old red face needs to stop and think about how many votes he might lose from backing plans for an unwanted and un-needed road through a thriving community like victory.
i notice nick doesn't have the balls the front up in victory and say these things - in fact we never see our local mp at all!!
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Get a grip nelson - what transport problem? Getting into town a little quicker from Richmond/Stoke? Problem solved - Move to town! Not that hard people.