Kapiti News

Consulatio­n opens on speed limits

Kā piti Expressway is integral to our region

- Tim Costley Tim Costley

the last Government wanted to slow us down with 30km/h around town; we want to speed our community and our economy up.

Do you want to speed up the Kā piti Expressway? Last week Minister of Transport, Simeon Brown, announced that NZTA are opening public consultati­on on changing the speed limit on our expressway to 110km/h. I’m strongly encouragin­g everyone to have their say. Consultati­on opened on Monday.

The last National Government funded and started all our local expressway­s.

They were designed and built to be safe at higher speeds, just like the new Waikato Expressway­s are already 110km/h. It’s time to speed up our region.

It’s important to note this will be just the section between Ō taki and Raumati.

At each end there will be a section at 100km/h (1.6km at the northern end) so there is no change to safety with how traffic moves from the expressway to 100km/h on a single lane and then to 80km/h as we hit the awful road from Ō taki to Levin.

But don’t worry, National will build the four-lane expressway all the way to the north of Levin.

Whether you live in Horowhenua or Kā piti, this road is integral to our region, and like me you probably drive it regularly.

Increasing the speed safely can increase productivi­ty, help us to grow our economy, and it also aligns it with roads in Waikato and Bay of Plenty built to the same safety standards, but currently we’re the slowest of them all.

The last Government wanted to slow us down with 30km/h around town; we want to speed our community and our economy up.

The easiest way to support this is to head to https://www.national.org. nz/makekapiti­expressway­110 or my facebook page, sign my petition to increase the speed, and I’ll submit all the names together before submission­s close.

Parliament is in recess during the school holidays but I’m not.

I’ll be out and about around our community, including hosting visiting MPs.

I’m also meeting with police, the mayor, business events in Levin (including with Chris Bishop), community groups in Ō taki, businesses in Kā piti and attending a state dinner with the GovernorGe­neral of Australia.

I’m really looking forward to Anzac Day next week, and this week I’ll be collecting for local RSAs at Paraparaum­u Train Station on Thursday morning. Please give as you’re able.

Teachers: enjoy the break while you can. You deserve it. Two weeks and then students are back, but with cellphones banned from schools all day.

For those with kids at home these two weeks, I hope you’re able to enjoy some special family time. But I also say to you and all parents . . . good luck.

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 ?? ?? Tim Costley, right, visits the Bond Store and other local businesses with Andrew Bayly, left.
Tim Costley, right, visits the Bond Store and other local businesses with Andrew Bayly, left.

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