From the Office of the Mayor: QLDC Mayor John Glover sets up Mayoral Taskforce

QLDC Mayor John Glover is setting up a Mayoral Taskforce in response to the significant impacts that the congested road network is having across the Whakatipu Basin.

Mayor Glover explained “Queenstown’s transport woes have been in the media since the 1970s. But right now, we are seeing our future played out at peak times when the networks reach a tipping point and any exacerbator is causing it to fail.

The modelling tells us that even if every currently identified intervention is delivered, Queenstown’s transport network still fails. Overall, the response comes too little, too late. Continuing to plan within the existing framework is therefore not enough.

The biggest risk for Queenstown Lakes District is spending the next 30 years debating which road to build first while congestion, accessibility and productivity steadily worsen. We must act now, implement faster and think differently.

How can we ever persuade people to take the bus when they are simply stuck in the same queue as everyone else?

Our community expects us to show leadership rather than wait for someone to do something, and we are responding to that.”

Notes to editor:

The taskforce group will work over a period of three to six months on practical actions that improve transport outcomes, accelerate delivery of initiatives that may be identified as part of Otago Central Lakes Regional Deal negotiations and develop innovative long-term solutions.

The taskforce is expected to be established as a small group including elected representatives from local councils and government together with local businesses, mana whenua, active transport advocates, urban design, traffic engineering and finance expertise.

Executive support for the taskforce will be provided by the Mayor’s office.

The first step will be for the taskforce to gather to agree establishing principles, objectives, work programme, outputs and membership/participation. It is expected that the taskforce will involve other agencies/experts/community groups through the process.

More details will be provided next week.

ENDS|KUA MUTU.

Media contact: 03 450 9131

john.glover@qldc.govt.nz