It is unacceptable that much-needed transport projects across New Zealand are being cancelled because Labour is pushing ahead with a half-baked add-on to the Auckland Harbour Bridge, Leader of the Opposition Judith Collins and National’s Infrastructure spokesperson Andrew Bayly say.

“Cancelling Mill Road will leave South Aucklanders fighting gridlock for decades to come, all because the Government is pushing ahead with a half-baked add-on to the Auckland Harbour Bridge,” Ms Collins says.

“People in Northland and the Bay of Plenty will now also miss out on much-needed transport projects in their regions because of the ideological whim Labour has for a separate cycleway-bridge across the Waitemata Harbour.

“Clearly the Labour Government can’t count, can’t control costs, and hates cars.

“The Government’s fixation on walking, cycling, and forcing people out of their cars is out of touch with modern New Zealand. Grant Robertson should try cycling across the harbour with groceries, sports gear and the kid’s netball team and see how that goes.”

Mr Bayly says the Government’s claim that the cost of the New Zealand Upgrade Programme have blown out is the worst form of politics.

“The Government deliberately down-played the cost of the Upgrade Programme during an election year so New Zealanders rightly thought those projects would go ahead.

“Now that costs have predictably increased as a result of the Government’s three and a half year delay, it is cancelling much needed projects that it is ideologically opposed to, like Mill Road,” Mr Bayly says.