Bid to use board money to fix storm damaged roads

A Rodney Local Board member is bidding to reallocate more than $3 million of transport targeted rate money to help fix the many roads damaged in the recent floods and cyclone.

Geoff Upson, who represents the Kumeu ward, first suggested that funds already allotted for raised pedestrian crossings, which he termed ‘speed bumps’, could be used instead for post-storm repairs under extraordinary business at last month’s Local Board meeting.

“Could we perhaps reallocate money being used for speed bumps to help catch up with road slips, closures and storm damage?” he said.

However, the idea found little favour with board area manager Lesley Jenkins, who said something of that significance would need a report to the board and that AT would have to agree it was appropriate.

“That’s not the purpose of the transport capital fund or the targeted rate,” she said. “I think it would be problematic and it’s certainly not for this meeting.”

Warkworth member Tim Holdgate said he would also like to see some of the board’s transport targeted rate money reconsidered in light of all the storm damage, especially funding for new shuttle buses for Warkworth, Leigh and Sandspit agreed last year.

Board chair Brent Bailey suggested the issue could be discussed at a workshop.