LCANZI submission on Auckland Council’s draft Regional Land Transport Plan

On Sunday LCANZI made a submission on Auckland Council’s draft Regional Land Transport Plan (RTLP). Click here to see a copy.

LCANZI submits that the RLTP is unlawful.  The law requires the RLTP to be “in the public interest”.  The Council has made clear in its Climate Plan what this means: to halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, including by reducing transport emissions by 64% from 2016 levels. The draft RTLP does not achieve this.  Instead, it provides for transport emissions to increase 6% by 2031, or at best reduce by 12% if the Government puts in place certain policies.

The draft RTLP must be radically overhauled before it can be approved. It must provide for the necessary reduction in transport emissions, consistent with the Council’s own Climate Plan. It will otherwise be at risk of being set aside upon judicial review.

LCANZI President, Jenny Cooper QC, said: “It is baffling that Council and AT have produced a draft transport plan that is fundamentally incompatible with the Council’s own targets and policies in relation to climate change.   We urge them to live up to their own declarations and legal obligations and ensure that the final plan meets the demands of the climate emergency.”

LCANZI is also a member of the All Aboard Aotearoa alliance, and support their submission. A copy of their submission is available here.