A community campaign to make State Highway 1 safe at Woodend and Pegasus is building momentum ahead of a public meeting I am organising to give residents an opportunity to speak directly to the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) about speed and safety issues on the motorway.

The meeting will be held on Thursday, 5 September at 6.30pm at the Woodend Rugby Clubrooms in Gladstone Road.

Motorists would have noticed the road signs that have gone up along the motorway through Woodend. In 2017 National announced a new, four-lane highway from Belfast to Pegasus as part of the second roll-out of our major roading projects that have delivered game-changing transport solutions for Canterbury, including the Christchurch Southern Motorway, Woodend Belfast Bypass and soon to be completed Northern Corridor. Government cancelled the bypass project, along with other major investment projects in our regional roads. The pressure we are putting on Government to re-instate our roading project is a result of our residents asking me to keep on fighting. National’s leader, Simon Bridges, has confirmed to our community that National, if re-elected, will build the bypass.

Simon has met with residents to hear their frustrations that not only is there no commitment from Government to a bypass but that vital safety projects for the Woodend corridor are being delayed. The Make SH1 Safer Committee and I are advocating on behalf of residents of Woodend and Pegasus for a faster response from NZTA in addressing the community’s safety concerns along SH1 from Kaiapoi to the Ashley Bridge. Residents can email their experiences and concerns ahead of the public meeting to [email protected]