The Auckland Council organisation looking to ban cars from driving up Mt Eden doesn't have proof cars are contributing to erosion, says Epsom MP David Seymour, whose electorate includes Mt Eden.
Mr Seymour is using the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act to find to reports or estimates of damage, used by the Maunga Authority to justify banning cars from the city's volcanic peaks, reports the New Zealand Herald.
The authority's lead officer Justine Smith has fought back, citing a Mt Eden management plan from 2007 saying erosion was "apparent in observations of slips, soil creep, and the filling and shortening of terraces", but this failed to mention vehicles as the cause.
Mr Seymour believes no "car-induced erosion" is occurring, and is not the main reason for the authority's move to ban cars, according the Herald.
The Maunga Authority oversees Auckland's volcanic cones, and Mr Seymour believes it did not consult with the public enough before extending a ban on heavy vehicles to all cars by the end of the year.
The authority has cited a number of reasons for the ban, including pedestrian safety, congestion, damage to the mountain and the preservation of a sacred site.
Albert-Eden-Roskill councillor Christine Fletcher told the Herald vehicular access to the summit would continue until alternatives were put in place.
Mr Seymour said the authority has failed to consult with Mt Eden's typical visitors and representatives of Auckland ratepayers.
3 News
source: newshub archive
