Six people have been arrested following protest action on SH2 earlier this morning.
Motorists travelling southbound were temporarily disrupted, at the Melling Link/SH2 intersection in Lower Hutt.
The protestors have now been removed and charges are being considered.
The road has reopened and traffic is reported to be flowing freely.
‘Motorists are thanked for their patience,’ said police in a statement released today.
Update at 2.10pm
Six people have been charged with trespass and criminal nuisance following protest action this morning.
Police were called at around 8:15am after reports of people blocking SH2 at the intersection with Melling Link.
This follows protest action at Wellington’s Terrace Tunnel on Wednesday morning, where six people were arrested after blocking the road in peak traffic.
“In addition to the offence of being a pedestrian on the motorway, it’s reckless,” says Hutt Valley Area Commander Dion Bennett.
“It’s extremely disappointing and meant our staff had to move fast to keep all road users in the area safe.
“I don’t know why the participants thought this was a safe act to undertake and it had the added consequence of causing disruption to members of the community who were just trying to go about their day.
“Fortunately we were quick to the scene and were able to resolve the situation quickly and safely and keep disruption to the public to a minimum.
“The safety of all road users is our priority and we will not hesitate to take action when safety is threatened.”
As the matter is now before the courts, Police will not comment further.
Image credit: NZTA
Have I missed something? What were they Protesting?