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Meeting: |
Regional Council |
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Meeting Date: |
29 September 2022 |
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Agenda Item 9.2 - Under Separate Cover
As noted on the Regional Council Agenda for the meeting on Thursday 29 September 2022, the following item is included under separate cover:
Decisions Required
Agenda Item 9.2 Recommendations from Public Transport Committee 2
Attachment 1 - Draft Bay of Plenty Pegional Public Transport Plan 2022-2032 (Public Transport Committee Recommendations) 4
Recommendations from Public Transport Committee
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Executive Summary This report seeks the Regional Council’s adoption of the Bay of Plenty Regional Public Transport Plan 2022-2032 (RPTP). The RPTP is a statutory requirement of the Land Transport Management Act (LTMA) and a regional council must adopt an RPTP if it intends to enter into contracts for the supply of public transport services. Over the past 18 months, the Public Transport Committee has undertaken a comprehensive review of the RPTP, including a full public consultation process. A Hearings Subcommittee was formed to take the RPTP through public consultation and make recommendations back to the Committee. The Plan was open for submissions between 4-29 July 2022, with 65 submissions being received. Twenty submitters presented their submissions at hearings conducted on the 17 and 19 August. Deliberations were subsequently held on the 31 August and 1 September. At deliberations, the Hearings Subcommittee recommended a number of changes to the draft RPTP in response to submissions. The Hearings Subcommittee made two additional recommendations that are outside the scope of the RPTP but respond to points raised by submitters. These concerned: · investigating potential co-investment opportunities in public transport infrastructure with the region’s territorial local authorities; and · considering continuation of the Extension of SuperGold Concession beyond the current trial end date. The Public Transport Committee accepted the Hearings Subcommittee’s recommendations and endorsed the amended RPTP at its meeting on the 22 September. The Public Transport Committee is now recommending the final RPTP to the Regional Council for adoption, along with the two additional recommendations on the matters noted above. The LTMA sets out the requirements for adopting an RPTP. A decision not to adopt the recommended RPTP now is likely to trigger a new review of the Plan in the next triennium. It is also unlikely to fulfil the LTMA requirement that the RPTP is reviewed at the same time, or as soon as practicable after the public transport service components of a Regional Land Transport Plan are approved (June 2021). |
That the Regional Council:
1 Receives the report, Recommendations from Public Transport Committee.
2 Adopts the recommendations from the Public Transport Committee meeting held on 22 September 2022 specific to the report, Bay of Plenty Regional Public Transport Plan 2022-32 to:
(a) Note that the Public Transport Committee has prepared the draft Bay of Plenty Regional Public Transport Plan 2022-2032 on the Regional Council’s behalf in accordance with the Land Transport Management Act 2003;
(b) Adopt the Bay of Plenty Regional Public Transport Plan 2022-2032;
(c) Consider investigating potential co-investment opportunities in public transport infrastructure with the region’s territorial local authorities;
(d) Consider continuing the Extension of SuperGold Concession beyond the current trial end date.
1. Introduction
This report seeks the Regional Council’s adoption of the Bay of Plenty Regional Public Transport Plan 2022-2032 (RPTP).
The RPTP is a statutory requirement of the Land Transport Management Act (LTMA) and a regional council must adopt an RPTP if it intends to enter into contracts for the supply of public transport services. The LTMA requires the RPTP to be reviewed at the same time, or as soon as practicable after the public transport service components of a Regional Land Transport Plan are approved (this occurred in June 2021).
Over the past 18 months, the Public Transport Committee has been reviewing the current RPTP, which has been operative since May 2019. The recommended RPTP (Attachment 1) has been prepared following a comprehensive review process. The review has included:
· a series of four Public Transport Committee workshops covering all aspects of the RPTP document;
· an early engagement process seeking the public’s views on a range of key policy matters in the RPTP;
· targeted engagement with public transport operators and key stakeholders via online workshops;
· regular meetings and workshops of a multi-agency project team comprising Regional Council, city and district council, and Waka Kotahi representatives; and
· a full public consultation process.
The following table summarises the key dates in the RPTP review process, culminating in a recommendation from the Public Transport Committee to the Regional Council to adopt the RPTP.
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Date |
Phase/Milestone |
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March 2021 |
Project initiation with Public Transport Committee |
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Feb-June 20221 |
Research on key policy topics |
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July-Aug 2021 |
Early public engagement via the Participate online portal |
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Aug-Oct 2021 |
Targeted engagement with key stakeholders |
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Oct 2021 – May 2022 |
Public Transport Committee workshops on draft RPTP |
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23 June 2022 |
Public Transport Committee approves draft RPTP for public consultation |
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4-29 July 2022 |
Submission period |
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17 & 19 Aug 2022 |
Hearings |
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31 Aug & 1 Sept 2022 |
Deliberations |
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22 Sept 2022 |
Public Transport Committee endorses RPTP and recommends it to Regional Council |
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29 Sept 2022 |
Regional Council adopts final RPTP |
1.1 Legislative Framework
The Land Transport Management Act (LTMA) provides the legislative framework for the development and renewal of RPTPs. The RPTP is a statutory requirement of the LTMA and a regional council must adopt an RPTP if it intends to enter into contracts for the supply of public transport services. The LTMA requires the RPTP to be reviewed at the same time, or as soon as practicable after the public transport service components of a Regional Land Transport Plan are approved.
The statutory purpose of the RPTP in the LTMA is:
· a means for encouraging regional councils and public transport operators to work together in developing public transport services and infrastructure,
· an instrument for engaging with the public in the region on the design and operation of the public transport network, and
· to provide a statement of:
o the public transport services that are integral to the public transport network,
o the policies and procedures that apply to those services, and
o the information and infrastructure that support those services.
1.2 Alignment with Strategic Framework
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A Vibrant Region |
We lead regional transport strategy and system planning, working with others to deliver a safe and reliable public transport system. |
1.2.1 Community Well-beings Assessment
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Dominant Well-Beings Affected |
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þ Environmental Low - Positive |
þ Cultural Low - Positive |
þ Social Medium - Positive |
þ Economic Medium - Positive |
Public transport planning and delivery has positive social and economic outcomes for our communities. Well planned and effective public transport enables people of all ages and abilities to access a wide range of social and economic activities.
Public transport contributes to positive environmental outcomes through reduced transport emissions when people choose to take public transport instead of private vehicle trips. These environmental outcomes are further enhanced when the public transport trip is in a zero emission vehicle.
Public transport also contributes to positive cultural outcomes (refer to the Implications for Māori section of this report).
2. Consultation
2.1 The draft Plan
The Public Transport Committee approved the draft RPTP for public consultation at its meeting on the 23 June 2022, and appointed an RPTP Hearings Subcommittee for the purpose of hearing submissions and deliberating on the draft Plan.
The strategic flow of the draft Plan is depicted in the following figure.
Figure 1 Regional Public Transport Plan strategic flow
The structure of the draft Plan was established through the Public Transport Committee workshop process and was designed to:
· establish the regional context for public transport;
· identify a number of key public transport challenges and opportunities for the region;
· describe the current network and highlight recent developments;
· present a vision for public transport in the region;
· identify a set of objectives and targets grouped according to the themes shown in Figure 2;
· describe six focus areas which define how we will work to deliver the RPTP;
· outline future public transport strategies for each sub-region: Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty, Rotorua and the Eastern Bay of Plenty;
· propose a series of policies and associated actions organised under the objectives and designed to implement the Plan; and
· describe the approach to monitoring and reviewing the RPTP.
Figure 2 Regional Public Transport Plan objectives
2.2 Submissions
The RPTP was released for public consultation between 4 – 29 July 2022. A total of 65 submissions were received, 21 from organisations or groups, and 44 from individuals. The Hearings Subcommittee accepted three late submissions on the draft Plan.
58% of submissions were received through the Participate online consultation portal, predominantly from the public. The remainder were received by email or post.
The Participate submission form asked submitters a number of questions on key elements of the draft RPTP, recording their responses on a qualitative sliding scale. Submitters’ responses to Participate survey questions generally indicated high levels of support for elements of the RPTP strategic direction (challenges, opportunities, vision, objectives and focus areas).
Key recurring themes in all submissions included:
· General support for the direction of the Plan and the development process.
· Recognition and a sense of urgency about climate change/the need to reduce emissions.
· Recognition of the links between public transport and land use/urban transformation goals and the need for integration.
· Questions about the ambitiousness of the Plan and some targets/calls for step change/transformative action.
· Seeking more detail on funding/how plans will be funded.
· Questions about the current model of providing public transport e.g. separation of functions for service and infrastructure provision.
· Support for alternative public transport modes e.g. rail, light rail, ferries.
· Strong interest in transitioning to zero emission public transport.
· Strong interest in ‘on demand public transport’ and other alternative delivery models.
· Recognition/support for a stronger public transport role in intra and inter-regional connectivity.
· Seeking development of a more detailed implementation plan/performance measures/monitoring framework.
· Requests for changes to bus services (routes, frequencies, operating times/days).
· Requests for changes to bus stops/infrastructure (e.g. locations, shelters).
These themes formed the basis of changes to the draft RPTP recommended by the Hearings Subcommittee.
2.3 Hearings and deliberations
Twenty submitters presented their submissions to the Hearings Subcommittee at hearings conducted on the 17 and 19 August 2022.
Deliberations were subsequently held on the 31 August and 1 September. At deliberations, the Hearings Subcommittee recommended a number of changes to the draft RPTP in response to submissions.
2.4 Recommended changes to the RPTP
Key amendments to the RPTP recommended by the Hearings Subcommittee included:
· Revising the vision statement and key provisions throughout the RPTP to place more emphasis on a convenient and accessible public transport system.
· Including a statement at the front of the RPTP highlighting the vision, along with a summary of network aspirations and what the Plan will deliver.
· Updating the background section to note:
o The highly dynamic and constantly changing operating environment.
o The need for public transport agencies to be flexible and nimble in response.
o Implications of the New Zealand Emissions Reduction Plan.
o Implications of the Sustainable Public Transport Framework.
o The Regional Council being the champion for public transport in the region.
· Adding more information on forecast funding for public transport services and infrastructure in the region, and noting the gap between forecast funding and the future investment that is likely to be required to meet mode share and emissions reduction targets.
· Adding a new challenge: ‘Funding our network’, recognising that local authorities will not be able to fund the public transport services and infrastructure required to achieve ambitious new targets by themselves; a step change in central government funding will be required.
· Adding a new opportunity: ‘New public transport modes’, investigating the potential for new public transport modes including: passenger rail (both intra and inter-regional), ferries and on demand public transport.
· Adding an aspirational public transport mode share target to the RPTP and noting that local authorities are working with urgency to better understand the implications of new targets in the national Emissions Reduction Plan.
· New policies or amendments to policies for:
o Travel demand management
o Zero emission public transport
o Passenger rail
o Transport pricing
o Service planning principles
o Community services
o School services
o Regional services
o Special events
o Infrastructure timing
o Safety and personal security
· New actions or amendments to actions for:
o Understanding what is required to deliver on new national light vehicle kilometres travelled (vkt) reduction targets.
o Exploring on demand public transport beyond the scope of the current trial.
o Preparing and implementing a strategy for regional bus services.
o Reviewing contract units.
o Working with operators to improve driver availability.
o Reviewing service provision against new medium and high density residential areas.
o Resolving public transport safety and security issues.
· Adding reference to the development of a more detailed implementation plan, which will include a monitoring/performance measurement framework.
2.5 Additional recommendations
The Hearings Subcommittee made two additional recommendations to the Public Transport Committee. These were outside the scope of the RPTP but respond to points raised by submitters. The two recommendations were:
· That the Public Transport Committee makes a recommendation to the Regional Council to consider investigating potential co-investment opportunities in public transport infrastructure with the region’s territorial local authorities; and
· That the Public Transport Committee makes a recommendation to the Regional Council to consider continuing the Extension of SuperGold Concession beyond the current trial end date.
The Public Transport Committee accepted both recommendations, and now makes these recommendations to the Regional Council.
3. Adoption
Section 119 of the LTMA sets out the requirements for the renewal or adoption of regional public transport plans, noting that:
· a regional council may, by resolution at any time, vary or renew a regional public transport plan previously adopted by it; and
· a regional council may not delegate the responsibility for adopting, varying, or renewing a regional public transport plan to a committee or any other subordinate decision-making body.
Section 124 of the LTMA then identifies a number of matters that a region council must take into account when adopting a regional public transport plan. An assessment of how the RPTP process has taken those matters into account is included in Attachment 2.
As previously noted, the Public Transport Committee accepted the Hearings Subcommittee’s recommendations and endorsed the amended RPTP at its meeting on the 22 September. The Public Transport Committee is now recommending the final RPTP to the Regional Council for adoption, along with the two additional recommendations described in the preceding section.
The Hearings Subcommittee has taken the RPTP through a full public consultation process: reviewing all written submissions, considering the views of submitters at hearings, and deliberating on all points raised by submitters.
A decision not to adopt the recommended RPTP now is likely to trigger a new review of the Plan, given that a new Public Transport Committee will be convened at the beginning of the next triennium, which may or may not include all members of the Hearings Subcommittee.
As noted in the introduction of the report, the LTMA also requires the RPTP to be reviewed at the same time, or as soon as practicable after the public transport service components of a Regional Land Transport Plan are approved (which occurred in June 2021). A decision not to adopt the RPTP now is unlikely to fulfil this requirement.
4. Considerations
4.1 Risks and Mitigations
The following table shows potential risks and mitigations that have been identified and actively managed during the RPTP review process.
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Risk |
Mitigations |
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Confusion about the role of the RPTP review project and how it relates to all the other ‘public transport initiatives’. |
· Identify and describe key dependencies. · Early communication with key stakeholders on scope of RPTP review, relationship with other initiatives. |
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Some sectors of the community unhappy with the policies in the RPTP as the review progresses and concludes. |
· Early engagement with community on RPTP review. · Clear communication on the benefits of implementing the policies. |
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Unable to achieve key stakeholder buy-in. |
· Early communication with key stakeholders on scope of RPTP review, relationship with other initiatives. · Establish and maintain a multi-agency project team. |
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Project team unable to complete work due to other commitments / conflicting demands on their time. |
· Champion project as a priority in the Regional Council work programme. · Active project management approach to maintain momentum. |
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Policy positions required in key areas and topics to inform other work ahead of RPTP timing. |
· Adopt an adaptive, flexible approach to developing the policy positions. · Focus on ‘doing the thinking’ to support multiple public transport-related projects and programmes. |
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Rapid and fundamental shift in assumptions underpinning the Plan - economic trends, travel behaviour, transport costs and revenues, technological change, catastrophic event (e.g. pandemic, natural disaster). |
· Horizon scanning. · Continue to develop an understanding of the local level impacts of COVID-19 on public transport. |
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Services identified as being integral to the public transport network are not operated as planned due to external factors e.g. driver shortages, major road works, traffic congestion and a lack of public transport priority, thus undermining public confidence in the system.
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· Continue to work with operators and partner agencies on an integrated approach to the provision of public transport services and infrastructure. · Joint development and implementation of management plans for parts of the public transport network subject to significant disruption. |
4.2 Climate Change
Public transport contributes to reduced GHG emissions because many people in one vehicle produce less emissions than the same number of people in several cars (mode shift). GHG emissions are reduced further when the public transport trip is in a zero emission vehicle.
The Government has announced its plans to decarbonise the public transport bus fleet. The Government’s commitment is to:
· require only zero-emission public transport buses to be purchased by 2025; and
· target the decarbonisation of the public transport bus fleet by 2035.
The Regional Council is undertaking a bus fleet decarbonisation feasibility study to understand the opportunities and constraints of increasing the size of the zero-emission fleet as bus service contracts are renewed and achieving a fully emissions free public transport bus fleet by 2035.
The recommended RPTP features a significant focus on climate change and emissions reduction.
4.3 Implications for Māori
Public transport has positive effects for Māori through improved accessibility and choice of transport options. This enables Māori to have better access to essential services and opportunities, including employment, education and health care both within major urban centres and between smaller settlements and larger centres.
The project team includes Māori Policy expertise, and engaging with Māori has been an important part of the consultation process. The recommended RPTP features policies and actions that support partnerships with Māori and the potential for co-designing solutions that better meet their access needs.
4.4 Community Engagement
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CONSULT Whakauiuia |
To obtain input or feedback from affected communities about our analysis, alternatives, and /or proposed decisions. |
Public consultation took place between 4 – 29 July 2022. The consultation process was consistent with s82 of the Local Government Act, and consultation requirements under the Land Transport Management Act 2003 (LTMA).
4.5 Financial Implications
There are no material unbudgeted financial implications and this fits within the allocated budget.
Funding for the RPTP review been allocated from within the current Transport and Urban Planning budget.
Development or renewal of the RPTP must take into account the public transport funding likely to be available in the region and this has shaped the strategic direction in the Plan, including the challenge of funding our network.
5. Next Steps
Providing the Regional Council accepts the Public Transport Committee’s recommendations and adopts the RPTP, the new Plan will take effect 20 working days after the decision has been made.
A final public facing document will be prepared, notified and made available in accordance with LTMA requirements. Each submitter will also receive a written response to the individual points raised in their submission.
Attachment 1 - Draft Bay of Plenty Pegional Public Transport Plan 2022-2032 (Public Transport Committee Recommendations) ⇩
