Open Minutes
Commencing: Friday 13 September 2024, 9.30 am
Venue: Council Chambers, Regional House, 1 Elizabeth Street, Tauranga and via Zoom (Audio Visual Meeting)
Chairperson: Cr Lyall Thurston - Bay of Plenty Regional Council Toi Moana (BOPRC)
Deputy Chairperson: Cr Ken Shirley – BOPRC
In Attendance: External: Stacey Spall - NZ Automobile Association Advisor, Inspector Logan Marsh – NZ Police Road Safety Advisor, Cr Glen Crowther – Tauranga City Council
BOPRC: Cr Kat MacMillan, Cr Jane Nees, Namouta Poutasi – General Manager, Strategy and Science, Oliver Haycock – Director, Public Transport, Andrew Williams – Manager, Transport Planning, Presenters – as listed in the minutes, Amanda Namana – Committee Advisor
Apologies: Chairman Doug Leeder – BOPC (ex-officio), Greg Pert – Freight Advisor, Dan Kneebone – Port of Tauranga Advisor
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That the Regional Transport Committee: 1 Accepts the apologies from Chairman Doug Leeder, Greg Pert and Dan Kneebone tendered at the meeting. CARRIED |
The Chair reminded all present that the meeting was livestreamed and recorded and would be made available on the Bay of Plenty Regional Council website following the meeting: Regional Transport Committee Meeting - 13 September 2024.
The public forum item noted on the agenda was reclassified as a deputation in order for the Committee to formally receive the background information provided and be enabled to make a decision if desired.
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Julia Mclean - on behalf of NZ equestrians seeking formal recognition as a Vulnerable Road User Tabled Document 1 - Horse Riders' Near Misses and Letters of Support for Vulnerable Road Users: Objective ID A4774016 ⇨ Tabled Document 2 - Letter to NZ Mayors and Councillors: Objective ID A4774018 ⇨ Tabled Document 3 - Print Version Poster for Vulnerable Road User Awareness Rides: Objective ID A4774034 ⇨ Tabled Document 4 - Press Release - Vulnerable Road User Pass Wide and Slow Awareness Rides: Objective ID A4774036 ⇨ |
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· Speaking to every regional transport committee nationwide to provide consistent messaging, and request support in seeking an amendment to the Land Transport Management Act 2003 (LTMA) · In New Zealand, transport literature did not include a formal definition of a vulnerable road user and horse riders were currently considered as ‘other road users’, meaning they were not included in road safety messaging or education · Created specific road safety targeted messaging and partnered with NZ Police in having this publicised (Tabled Documents 3 and 4) · The ‘pass wide and slow’ campaign held an international message – pass wide at a minimum of two metres and slow your vehicle down. On Saturday 21 September and Sunday 22 September a campaign ride would take place around the country, along with riders in South Africa, Australia, Canada, America, Ireland and the United Kingdom · A petition being formally lodged with central government on 15 October 2024 already had cross party political support · Near miss data was being collected via a survey as this was not currently captured by any authority. In Response to Questions: · The ‘pass wide and slow concept’ was a behavioural change, rather than a specified speed to reduce to · Multi-use pathways were being used successfully around the world · Sought inclusion and understanding over consistently being left out of planning decisions · Regulation had to be practical and common sense - legislation that was fit for purpose. Resolved That the Regional Transport Committee: · Receives the Deputation, NZ Equestrians seeking formal recognition as a Vulnerable Road User in legislation and treatment; · Delegates authority to the Chair to review and sign a letter to the Minister of Transport in support of recognising horse riders as Vulnerable Road Users. CARRIED |
Item 7.4 - Proposed UNISA position paper on the national significance of a resilient and efficient Upper North Island supply chain, was taken following Item 7.1 – Chairperson’s report to accommodate the availability of the Committee Champion.
6. Declaration of Conflicts of Interest
None declared.
Minutes to be Confirmed
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Regional Transport Committee Minutes - 22 May 2024 |
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That the Regional Transport Committee: 1 Confirms the Regional Transport Committee Minutes - 22 May 2024 as a true and correct record. CARRIED |
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Chairperson's Report Tabled Document 5 - NLTP Final Decision letter to the Bay of Plenty Regional Transport Committee, dated 3 September 2024: Objective ID A4774039 ⇨ Tabled Document 6 - Briefing Note to Members on Key Outcomes from the NLTF 2027-2027: Objective ID A4774041 ⇨ Tabled Document 7 - Response letter from Hon Simon Bridges regarding median barrier installation on State Highway 2, dated 5 September 2024: Objective ID A4778781 ⇨ Presented by: Oliver Haycock – Director, Public Transport Key Points: · A briefing note was provided (Tabled Document 6), summarising the outcomes from the submission of the Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP). Key Points - Members: · Following the decision from the Minister of Transport (Tabled Document 7) regarding median barriers and right-turn functionality on remaining intersections in the State Highway 2 (SH2) Waihi to Ōmōkoroa corridor, affected residents were still deeply concerned over the safety issues that remained and would no longer be addressed. In Response to Questions: · Public transport focused analysis regarding the RLTP outcomes would be provided to the next meeting of the Public Transport Committee on 24 September 2024, noting that there was sufficient funding to maintain current service levels across the region but limited funding for improvement activities. |
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That the Regional Transport Committee: 1 Receives the report, Chairperson's Report. CARRIED |
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Proposed UNISA position paper on the national significance of a resilient and efficient Upper North Island supply chain Presented by: Andrew Williams – Manager, Transport Planning Key Points: · At this early stage, staff considered the position paper required further balance across the UNISA partners, with some specific additions being requested · KiwiRail had been in contact regarding their position on the paper and staff would work together with them on this · At present the paper was in its development and the Committee would have an opportunity to review the draft. Key Points - Members: · The paper appeared strongly focused on Auckland and north - supported further focus on the Bay of Plenty · Highlighted the previous studies that analysed and reported on this subject and questioned the necessity of local government repeating this exercise with the same information. |
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That the Regional Transport Committee: 1 Receives the report, Proposed UNISA position paper on the national significance of a resilient and efficient Upper North Island supply chain; 2 Notes that officers will refine the details of the statement in line with agreed UNISA positions and Bay of Plenty Regional Council policy positions; 3 Notes that the UNISA position paper will be brought back to the Committee for endorsement once the final version is prepared. CARRIED |
10.15 am – The meeting adjourned.
10.35 am – The meeting reconvened.
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NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi Quarterly Update Presentation: NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi Quarterly Update - September 2024: Objective ID A4774044 ⇨ Presented by: David Speirs – Director Regional Relationships Key Points: · Highlighted outcomes from the NLTP, including a record investment of $32.9B in the land transport network during the delivery period · $6.4B for public transport services was primarily focused on Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, the national ticketing system and continuing existing programmes. Noted there was minimal allocation for new programmes or infrastructure investment · Delivering Roads of National Significance (RoNS) was a substantial proportion of NLTP investment and alternative sources of funding, revenue and investment tools were being looked at · Outlined the allocation of the $1.9B forecast to be invested in the Bay of Plenty region during the 2024-27 NLTP period · The Ōmanawa Bridge design would be future proofed for four lanes, it was also designed with flood resilience in mind · The change to the Integrated Delivery Model (IDM) focused on targeting specialised work to large contractors that they alone could deliver, whilst reserving the ability to direct contract the smaller, less complex work to Tier 2 and Tier 3 contractors · Time of use legislation was currently being drafted by central government, which would enable time of use charging by NZTA and local authorities · The National Ticketing Solution (Motu Move) was being rolled out, starting in Canterbury late 2024 with all other regions being transitioned by the end of 2026 · Expected that all safety cameras would have been transferred to NZTA from NZ Police by July 2025 · State Highway 29 Tauriko enabling works had been underway from March 2024 and were expected to take approximately three years, with Cambridge Road works commencing this month · Outlined progress on Takitimu North Link (TNL) – SH2/Fifteenth Ave · Provided a Waihi to Ōmokoroa safety improvements project update following the recent NZTA Board decision on median barriers. Key Points – Members and Councillors: · Feedback from the public regarding tolling consultation highlighted that it needed to be clarified and was being misinterpreted. There was an assumption that using the whole network in a trip could have the potential to be tolled three times. In Response to Questions: · Although $32.9B was a substantial amount of investment, it needed to be considered within the context of the market and the deliverability amidst challenges · $1.7B for road safety promotion and policing did not include revenue from income generated through fines etc. · Consents for TNL Stage 2 and State Highway 1 Cambridge to Piarere expressway would be lodged for fast-track consenting · Capacity for deliverability was a strong consideration in looking at the maintenance and operations investment and the RoNS. This was also why they had been staged to start across a ten year period · Acknowledged the impacts road closures and detours had on local roads, and the costs and trade-offs associated with these · There were a range of technology options for time of use charging including cameras, prepaid devices in cars etc. The technology was costly and sensible investment would need to be considered e.g. main highways where there was existing infrastructure · Detail on the expectation around variable speed signs and what would be required was not yet available · If a decision to toll the TNL was made, a review would be undertaken of the tolling system and how it would work · There was no single trigger to add right hand turns through wire barriers as a criteria of design, more a broader assessment of risk for each instance · The completion timeframe for TNL had shifted from 2027 to 2028 due to delays caused by the 2023 flooding events · Work was required and underway on how best to use Road User Charges (RUC) in a way that was fair but uncomplicated. |
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· Provide information to Mayor Luca on the amount of investment spend per year across the last four decades’ NLTP · Provide information on how much the increase in funding would cover the costs of increased services/inflation effects · Provide a contact from the Ministry of Transport with RUC expertise to speak to the Committee at a future meeting. |
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That the Regional Transport Committee: 1 Receives the report, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi Quarterly Update. CARRIED |
Decisions Required
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Membership update and appointment of External Advisor for Environmental Sustainability
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That the Regional Transport Committee: 1 Receives the report, Membership update and appointment of External Advisor for Environmental Sustainability; 2 Notes the new members as appointed by Tauranga City Council: (a) Mayor Mahé Drysdale as the primary member (b) Deputy Mayor Jen Scoular as the alternate member; 3 Notes that a public process will seek nominations for candidates to fill the role of Environmental Sustainability Advisor; and 4 Appoints the Regional Transport Committee Chair and Regional Council's Director, Public Transport as a selection panel and delegates authority to the Chair to appoint an Environmental Sustainability Advisor. CARRIED |
Information Only
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Regional Land Transport Plan - Implementation Report Presented by: Andrew Williams – Manager, Transport Planning Key Points: · Noted that the appendix of the report was supported by staff at all Territorial Local Authorities (TLA’s) and NZTA, with the commentary being a collaboration across regional transport sector staff · In six months’ time there would be a new version of the implementation report, which reflected the current 2024-2034 RLTP. |
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That the Regional Transport Committee: 1 Receives the report, Regional Land Transport Plan - Implementation Report CARRIED |
12:04 pm - Mayor Tapsell withdrew from the meeting.
10. Recognition of David Speirs – Director, Regional Relationships, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi
The Chair acknowledged the work, knowledge and commitment of David Speirs throughout his time as NZTA voting member of the Committee, noting his departure date of the 18 October 2024.
2.21 pm – the meeting closed.
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Chairperson, Regional Transport Committee