3.1

Regional Land Transport Plan 2021-2031 Hearings

Tabled Document 1 - Late submission - NZ Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated: Objective ID A3779884

Tabled Document 2 - Late Submission - Waikato Regional Council: Objective ID A3775723

Tabled Document 3 - Late submission - Arthur Flintoff: Objective ID A3774366

General Manager, Strategy and Science Namouta Poutasi presented this item.

Key Points:

·          Noted one sentence in the report was blocked by a table.  The sentence on Page 5 of the agenda read ‘submissions for organisations and individuals are fairly well balanced’

·          The pie chart on page 5 was missing a submission and did not equal 100%.  The pie chart on page 6 should show 48% individual submissions and 52% from organisations/ businesses.

Resolved

That the Regional Land Transport Plan Hearings Subcommittee:

1           Receives the report, Regional Land Transport Plan 2021-2031 Hearings;

2           Receives and, if requested, hears late submissions to the draft Regional Land Transport Plan 2021 received after the closing date for submissions;

3           Receives tabled documents from submitters during the Hearings.

Thurston/Iles

CARRIED

Time

Name

Sub#

Organisation

9.40 am

Darlene Dinsdale

Key Points:

·        Seeking a speed reduction at State Highway 30 between Rotoiti and Rotomā, especially in the vicinity of the school, Te Kura o Rotoiti

·        Outlined the issues tangata whenua had experienced and the reasons a speed reduction was necessary:

o   The community consisted of three sports clubs, seven marae, one kura kaupapa and two kohanga reo

o   The marae, schools and sports grounds were all accessed via the state highway

o   The current speed limit was 80 km per hour, cars were often travelling at speeds of up to 120km per hour

o   There were children crossing the highway to beaches and playgrounds who were having to contend with drivers at these speeds, trucks and other hazards

o   Currently posted speed limits encouraged people to accelerate through housing areas, which posed a significant safety risk

o   There was a resilience issue in that when accidents occurred it caused congestion and blocked the highway, creating access issues for residents and motorists

o   There was also an increasing number of fatalities occurring in the area, highlighting that the current speed limit was inappropriate and unsafe - preventing further fatalities should be a priority.

In Response to Questions

·        Although this matter had been raised previously, there was frustration at a lack of action or guidance provided to progress this.

RLTP0014

Individual

9.46 am

Mayor Garry Webber, Deputy Chief Executive Gary Allis, Transportation Network Manager Jim Paterson and Senior Policy Analyst Matt Leighton presented this item.

Key Points:

·        Emphasised that the Regional Transport Committee was not an emissions trading committee

·        Requested the prioritised list of activities and the weightings used to determine this be revisited

·        Disagreed with the urban-centric nature of the document and a general lack of acknowledgement over the wider rural aspect of the region

·        Lacking a consideration of the different effects of density and distances

·        There was some recognition of modal choice in the Eastern Bay of Plenty but it needed to be applied further

·        Strongly supported any move to increase the volumes of freight being moved by rail and would like to see increased focus on making the rail network critical

·        Lack of focus on monitoring implementation when monitoring progress was a fundamental role of the committee

·        Expressed frustration over the lack of action for a Katikati bypass.

In Response to Questions:

·         Changing the weighting of resilience in the prioritised list would make some projects advance up the list and others to drop off.

RLTP0015

Western Bay of Plenty District Council

10.03 am

David Riley

Key Points:

·        Whakamarama had a large proportion of residents commuting to work and socialising in nearby urban areas, therefore transportation was a major issue

·        Pahoia and Whakamarama had a comparable number of residents to Ōmokoroa

·        Considered that the draft Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP) focus was strongly on urban residents when the Western Bay of Plenty had many rural and semi-rural residents with transport needs.  These residents having equitable access to public transport options needed to be included in  order to meet the targets of the RLTP

·        There were currently many buses travelling past that did not stop in Whakamarama.

Key Points - Members:

·        Suggested that a park and ride facility could be located at Tawhitinui near the old Whakamarama shops, rather than at Ōmokoroa  or Te Puna so that residents did not have to drive to an urban area in order to catch a bus.

RLTP0021

Whakamarama Community Inc.

10.09 am

Commissioner Bill Wasley and Alistair Talbot

Key Points:

·        The submission centred around three key themes:

o  A robust and brief process

o  Telling a clear story nationally, highlighting the significance of climate change and the importance of rail

o  Commentary around activity prioritisation

·        Would like to see cycling and safety added to the strategic interventions

·        Requested greater emphasis of the role of rail and electrification of bus fleets to reduce carbon emissions

·        Requested clarification of the prioritised list around when benefits could be expected and better explanation of project inter-dependencies

·        Suggested replacing the wording ‘Integrated Mass Transit System’ with ‘Frequent and Reliable Services’.

Key Points - Members:

·       ‘Frequent and Reliable Services’ and ‘Integrated Mass Transit System’ were different and the subcommittee would require further advise in considering this change in wording.

In Response to Questions:

·        Public feedback TCC had received in relation to the nature of public transport services provided was not necessarily supportive of the hub and spoke model, size of buses and the ability of these to negotiate certain streets and the lack of infrastructure in terms of bus shelters.

RLTP0035

Tauranga City Council (TCC)

10.26 am

Chief Executive Officer Nigel Tutt

Key Points:

·        The RLTP aligned with the Western Bay of Plenty Transport System Plan

·        A well-functioning transport system provided many benefits to the local economy including access to work, reducing emissions and particularly supported increased housing availability

·        Supported the emphasis on climate change and the transport network’s role in reducing carbon emissions

·        Further emphasis on freight would be prudent from a wider strategic view, as would a connection with the upper North island transport networks

·        Considered that the RLTP was too passive in general and could be bolder, particularly in terms of delivery in the first five years.

In Response to Questions:

·         From a business perspective, the prioritisation weightings may lean too heavily toward public transport

·         More consideration required for commercial sectors - businesses with service vehicles, heavy freight etc.

RLTP0025

Priority One

Presentation: Bike Tauranga: Objective ID A3779883   

Time

Name

Sub#

Organisation

10.57 am

Andrew Thorpe and supporters

Key Points:

·        More people on bikes more often was Bike Tauranga’s vision

·        Bike Tauranga advocate for cycling for many reasons including health, pleasure, to address the climate emergency,  to make Tauranga more liveable and ultimately because it was an essential part of a multi-modal transport future

·        Provided a map illustrating a Tauranga cycle network vision for the future, the key being that it was connected, direct and continuous - remaining safe within the cycling infrastructure for the entire journey

·        It was essential to have an arterial cycling network throughout Tauranga and to be successful this must consist of separated cycle paths

·        Requested that Bike Tauranga be involved with the process of creating a future vision to align with the development of cycling infrastructure

·        Considered that the arterial cycling network should be substantially complete within the RLTP timeframe (by 2030) in order to address congestion, increase liveability, meet emission reduction targets and to meet active transport targets in the RLTP.

Key Points - Members:

·        Noted that there was alignment with the vision of TCC but there were also significant gaps that need to be bridged.

In Response to Questions:

·        Differences in speed and differences in mass needed to be considered when designing  shared paths or lanes

·        Bike Tauranga’s vision was consistent with the national position held by groups such as Cycle Action Network.

RLTP0037

Bike Tauranga

11.14 am

John Robson

Key Points:

·        Plans needed to have budgets with specified funding

·        Acknowledging existing constraints and divergent objectives was key to strategic planning

·        Requested the subcommittee commit significant funds to ensure full and frank communications around the RLTP and its progress.

RLTP0038

Individual

Presentation - Wednesday Challenge: Objective ID A3779874

Carless Wednesday Video: https://youtu.be/aJtcwrFqp3U

Time

Name

Sub#

Organisation

11.25 am

Heidi Hughes and supporters

Key Points:

·        There was a real motivation in the community to be part of the solution

·        Tauranga was currently sitting between 5-7% mode share and the goal was to achieve 20% one day a week within a year.  Carpooling was an untapped resource in Tauranga and the goal was to have just 5% of people ride-sharing on a Wednesday, one day a week

·        Suggested that the project sit with Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s travel plan and worked closely with schools, neighbourhoods and organisations

·        The Wednesday Challenge App would be aggregated from existing Apps including the Transit App, Uber Commute, Love to Ride and FitBit Health Programme.

In Response to Questions:

·        The blueprint for the Wednesday Challenge Initiative was transferrable to other regions in the country.

·        The challenge was restricted to Wednesday to create tangible change

·        The project would highlight what the individual public transport or mode shift challenges were for each community.

RLTP0032

Wednesday Challenge Initiative

11.44 am

Glen Crowther

Key Points:

·        Reiterated the highest priorities as lowering carbon emissions, safer and more transport options, a strong focus on public transport in Tauranga and Rotorua and a connected and safe cycleway in Tauranga City

·        Did not believe the RLTP would deliver a 25% emission reduction

·        A critical issue was central government pushing a climate change agenda but not funding it.

RLTP0031

Sustainable Bay of Plenty Charitable Trust

Presentation - Ian Dustin: Objective ID A3779878

Tabled Document 4 - Architect's Design Description: Objective ID A3779881

Tabled Document 5 - Discussion Document: Objective ID A3779867

Time

Name

Sub#

Organisation

11.54 am

Ian Dustin and Mark Wassung

Key Points:

·        Suggested a stewardship surcharge of $5 per tonne to fund the Rangiuru log transfer station project

·        Needed a national stewardship arrangement for the export of logs so that the forestry industry paid for the scheme and not the taxpayers.

Key Points – Members

·        Noted that the use of methyl bromide was still under review by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).

In Response to Questions:

·        The project had been fully costed out, there was a contract on the land required and KiwiRail had designed the link.

RLTP0022

Rangiuru Industrial Developments Ltd

12.03 pm

Chief Executive Scott Hamilton and Chief Operating Officer Matt Glenn

Key Points:

·        Quayside Holdings were the leading developer of the Rangiuru Business Park, being built on 250 hectares of designated industrial land in four stages, each of which were approximately 35 hectares

·        In total, Quayside Holdings owned approximately 40 % of the land

·        Along with stormwater and wastewater infrastructure for the Park, Quayside Holdings needed to develop the interchange, structural roads within the park and an upgrade to existing roads in the area

·        In general, were supportive of the RLTP but would like to see the interchange, structural roads and the upgrade of existing roads included and prioritised in the RLTP and included in the Waka Kotahi Investment Proposal

·        The park would have multi-model transport links through the interchange, bus routes,  cycleways and walking trails.  It would also encourage low-carbon emissions through a number of initiatives

·        The growth of the Bay of Plenty region was limited by land availability for industrial development and by affordable housing.

RLTP0041

Quayside Holdings

Tabled Document 6 - Statement of Evidence - Mark Apeldoorn: Objective ID A3775706

Time

Name

Sub#

Organisation

12.12 pm

Transport Planner Mark Apeldoorn and Property and Infrastructure Manager Dan Kneebone

Key Points:

·        The port was continuing to experience strong growth to meet importers and exporters

·        Needed to ensure appropriate investment in the roading infrastructure to meet port demand and for customers and the public to move around the port

·        A large proportion of growth the port was experiencing was due to trans-shipments

·        The port was a long standing promoter of moving freight by rail where possible

·        Recurrent delays were still increasing.

Key Points - Members:

·        The port operated 24 hours a day and allowed for freight movements through quieter times through a vehicle booking system.

RLTP0026

Port of Tauranga

Tabled Document 7 - Ōpōtiki Marina and Industrial Park RLTP submission - Appendices: Objective ID A3783368 ⇨  

Time

Name

Sub#

Organisation

9.34 am

Director of Ōpōtiki Marina and Industrial Park Chris Peterson and Tim Ferguson

Key Points:

·         Committed to digging out a basin to provide safe anchorage for boats exiting the river channel, berthage for aquaculture industry boats, wharfage for unloading and providing an area for boat maintenance and other marine based industrial developments

·         Currently had an accessway onto State Highway 2 which required an upgrade to the intersection, potentially involving a roundabout

·         Suggested a combined effort in installing the roundabout now to create a sound provision for the future, enhance safety and support economic development in the area

·         Supported the vision, key priorities and the objectives of the RLTP and sought that they be retained

·         Given the significance of the project and the range of benefits resulting from the construction of a roundabout, requested the access arrangements be added as an activity in the Waka Kotahi Investment Proposal

In Response to Questions:

·        The intersection improvements provided as part of the project were aligned with the objectives in the RLTP.

RLTP0033

Ōpōtiki Marina and Industrial Park Ltd

9.47 am

Mayor Judy Turner

Key Points:

·       Strongly supported the direction of the RLTP in general

·       Whakatāne District Council (WDC) had a particularly strong focus at present on climate change and active modes

·       Over the course of the Covid-19 lockdown, there had been increasing pressure from the public to get active transport initiatives right

·       Public opinion was that stopbanks should be used for walkways and cycleways

·       Also supported collaborative projects around identifying risk and adaptation planning across the region

·       Supported the intent of public transport in the RLTP but stressed that rural communities needed further consideration

·       Emphasised the need for a second bridge in Whakatāne, which would also greatly benefit Kawerau and Ōpōtiki, assisting with the number of heavy vehicles on the road and the civil defence risk in the event of an evacuation.

In Response to Questions:

·       In consideration of the weightings it was important to take a holistic view of the competing priorities

·       Three waters reform, affordability and supporting economic recovery was of particular importance to WDC.

RLTP0046

Whakatāne District Council

10.03 am

Piet Kil (via Zoom)

Key Points:

·       Operated as a bus driver for Whangamarino School, located between Mourea and Ōkere Falls

·       Had to bike to and from the bus as this was parked at the school overnight.  There was a narrow section of road between the boat ramp and school which posed serious safety concerns for cyclists

·       There was a plan for a shared walkway underway which should be prioritised

·       It was currently too unsafe for children living in Mourea to walk to school

·       No longer public transport options available from Mourea to Te Puke or Rotorua – requested these be reinstated.

Individual