Attachments of Regional Transport Committee

Draft Regional Land Transport Plan 2015-25

Attachment 1

Contents

Foreword...................................................................................................................................... 7

1 BACKGROUND..................................................................................................................... 8

1.1 Introduction............................................................................................................... 8

1.2 The Regional Transport Committee............................................................................. 8

2 National Context for the RLTP.............................................................................................. 9

3 Regional Context for the RLTP.............................................................................................. 9

4 About Us........................................................................................................................... 10

4.1 Geography............................................................................................................... 10

4.2 Landscape................................................................................................................ 10

4.3 Climate..................................................................................................................... 10

4.4 Population................................................................................................................ 11

4.5 Production............................................................................................................... 11

4.6 Employment............................................................................................................. 11

4.7 Transport network.................................................................................................... 11

4.8 Travel patterns / vehicle ownership.......................................................................... 12

4.9 Safety...................................................................................................................... 12

4.10 Public transport........................................................................................................ 12

4.11 Freight..................................................................................................................... 12

4.12 Air............................................................................................................................ 13

5 Our Future......................................................................................................................... 13

5.1 Geography............................................................................................................... 13

5.2 Production............................................................................................................... 13

5.3 Employment............................................................................................................. 13

5.4 Vehicle ownership / travel patterns.......................................................................... 14

5.5 Safety...................................................................................................................... 14

5.6 Public Transport........................................................................................................ 14

5.7 Freight..................................................................................................................... 14

5.8 Port of Napier........................................................................................................... 15

5.9 Rail........................................................................................................................... 15

5.10 Air............................................................................................................................ 15

6 Issues and Challenges........................................................................................................ 15

6.1 Parts of the transport system lack capability affecting economic productivity, safety and social development ( 60% weighting )................................................................................ 15

6.2 A limited shared view of cross-boundary transport issues increases the risk of sub-optimal investment in and management of the network (20% weighting).............................. 16

6.3 How people use the transport network is leading to an unacceptable level of deaths and serious injuries (20% weighting)............................................................................................ 17

6.4 Summary.................................................................................................................. 17

7 Statement of transport priorities for the region for 2015 to 2025......................................... 17

8 Regional transport objectives and policies........................................................................ 18

8.1 A safe, resilient and efficient transport system that supports the development of our economy and contributes to social wellbeing in our community....................................................... 18

8.2 A reduction in the risk of death or serious injuries on Hawke’s Bay roads................... 18

9 Proposed Regional Land Transport Activities...................................................................... 18

9.1 Prioritisation Process................................................................................................ 19

9.2 Prioritised Activities for 2015-21................................................................................ 20

Key to Organisations:......................................................................................................... 20

9.3 Full List of Activities for 2015-21................................................................................. 22

Key to Organisations:......................................................................................................... 22

9.4 Ten Year Forecast by Activity Class............................................................................ 26

9.5 Regionally Significant Expenditure on Land Transport Activities to be funded from sources other than the National Land Transport Fund...................................................................... 27

10 Activities of inter-regional significance.............................................................................. 27

11 Requested addition of activities to the Regional Land Transport Plan................................. 29

12 Assessment of the relationship of Police activities to the Regional Land Transport Plan..... 30

13 Activities approved under Section 20 of the LTMA but not yet completed......................... 30

14 Activities to be varied, suspended or abandoned............................................................... 30

15 Monitoring of the plan....................................................................................................... 31

16 Summary of consultation carried out in the preparation of this plan................................... 31

17 Summary of the significance policy.................................................................................... 31

18 Glossary of abbreviations and terms.................................................................................. 32

Appendix A Assessment of RLTP compliance with Sections 14 and 16 of the LTMA........ 34

Appendix B Significance Policy...................................................................................... 39

1 Purpose of the Policy............................................................................................... 39

2 Application of the Policy............................................................................................ 39

3 Determination of a significant activity for prioritisation............................................... 39

4 Determination of inter-regional significance.............................................................. 40

5 Determination of regionally significant expenditure from other sources..................... 40

Draft Regional Land Transport Plan 2015-25

Attachment 1

1 Background

1.1 Introduction

This draft Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP) for 2015-25 has been prepared by the Hawke’s Bay Regional Transport Committee (RTC) (on behalf of Hawke’s Bay Regional Council), for the purposes of seeking transport funding for the region from the National Land Transport Fund.

Under the Land Transport Management Act 2003 (as amended in 2013), each regional council must ensure that its RTC prepares a regional land transport plan every six financial years. This plan must set out the region’s land transport objectives, policies and measures for at least ten years in advance.

The plan must contain all activities for which the approved organisations in the region are seeking funding from the New Zealand Transport Agency and provides a mechanism for applying regional priorities to our proposed transport activities. The Agency can only allocate funds to activities listed in an RLTP.

The list of activities in this plan has been jointly developed by key regional transport stakeholders, including Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, Napier City Council, Hastings District Council, Wairoa District Council, Central Hawke’s Bay District Council, The Department of Conservation, The New Zealand Transport Agency and other entities with transport interests.

The RLTP consists of proposed transport activities to be undertaken during the 2015-2021 period and provides a 10 year forecast of anticipated expenditure for all transport activities.

The full legislative requirements for a regional land transport plan are set out in Appendix A.

1.2 The Regional Transport Committee

The Regional Transport Committee is responsible for the development of the Regional Land Transport Plan with advice and assistance from a group of technical officers from member organisations. The Regional Transport Committee has the following membership.

Name	Position	Organisation
Councillor Alan Dick	Member and Chairperson	Hawke’s Bay Regional Council
Councillor Rick Barker	Member and Deputy Chairperson	Hawke’s Bay Regional Council
Councillor Mark Herbert	Member	Napier City Council
Councillor Tania Kerr	Member	Hastings District Council
Mayor Craig Little	Member	Wairoa District Council
Councillor Terry Kingston	Member	Central Hawke’s Bay District Council
Ms Raewyn Bleakley	Member	New Zealand Transport Agency
Mr David Murray	Advisory Representative: Private MOtorists	Automobile Association
Mr Kim Santer	Advisory Representative: Rail	KiwiRail
Mr John Emmerson	Advisory Representative: Economic Development and Coastal Shipping	Port of Napier
Inspector Matt Broderick	Advisory Representative: Safety	New Zealand Police
Mr Brian Gregory	Advisory Representative: Cultural Interests	Maori Committee, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council

2 National Context for the RLTP

The Regional Land Transport Plan must be consistent with the Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, which is reviewed three yearly and sets the Government’s direction for land transport.

The Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (the GPS) is the Government’s main instrument for setting priorities and funding levels for land transport investment.

The draft GPS 2015-18 includes:

§ national objectives for land transport

§ the results the Crown wishes to achieve from the allocation of funding from the National Land Transport Fund

§ the Crown’s land transport investment strategy

§ the Crown’s policy on borrowing for the purpose of managing the National Land Transport Programme.

The GPS cannot determine which projects will be funded, or how much funding any particular project will receive. Rather, the GPS sets ranges of funding which government will make available for different types of activity. The New Zealand Transport Agency then determines which projects receive funding – and to what level – within those overall funding ranges.

GPS 2015-18 has three main priorities:

§ A strong and continuing focus on economic growth and productivity

§ Road safety

§ Value for money

The draft GPS proposes five land transport objectives. They are for a land transport system that:

§ addresses current and future demand

§ provides appropriate transport choices

§ is reliable and resilient

§ is a safe system, increasingly free of death and serious injury

§ appropriately mitigates the effects of land transport on the environment.

3 Regional Context for the RLTP

While the GPS sets national priorities for transport, the RLTP sets the strategic direction for transport in the region and brings together the transport programmes of all the councils into one document.

City and district councils have responsibility for the upkeep and improvement of local roads in their districts, while the Highway Network Operations arm of the New Zealand Transport Agency manages the state highways in the region. Hawke’s Bay Regional Council has a role in transport planning through the Regional Transport Committee, as well as contracting and managing the provision of public transport services.

Each of the region’s councils must prepare a Long Term Plan (LTP) at the same time as the RLTP is prepared. The LTP contains planning and financial information for the next ten years. The RLTP has an impact on the LTP because the level of government subsidy received will affect the size of each transport programme and the amount of income required from city, district or regional rates. The RLTP is consulted on during a similar period as each LTP and it is important that the final document reflects LTPs as much as possible. No activity can be funded by NZTA unless it is contained in the RLTP.

4 About Us

In order to understand the transport issues and priorities identified in this plan, we need a broad understanding of the physical, social and environmental factors which have influenced and shaped our transport needs.

4.1 Geography

§ The Hawke’s Bay region covers 1.42 million hectares, lies on the East Coast of the North island and includes Wairoa, Hastings and Central Hawke’s Bay District Councils, Napier City and Hawke’s Bay Regional Councils.

§ We adjoin the Bay of Plenty, Waikato and Manawatu-Wanganui regions and Gisborne District.

4.2 Landscape

§ In the north of the region much of our land is unstable, highly erodible and deeply incised by rivers and streams.

§ In the centre of the region and to the south more extensive plains have been formed.

§ To the west all these lands are bounded by high axial ranges and in the east south of Napier by lower limestone hills.

§ This landscape restricts movement north and south to one or two main corridors, while access to other regions is difficult.

4.3 Climate

§ Our weather is sunny and warmer overall than most regions with a cooler wetter winter and hot dry summer.

§ Storm systems from the north and east affect the area seasonally and can cause significant heavy rainfall events to occur.

§ The transport network can be affected by flooding, snow and sleet on high land areas.

4.4 Population

§ In 2013 our region had a population of 151,179.

§ 130,000 people live on or immediately adjacent to the Heretaunga Plains, beyond this area the population is dispersed and mostly situated in the small towns of Wairoa, Waipawa and Waipukurau.

§ The Napier / Hastings urban area is the fifth-largest population concentration in the country.

§ The region has had moderate population growth over the past three decades but our population is aging quite quickly, exacerbated by young people moving to larger urban centres for study or work .

§ Across the region, Maori form 23% of the population.

4.5 Production

§ Our rural land is used for pastoral farming and forestry, horticulture and viticulture.

§ We produce 61% of New Zealand's apple and pear crops (approx 10.4 million cartons), 70% of summerfruit, 25% of grapes for wine and 50% of the squash crop.

§ 128,100 ha are planted in forests and timber products are a major export.

§ There are around 3 million sheep, 520,000 cattle, 85,000 dairy and 63,000 deer stock units in the region.

§ The main processing centres for rural product are situated in and around Tomoana / Whakatu, Omahu Road and Irongate areas in Hastings and the Awatoto and Onekawa areas in Napier.

§ Tourism is a significant industry within our region, with many opportunities for tourists to, for instance:

− visit natural areas (e.g. Lake Waikaremoana, Cape Kidnappers)

− undertake recreational activities such a fishing and boating, sailing, hiking and cycling

− visit facilities such as the National Aquarium of NZ and Splash Planet

− undertake camping holidays and motel/hotel stays

− attend special events such as the Mission Concert and Art Deco Weekend

− visit wineries.

4.6 Employment

§ In our region there is a trend towards increasing employment in horticulture, agriculture, forestry and fishing. This was the largest occupational group recorded in the 2013 Census , with 14% of Hawke’s Bay workers occupied in this area.

4.7 Transport network

§ Our transport network has been shaped by the geography of the region.

§ State Highway No 2 runs the length of the region from north to south.

§ State Highway No 5 connects the region to the central North Island .

§ State Highway 38 connects Wairoa with Lake Waikaremoana and the Urewera National Park but remains unsealed.

§ A single track rail line runs from the south of the region north to Gisborne District (the Palmerston North to Gisborne line) but the section between Napier and Gisborne has been closed since 2012 due to major damage sustained during a weather event.

§ The Port of Napier provides shipping services for the region and North Island.

§ The Hawke’s Bay Airport, situated at Napier, provides national passenger services for the region.

§ Since 2002, Hawke’s Bay has created over 200 kilometres of off road cycle trails and 100 kilometres of on road cycle facilities.

4.8 Travel patterns / vehicle ownership

§ The number of households with access to a private motor vehicle increased by 12% between 2001 and 2013.

§ The number of kilometres travelled by vehicles on Hawke’s Bay roads has fluctuated between 812 and 829 million per year since 2009.

§ Generally the road network copes well with this private motor vehicle based demand, although some parts of the network experience peak hour level of service issues.

§ Cycle numbers are increasing where network improvements have been made, with over 400,000 users of the off road cycle paths annually and over 200 daily users of the cycle path between Hastings and Havelock North.

4.9 Safety

§ Our region has more crashes per vehicle km travelled on state highways and local roads than many other regions,. Crash rates vary across the region, and are lower in Central Hawke’s Bay and higher in Hastings District and Wairoa.

§ In 2013 there were 321 injury crashes in the region and 6 of these involved at least one fatality.

4.10 Public transport

§ Bus passenger services operate in and between Napier and Hastings.

§ Significant growth in passenger numbers has occurred over the past 3 years, with around 800,000 trips now made annually, covering approximately 8,470,000 kilometres.

§ A taxi based Total Mobility Scheme is provided for those people unable to drive or use public transport services and carries approximately 99,000 passengers a year.

4.11 Freight

§ The Port of Napier is the fifth largest port in New Zealand by overseas export volumes. It accounts for 8 percent of national export tonnages and 7 percent of export value. The port handles 50,000 containers outbound annually, with 10,000 inbound.

§ Our rural industries generate freight, shifting produce for processing and export.

§ Road transport carries 95% of the region’s freight while rail accounts for almost all the remaining 5%.

§ There have been significant increases in the freight flow in and out of the Port of Napier. In 2009, 2.893 million tonnes of freight flowed through the Port, but by 2013 this had increased to 3.986 million tonnes, an increase of 37.7% over five years.

§ The rail line south from Napier is commercially viable and handles the bulk of the region’s rail freight. Use of this line for freight grew over 40% between 2007 and 2012 but tonnages remain low as a percentage of all freight carried in the region.

§ There are no scheduled rail passenger services operated in the region.

§ The line from Napier to Gisborne experienced growth in tonnage carried over its last year of operation, but this trade was disrupted by storm damage and the line has been mothballed. KiwiRail is exploring options to lease the line to another operator.

4.12 Air

§ The Hawke’s Bay airport hosts regular scheduled domestic passenger flights, services run to Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

§ Secondary services also run to Hamilton, Gisborne, and Tauranga.

§ Passenger numbers currently exceed 450,000 annually.

§ Hawke’s Bay airport is jet capable.

5 Our Future

In order to evaluate our future transport needs we need to understand the physical, social and economic factors which are likely to influence and shape our transport network.

5.1 Geography

§ Our region could change through local government reorganisation both in terms of territory, the number of councils and the way transport services are delivered.

§ Those parts of our network close to our coastline will be affected by sea level rise through coastal erosion processes over time and sudden changes brought by more intense storms.

§ Other parts of our network will be affected by the impact of climate change through more intense rainfall events and consequent erosion and flood damage.

§ We need to reduce our emissions from transport to help meet the national target of 5% below 1990 emission levels by 2020.

5.2 Production

§ Forest harvests will expand significantly over the next 5 years as current plantations come to maturity.

§ Forecasts indicate that annual forest harvests will grow from the current 1.7million cubic metres of timber to around 3.0million cubic metres by 2021 and most of this product will originate from forests in the north of our region.

§ The Ruataniwha water storage project, if it proceeds, will enable up to 30,000 ha of land to be developed for more intensive agriculture such as cropping or dairy farming.

§ This development will influence transport demand depending on which land uses establish; dairying will generate freight movements to the south, cropping to the north.

§ Other new industries based around oil and gas could develop in the region and influence transport needs and the location of new processing industry.

§ Tourism is expected to develop significantly within our region based around improved access to outdoor recreational areas and the provision of new attractions.

5.3 Employment

§ The total number of jobs on the Heretaunga Plains is expected to grow from the current 40,000 to over 55,000 by 2045

§ The number of jobs within the rest of the region is likely to grow and be based around forestry, processing industries, farm services and tourism services.

§ Overall “white collar” or service sector job growth is expected to occur around the Heretaunga Plains.

5.4 Vehicle ownership / travel patterns

§ Energy cost and supply volatility will affect affordability of private motor vehicle transport for some people.

§ The mobility afforded by the private motor vehicle will continue to affect employment choices and access to education and recreational opportunities.

§ Level of service issues will arise at peak travel times and need to be managed.

§ Other than at peak times, “congestion” is minimal in terms of private motor vehicle use.

5.5 Safety

§ Risk factors such as speed, alcohol/drugs will continue to be an issue on our roads.

§ Intersections and rural roads are likely to continue to be sources of crashes on our network.

5.6 Public Transport

§ There will need to be further investment in public transport services to offset likely loss of access to private motor vehicles as costs rise for this mode and energy supplies become less reliable.

§ Our ageing population will create further demand for public transport and specialised services such as Total Mobility.

§ Integration of buses with other transport modes such as walking and cycling will become increasingly important.

5.7 Freight

§ There will be a significant growth in freight movements across our region’s transport network, with freight into and out of the region expected to increase from 20.21 million tonnes in 2012 to 30.72 million tonnes in 2045.

§ Increased freight movements on our network will increase maintenance costs.

§ Key freight routes to and from processing industry sites such as Whakatu / Tomoana / Onekawa and the Port at Napier will be required.

§ Freight routes from other regions will also need to function effectively to cater for expected freight increases. Of particular importance is the link between the freight distribution hub of Palmerston North and the Port of Napier.

§ High productivity motor vehicles (HPMV) will need to be more widely utilised to cope with the increased freight demand due to the economic, safety and environmental benefits it generates.

§ A focus will be required on the State Highway 2 corridor north of Napier in order to meet freight demand from forestry.

5.8 Port of Napier

§ Napier, as the largest international seaport in central New Zealand, will continue to be the biggest generator of freight movements throughout the wider region.The Port of Napier predicts 50% cumulative growth in combined imports and exports over the next ten years. Shipments of product in bulk or by container will increase significantly, based around the growing rural sector production and added- value processing , particularly forestry & food. Another large swing towards containers from conventional bulk shipping is anticipated in the next few years.

§ Napier Port will continue to handle international container services, providing direct links to overseas markets (vessels up to 6000-7000 TEU capacity). In the event that one or two international services possibly hub on several NZ ports, Napier can expect to remain a key feeder port, coastally transhipping from Napier on mainline international container services (as is current practice) or possibly on dedicated feeder vessels. Whatever future shipping scenarios eventually emerge, it is highly likely that all existing cargo – on a higher base - will be retained and shipped from Napier Port. No other mode (road or rail) is deemed to have sufficient capacity to cope with current, let alone future, volumes or annual seasonal requirements, especially temperature-sensitive refrigerated cargo.

5.9 Rail

§ The Palmerston North-Gisborne rail line south of Napier is expected to carry increased volumes of freight, with tonnages already up by 40% between 2008 and 2012.

§ The Palmerston-Gisborne rail line north of Napier is currently mothballed, but options to re-open the line are being investigated.

5.10 Air

§ The airport at Napier has the capability to provide for internal jet based passenger services and international flights, but this is dependent on attracting a suitable airline.

§ Expansion of air services is seen as being essential for the development of tourism.

6 Issues and Challenges

Analysing the above trends, it is clear that the region’s transport system faces some challenges over the next ten years. The Regional Transport Committee has evaluated these issues using a strategic business case approach and condensed them into three key problem statements. These are outlined below.

6.1 Parts of the transport system lack capability affecting economic productivity, safety and social development ( 60% weighting )

Freight in and out of the Hawke’s Bay region is projected to grow by 50% by 2042 (National Freight Demand Study, Ministry of Transport, 2014) and the Port of Napier is predicting 50% cumulative growth in both imports and exports over the next ten years, with 37% growth already having occurred over the last five years.

There are a number of pinch points on the Heretaunga Plains which have been previously identified as constraints on network efficiency, particularly for the movement of freight to and from the Port of Napier. Some of these have already been programmed in the 2012-15 Regional Land Transport Programme and are either underway or awaiting further investigation. A Government announcement in July 2014 has provided funding to bring forward an investigation into access to the Port of Napier.

However, the catchment area for the Port of Napier extends well beyond the boundaries of the Hawke’s Bay region and it is vitally important that the region works with its neighbouring regions to ensure that freight routes are operating as efficiently as possible. While some of the State Highway links in and out of the region are HPMV and/or 50MAX capable, others have constraints which prevent this capability. There are also a large number of local road connections which need to be upgraded to this standard to ensure that full use can be made of HPMV. In order to function effectively for freight, routes must be efficient from start to end.

There are also concerns about future safety, level of service and resilience issues on State Highway 2 between Napier and Gisborne, as heavy traffic on the route is predicted to increase due to forest harvests. This corridor is serviced only by road, as the rail line was mothballed eighteen months ago. We need to ensure we have accurate information on the scale of this increase in order to plan for it so that resilience and travel time issues do not adversely affect the Wairoa District, and constrain social and economic development. Opportunities for growth in tourism in the Urewera National Park may be limited by these issues and by the fact that State Highway 38 to Lake Waikaremoana remains unsealed.

Six of the 100 most dangerous intersections in New Zealand are located in Hawke’s Bay. While planning for improvements is underway for most of these, only two have works already programmed. We need to ensure that planning proceeds to implementation as soon as possible.

We also need to monitor and plan for demographic change in the region to ensure that transport access and services are appropriate to changing needs and that our transport system facilitates social wellbeing. Our population is aging and already has a higher median age and a higher proportion of people over 65 than for New Zealand as a whole. Declining populations in rural towns such as Wairoa will result in withdrawal of further services from these areas and can reduce the viability of such transport services as do exist, as well as reducing the ratepayer base able to pay for road maintenance, improvements and services.

The coverage and frequency of public transport in the main cities has significantly increased over the last five years, resulting in good patronage growth, and there is no identified unmet demand at present. However, this level of service should be monitored to ensure that it continues to meet needs effectively and efficiently. Continued provision of efficient commuter services between the region’s two cities will promote transport mode change, contribute to reducing congestion on key strategic routes at peak times and improve energy efficiency.

Tourism is increasingly important to the Hawke’s Bay regional economy and we need to manage freight traffic to minimise conflicts with the region’s tourism industry. Linked to this is Hawke’s Bay’s new-found status as a centre for safe recreational cycling. The extensive network of safe cycling routes is changing the commuting habits of local residents and drawing large numbers of tourists to Hawke’s Bay. To maximise this contribution to the local economy and the health and wellbeing of its residents, the region is preparing a regional cycle plan and intends to further develop the cycle network, promote Hawke’s Bay as the best region for cycling in New Zealand and encourage more residents to cycle for transport.

6.2 A limited shared view of cross-boundary transport issues increases the risk of sub-optimal investment in and management of the network (20% weighting)

This issue is closely linked with the one above. The Hawke’s Bay transport system is part of a much wider social and economic catchment area, much of which connects to the Port or other key transport or land use hubs. The region needs to work closely with neighbouring regions to ensure that issues are jointly managed. As an example, large forests soon to be harvested in the Tararua district will traverse Central Hawke’s Bay roads to access the Port. The two regions need to jointly plan for this so that funding can be allocated where needed and freight efficiency is maximised.

6.3 How people use the transport network is leading to an unacceptable level of deaths and serious injuries (20% weighting).

The region’s rate per kilometre travelled of deaths and serious injuries from road crashes remains unacceptably high. While there are a number of blackspot crash locations in the region, planning is underway to address many of these. Crashes are in many cases caused by driver behaviour. Principal causes are speed, loss of control in rural areas, alcohol and young drivers. Using the Safe System approach, the region must collectively decide how best to address these issues.

6.4 Summary

These issues are largely consistent with the principal strategic direction set in the Regional Land Transport Strategy in 2012, which was to “improve the economic efficiency, effectiveness and safety of the routes servicing the region’s economic production centres and in particular, transport routes to and from the Port of Napier”. As the highest priority improvements identified at that time on the Heretaunga Plains are already largely underway, the region now needs to focus on ensuring maximum efficiency and safety throughout the catchment area of the Port. Close cooperation with neighbouring regions is therefore vital.

7 Statement of transport priorities for the region for 2015 to 2025

The RTC has identified its transport priorities over the next ten years . These reflect the transport issues which have been outlined in Section 6 and are in turn reflected in the objectives and policies set out in Section 8 and in the proposed activities for which the region seeks funding over the next six years. The RTC has not assigned a particular order to these priorities.

Our priorities are :

1. To complete capacity, efficiency and safety improvements on the Hawke’s Bay Expressway leading to the Port of Napier

2. To improve connections from the Whakatu Industrial Area to the Port of Napier by providing an efficient safe link to the HB Expressway

3. To ensure High Productivity Motor Vehicle capability on the region’s strategic routes and major local road connections.

4. To work with neighbouring regions to maximise the efficiency of transport routes throughout the Port of Napier’s catchment area.

4. To rectify safety issues at intersections in the region which are listed amongst the top 100 most dangerous intersections in New Zealand

5. To reduce the number and severity of crashes caused by network user behaviour on Hawke’s Bay roads

6. To ensure Hawke’s Bay becomes a major centre for cycling, for local residents and tourists

7. To provide public transport services which encourage transport mode change and provide access to the region’s economic, social and educational opportunities.

8 Regional transport objectives and policies

The Land Transport Management Act requires that the Plan set out the region’s land transport objectives, policies and measures for at least ten years. Activities which are put forward for funding must be assessed against the policy or objective to which they contribute.

Proposed objectives and policies to address our issues and reflect our priorities are set out below.

These have been kept as simple and concise as possible to reflect the key strategic direction described above. While there are other transport issues in the region which our business as usual activities will address, these reflect our proposed major focus for the next ten years.

8.1 A safe, resilient and efficient transport system that supports the development of our economy and contributes to social wellbeing in our community

We aim to achieve this by

i. planning effectively for growth and economic productivity on the strategic network.

ii. cooperating closely with neighbouring regions to ensure that the transport network serving the Port of Napier’s catchment area is as safe, efficient and resilient as possible.

iii. maintaining the capability of the local road network to ensure effective end to end journeys, with a particular focus on High Productivity Motor Vehicle capability

iv. continuing to invest in cycling in Hawke’s Bay for tourism, health and liveability

v. monitoring and responding to the changing demographics of the region to ensure access to the region’s social , economic and cultural opportunities.

vi. Ensuring that transport solutions provide the best possible outcome relative to the investment and contribute to an environmentally sustainable transport system

8.2 A reduction in the risk of death or serious injuries on Hawke’s Bay roads

We aim to achieve this by

i. targeting programmes aimed at changing network user behaviour in regard to speed, rural loss of control, young drivers , alcohol and other major crash causes

ii. prioritising and remedying network deficiencies according to risk

iii. avoiding conflict between transport modes wherever possible.

iv. ensuring that road safety solutions provide the best possible outcome relative to the investment

9 Proposed Regional Land Transport Activities

Each council in Hawke’s Bay and NZTA’s Highway Network Operations Group has developed a programme of activities which will contribute to achieving the above objectives and, through this Plan, seeks implementation funding from NZTA for the next six years.

The RTC has developed a policy that determines which activities it considers to be significant and should therefore be assigned an order of priority. This significance policy is contained in Appendix B.

Business as usual activities such as maintenance, operations and renewals of roads, public transport programmes and minor improvements are included in the RLTP but not prioritised by the RTC.

Section 9.2 sets out the region’s prioritised list of activities. These are improvement projects, usually of significant cost, which the RTC considers make a strong contribution to regional strategic objectives and priorities.

Section 9.3 sets out all land transport activities for which our region seeks funding from the New Zealand Transport Agency between 2015 and 2021. As is required by the LTMA, the objective or policy to which the activity contributes has been identified and is shown in the column headed Main Objective or Policy Contribution. Only those activities which need to be prioritised have also been assigned a Contribution Rating to Regional Objectives and an RTC Priority. These activities are highlighted in yellow in Section 9.3.

Section 9.4 sets out a ten year forecast of expenditure by activity class between 2015 and 2025

9.1 Prioritisation Process

In order to determine which of the proposed projects are most important to the region, the RTC has used a prioritisation process which has considered:

§ how each activity aligns with the Government’s strategic investment direction (as contained in the Government Policy Statement and NZTA’s Investment Assessment Framework)

§ the effectiveness of the proposed activity in addressing the issue or problem and delivering regional and national strategic objectives.

§ the economic efficiency of the proposed activity, indicating a measure of value for money based on a benefit and cost appraisal.

§ how the project will benefit the regional objectives and priorities set out in Sections 7 and 8

The first three criteria form the Assessment Profile ( refer lists of activities) and the fourth determines the Contribution Rating to Regional Objectives.

Draft Regional Land Transport Plan 2015-25

Attachment 1

9.5 Regionally Significant Expenditure on Land Transport Activities to be funded from sources other than the National Land Transport Fund

The LTMA requires regions to identify any sources of funds for regionally significant expenditure other than the National Land Transport Fund.

Such sources of funds include:

§ Ratepayer contributions over and above the usual contribution required when an activity is subsidised under the NLTF

§ Developer contributions

§ Private contributions or supplementary funds

§ Funds from other government sources such as Crown funding

Activity	Funding Source	Value of funds other than NLTF
Napier City Council - Four–laning of Prebensen Drive	100% ratepayer funded	$6.4 million
Investigation of Port Access Improvements.	Accelerated Regional Roading Package – Crown funds	$1million investigation funding

The RTC has identified the following sources of regionally significant expenditure:

10 Activities of inter-regional significance

The LTMA requires the Regional Transport Committee to identify activities of inter-regional significance in the RLTP.

The Committee considers the following activities to be of inter-regional significance, according to its Significance Policy. The Committee has also highlighted an activity in the Manawatu Wanganui region which it considers significant for Hawke’s Bay.

Region	Activity	Reason for Inter-Regional Significance
Hawke’s Bay	HB Expressway Pakowhai and Links Road Intersection Improvement	This intersection is a safety and efficiency pinchpoint on the key strategic link between the Port of Napier and the Horizons ( Manawatu-Wanganui) region. The Palmerston North Manawatu area is increasingly functioning as a freight hub, and tonnages of freight between the Manawatu and the Port of Napier are increasing.
Hawke’s Bay	High Productivity Motor Vehicle Improvements Tranche 2 ( SH2 between the Port of Napier and the boundary with the Horizons region)	These improvements will remove impediments to the use of High Productivity Motor Vehicles (HPMV) between the Port of Napier and the Horizons region, in particular the freight hubs of the Palmerston North – Manawatu area. The Saddle Road ( an alternative to the Manawatu Gorge) is suitable for HPMV use, while 50MAX vehicles can use the Manawatu Gorge. Once bridge structures in the Hawke’s Bay region are strengthened, HPMV use will be possible on this strategic link.
Hawke’s Bay	High Productivity Motor Vehicle Improvements Tranche 2 ( SH2 between the Port of Napier and the boundary with Gisborne District	These improvements will remove impediments to the use of High Productivity Motor Vehicles between the Port of Napier and Gisborne, which is important for the efficient transport of the increased forest harvests predicted in the Wairoa area from 2015 onwards and for other freight transport between Gisborne and the Port of Napier.
Hawke’s Bay	HB Expressway Kennedy Road to Meannee Road. Indicative Business Case	This section of State Highway 50A has reached its capacity and safety is of concern. This section forms part of the key strategic link between the Port of Napier and the Horizons region. The Palmerston North Manawatu area is increasingly functioning as a freight hub, and tonnages of freight between the Manawatu and the Port of Napier are increasing.
Horizons (Manawatu –Wanganui)	Upgraded Strategic Routes for HPMV capability	This activity refers to the upgrade of links into the North Eastern Industrial area of Palmerston North for HPMV purposes. This area acts as a freight hub and logistics centre for the lower North Island, and HPMV entrance capability will ensure that the benefits of HPMV routes to and from the Port of Napier can be maximised. The Hawke’s Bay RTC is therefore in support of this project.

11 Requested addition of activities to the Regional Land Transport Plan

The Regional Transport Committee has considered other activities which would contribute significantly to the achievement of regional objectives and has identified the following State Highway improvement activities which it would like to see included in the RLTP.

These are:

§ Further passing opportunities on State Highway 2 between Napier and Gisborne. While some improvements have been made in recent years, more passing opportunities/slow vehicle bays would improve travel times and safety on this route. As forest harvests are predicted to soon increase significantly in the catchment area of this highway, the Committee is concerned that existing problems will be exacerbated without further improvements.

§ The College Road to Silverstream Realignment and Passing Lane. This project was given some priority in the 2012-15 RLTP and the Committee considers that collective and personal risk on this out of context section of the road warrants its inclusion in the draft plan. This project formed part of the strategy to improve journey time reliability on this National Strategic Route. This project forms one of the last two passing lanes to be implemented, thus concluding the strategy.

§ The Tarawera Hill on State Highway 5 is in an inefficient and out-of-context section of this highway, and the Committee asks that funding for a business case to realign this section be added to the draft plan, so that future plans to remove this pinch point on the critical journey between Taupo and Napier can be agreed.

12 Assessment of the relationship of Police activities to the Regional Land Transport Plan

There are a number of programmes that fall outside of the scope of the RLTP yet play a key role in the regional road safety effort; the most significant of which is the road policing programme. Police enforcement is central to the delivery of a regional safe system response to road safety. Police collaborate with stakeholders across the region in accordance with the road safety policy directives of Safer Journeys, the National Road Policing Plan and District Road Safety Action Plans. Whilst the funding for road policing comes directly from national sources, regional policing activity is planned and implemented alongside the road safety programmes contained within the RLTP. Police use an evidence-based approach to influence road user behaviour through risk-targeted, general and specific deterrence enforcement strategies.

Police are involved in regional road safety strategy and planning; road safety promotion and the delivery of roadside education and work collaboratively with RoadSafe Hawke’s Bay to address the top priority road safety issues in Hawke’s Bay – these have been identified as young drivers, drink drivers, speed , loss of control on rural roads and motorcycle crashes. These issues have been identified in the NZTA data reports and NZ Police statistic reports.

Enforcement operations are coordinated with other regional road safety initiatives such as education to ensure that all activities are appropriately timed and achieve maximum impact.

RoadSafe Hawke’s Bay is run under the umbrella of HBRC and reports to the Regional Transport Committee.

13 Activities approved under Section 20 of the LTMA but not yet completed

14 Activities to be varied, suspended or abandoned

There are no known activities to be varied, suspended or abandoned.

15 Monitoring of the plan

Monitoring of the plan will be undertaken annually. A report will be prepared for the first Regional Transport Committee meeting after the close of each financial year. This report will monitor the progress of programmed activities during the year – expenditure, timing, scope changes, inclusion of any new activities, deletion or cessation of existing activities and will include a description of the performance of completed activities against certain key criteria where possible.

16 Summary of consultation carried out in the preparation of this plan

The draft plan has been prepared by the Regional Transport Committee in consultation with key advisory members representing a number of transport stakeholder organisations. The draft plan will undergo a full public consultation process during December 2014 to February 2015, followed by hearing of and deliberation on submissions. The final Plan will be adopted by the Regional Council by 30 April 2015.

17 Summary of the significance policy

The Significance Policy adopted by the Regional Transport Committee for this Plan is attached at Appendix B

DRAFT Draft Regional Land Transport Plan 2015-25

Attachment 1

Appendix A Assessment of RLTP compliance with Sections 14 and 16 of the LTMA.

LTMA Section	Description	Assessment of Compliance
14 (a)(i)-(ii)	The RTC must be satisfied that the regional land transport plan (i) contributes to the purpose of the Act ; and (ii)is consistent with the GPS on land transport	The purpose of the Act is to contribute to an effective, efficient and safe land transport system in the public interest. Sections 7 and 8 set out the region’s transport priorities, objectives and measures which are aimed principally at improving freight efficiency, safety and the social wellbeing of our community. The draft GPS 2015-18 has three key priorities - a strong and continuing focus on economic productivity, road safety and value for money. The region’s strategic focus on economic productivity, safety and social development is consistent with this.
14 (b)(i) – (ii)	The RTC must have considered (i) alternative regional land transport objectives that would contribute to the purpose of this Act; (ii) the feasibility and affordability of those alternative objectives; and	This RLTP follows closely the strategic direction set in the Regional Land Transport Strategy 2012-42, in which a number of strategic options for achieving the region’s goals were considered.
14(c)(i)-(iii)	The RTC must have taken into account any (i) national energy efficiency and conservation strategy; and (ii) relevant national policy statements and any relevant regional policy statements or plans that are for the time being in force under the Resource Management Act 1991; and (iii) likely funding from any source.	The region supports and promotes the adoption of High Productivity Motor Vehicles and has focussed resources in this RLTP on achieving greater HPMV capability in the region. The RLTP also supports the provision of an efficient public transport to facilitate social development and stimulate transport mode change, particularly for commuting between the region’s two cities. This is consistent with the NZEECS transport objective of “a more energy efficient transport system”. The RLTP is consistent with the Regional Policy Statement objective to “ achieve the integrated sustainable management of the natural and physical resources of the Hawke's Bay region, while recognising the importance of resource use activity in Hawke's Bay, and its contribution to the development and prosperity of the region” as efficient transport links support resource use activity. Section 9 sets out anticipated funding sources.
16(1)	The Regional Land Transport Plan sets out the region’s land transport objectives, policies and measures for the 10 financial years from the start of the Plan.	Sections 7 and 8 set out transport priorities, objectives and policies for the ten financial years from the start of the Plan. Section 9 sets out the measures which will be used to achieve the objectives
16(2)(a)	The Regional Land Transport Plan includes a statement of transport priorities for the 10 financial years from the start of the Plan.	Section 7 sets out the region’s transport priorities.
16(2)(b)	The Regional Land Transport Plan includes a financial forecast of anticipated revenue and expenditure for the 10 financial years from the start of the Plan.	Section 9 sets out the financial forecast.
16(2)(c) and (d)	The Regional Land Transport Plan includes all regionally significant expenditure to be funded from sources other than the NLTF and an identification of those activities that have inter-regional significance	Section 9.5 identifies all regionally significant expenditure to be funded from sources other than the NLTF Section 10 identifies activities that have inter-regional significance
16(3)(a), 16(c)(i)-(ii)	A regional land transport plan must contain, for the first 6 financial years to which the plan relates, activities proposed by approved organisations in the region relating to local road maintenance, local road renewals, local road minor capital works, and existing public transport services; A regional land transport plan must contain activities proposed by approved organisations in the region other than those activities specified in paragraphs (a) ; and • (ii) activities relating to State highways in the region that are proposed by the Agency; and • (iii) activities, other than those relating to State highways, that the Agency may propose for the region and that the Agency wishes to see included in the regional land transport plan; and	Section 9.3 sets out all activities proposed to be included in the plan.
16(3)(d)	d) the order of priority of the significant activities that a regional transport committee includes in the regional land transport plan	Section 9.2 sets out the priority order of significant projects that the RTC has included in the RLTP
16(3)(e)(i)-(v) and 3(f)	an assessment of each activity prepared by the organisation that proposes the activity that includes— (i) the objective or policy to which the activity will contribute; and (ii) an estimate of the total cost and the cost for each year; and (iii) the expected duration of the activity; and (iv) any proposed sources of funding other than the national land transport fund (including, but not limited to, tolls, funding from approved organisations, and contributions from other parties); and (v) any other relevant information; and (f) the measures that will be used to monitor the performance of the activities.	The activities table in Section 9.3 contains this information Section 15 sets out how the plan will be monitored.
16(6)(b)	The Regional Land Transport Plan must contain an assessment of the relationship of Police activities to the RLTP	Section 13 contains this assessment.
16(6)(c)	The Regional Land Transport Plan must contain a list of activities that have been approved under s20 but not yet completed.	Section 14 contains this information.
16(6)(f)	The Regional Land Transport Plan must contain a description of how monitoring will be undertaken to assess implementation of the Plan	Section 15 contains this.
16(6)(g)	The Regional Land Transport Plan must contain a summary of the significance policy adopted by the RTC	This is contained in Appendix B
16(6)(h)	The Regional Land Transport Plan may include any other relevant matters	The plan addresses all matters specified by the LTMA and any additional matters are considered to be “other relevant matters”

Appendix B Significance Policy

The Land Transport Management Act requires the region to develop a significance policy which sets out

i. which activities must be prioritised in the RLTP

ii. which activities have inter-regional significance

iii. what constitutes significant expenditure on transport activities from sources other than the National Land Transport Fund

iv. what constitutes a significant variation to the Plan, thereby triggering the need for further consultation.

The Significance Policy for the RLTP is set out below.

1 Purpose of the Policy

Section 106(2) of the Land Transport Management Act 2003 (the Act) requires the Regional Transport Committee (RTC) to adopt a policy that determines significance in respect of

1. the activities that are included in the regional land transport plan under section 16 of the Act; and

2. variations made to regional land transport plans under section 18D of the Act.

2 Application of the Policy

The policy will be used in the following ways

1. To determine which activities are significant for the purposes of prioritisation in the plan.

(Section 16(3)(d) requires the RTC to determine the order of priority of significant activities that it includes in the plan.)

2. To determine inter-regional significance.

(Section 16(2)(d) requires the RTC to identify any activities that have inter-regional significance)

3. To identify regionally significant expenditure from other sources

(Section 16(2)(c) requires the plan to include all regionally significant expenditure on land transport activities to be funded from other sources.)

4. To determine whether a variation to the plan is significant and therefore must be consulted on.

(Section 18D requires that significant variations to the plan undergo a public consultation process)

3 Determination of a significant activity for prioritisation

For the purpose of section 16(3)(d) of the Act, a significant activity is any activity put forward by an approved organisation (including the NZ Transport Agency) that:

§ is a large new improvement project that is greater than or equal to $5 million in total value ( including property purchase) or

§ is an improvement activity greater than or equal to $5 million in total value that has a high level of risk; or

§ any activity that is not consistent with NZTA’s Planning and Investment Principles; or

§ any other activity that the RTC considers to be regionally significant

For clarity, a large new improvement project excludes:

§ committed activities (existing commitments arising from approved activities)

§ business as usual activities - local road and state highway maintenance and renewals, local road and state highway minor capital works (<$5 million) and existing public transport services

§ other activities costing less than $5 million

4 Determination of inter-regional significance

For an activity to have inter-regional significance under section 16(2)(d) it must:

§ meet the criteria for a significant activity outlined in this policy; and

§ impact on inter-regional connections; and/or

§ require cooperation with other regions

5 Determination of regionally significant expenditure from other sources

For the purposes of Section 16(2)(c), regionally significant expenditure from sources other than the national land transport fund is any expenditure greater than $5 million on individual transport activities, (whether the activities are included in the Plan or not) including

§ financial expenditure by Approved Organisations

§ in-kind donations of goods and/or services

§ third party contributions.

6 Determination of significance of a variation

The Regional Land Transport Plan can be varied at any time once operative. In accordance with section 18D of the Act, consultation will be required on a variation if the variation is significant.

Certain activities do not require a variation to the Regional Land Transport Plan (Section 18D of the Act:

Activities proposed by an approved organisation relating to:

§ local road maintenance

§ local road renewals

§ local road minor capital works; and

§ existing public transport services

The RTC has adopted the following definition to determine when a variation to the Regional Land Transport Plan is significant and must therefore undergo consultation.

All variations to the Regional Land Transport Plan other than the following are considered to be significant for the purposes of consultation:

§ Activities that are in the urgent interest of public safety; or

§ New preventative maintenance and emergency reinstatement activities; or

§ The new activity has been previously consulted on and meets funding approval provisions in accordance with sections 18 and 20 of the Act; or

§ A scope change that does not significantly alter the original objectives of the project – to be determined by the RTC; or

§ Variations to timing, cash flow or total cost for improvement projects

§ Replacement of activities within an approved programme (eg maintenance programme) or group with activities of the same type and general priority; or

§ A change to the duration and/or order of priority of the activity that does not substantially change the balance of the programme.

Activity Class	A grouping of similar transport activities into 10 categories for which funding ranges are established as set out in the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport
Approved Organisations	Organisations eligible to receive funding from the NZ Transport Agency for land transport activities. Approved organisations are defined in the Land Transport Management Act 2003 as including regional councils, territorial authorities or a public organisation approved by the Governor General (by Order in Council).
FAR	Funding assistance rate
GPS	Government Policy Statement on Land Transport Funding 2015 A government policy statement issued under section 66 of the Land Transport Management Act 2003 which sets out the Government's direction and funding priorities for 6 financial years
HPMV	High Productivity Motor Vehicle A longer or heavier (greater than 44 tonnes) truck that must travel on a specified route permitted by all relevant road controlling authorities.
Local Roads	Any road, other than a state highway. Local roads are under the control of a territorial authority
Long Term Plan	The 10 year community plan (formerly known as the Long Term Council Community Plan) produced by regional and territorial authorities under the Local Government Act 2002.
LTMA	Land Transport Management Act 2003 The main statutory framework for land transport planning and funding in New Zealand.
NLTF	National Land Transport Fund A dedicated fund established under the Land Transport Management Act 2003 to pay for land transport activities.
NLTP	National Land Transport Programme The programme established for the prioritisation and distribution of the National Land Transport Fund.
RLTS	Regional Land Transport Strategy
RTC	Regional Transport Committee A Regional Transport Committee is established under section 13 of the LTMA to prepare, on the regional council's behalf, the regional land transport plan. The Committee has representation from Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, territorial authorities within the region, and the NZ Transport Agency.
SH	State highway A road managed by the NZ Transport Agency.