Minutes of Regional Transport Committee

1. Welcome/Apologies/Notices

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and Api Robin opened with a karakia.

The Chair noted that the meeting was intended for a workshop followed by the formal meeting, but due to Covid-19 the workshop will be postponed to a suitable date.

Resolution

RTC1/20 That the apologies for absence from Josh Lloyd and Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst for lateness for be accepted.

Williams/Walker

CARRIED

2. Conflict of Interest Declarations

There were no Conflict of Interest Declarations.

3. Confirmation of Minutes of The Regional Transport Committee held on 13 December 2019

RTC2/20

Resolution

Minutes of the Regional Transport Committee held on Friday, 13 December 2019, a copy having been circulated prior to the meeting, were taken as read and confirmed as a true and correct record.

Walker/Price

CARRIED

Follow-ups from previous Regional Transport Committee meetings

· The workshop on transport solutions for the region, with emphasis on innovation, climate change, more diverse and demand led options for public transport has been postponed until further notice.

· Richard Cross and Darren Davis, from the Ministry of Transport and Stantec respectively, have looked into innovative solutions into the future of transport, efficiency of the network and transport demand needs

· Looking into options for presenting the workshop by either having the presenters recording their presentation and circulate to the RTC members and or by joining a live Zoom meeting

· Workshop will be important to get feedback to feed into the transport study and Regional Land Transport Plan.

RTC3/20

Resolution

That the Regional Transport Committee receives and notes the “Follow-ups from Previous Regional Transport Committee Meetings”.

Walker/Price

CARRIED

Regional Land Transport Plan 2021 Review

Anne Redgrave gave an overview on the HB Transport Study and “Setting the Scene”, highlighting:

· Seeking the Committee’s confirmation on the programme and structure for the RLTP review

· RLTP must be adopted by the Regional Council by April 2021, after which NZTA releases the National Land Transport Programme by end June 2021 setting out funded and proposed transport activities for the following 3 years

· RLTP structure has varied considerably between regions – aim to use template provided to bring greater consistency of RLTPs across regions and to ensure all legislative requirements are met

· Intent is to have strategic sections of the RLTP drafted for discussion and approved over the next 3 months

· A number of workshops will be held through the Transport Study process to define issues and opportunities and set strategic direction of the next RLTP

· Next step to prepare a network operating framework which will identify strategic objectives for how the network is managed

· Third stage is to develop a programme business case for future improvements and management techniques for the transport network and services

Challenges include:

· Maintaining efficient road and rail access to and from the Port with rapid growth of Napier Port

· Current population growth will test the region’s transport network

· Addressing climate change

· Increasing commuter traffic demands on network capacity

· Increased number of elderly, including demand for Total Mobility

· Effective links to neighbouring regions are vital for Hawke’s Bay economy

· Comments and feedback on the “Setting the Scene” for the RLTP 2021 will be incorporated into the document including further feedback received within the next 14 days

· Spatial plan for the region has been discussed at the Leaders Forum and the concept is currently under development. Not yet resourced.

Key milestone dates include:

· RLTP strategic (front end) sections developed through the transport study by the end of August 2020

· Feedback and moderation received from NZTA through to December 2020

· Draft RLTP completed by December 2020

· Consultation between December 2020 and February 2021

· Consideration of submissions in Feb/March 2021

· Formal RLTP to be submitted by 30 April 2020, however timeframes could shift due to the pandemic.

RTC4/20

Resolutions

That the Regional Transport Committee:

1. Receives and notes the Regional Land Transport Plan 2021 Review staff report.

2. Agrees that the decisions to be made are not significant under the criteria contained in Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s adopted Significance and Engagement Policy, and that the Committee can exercise its discretion and make decisions on this issue without conferring directly with the community or persons likely to have an interest in the decision.

3. Approves the summary work programme for the development of the Regional Land Transport Plan 2021 as proposed.

Walker/Williams

CARRIED

4. Refers the ‘Setting the Scene for RLTP 2021’ document, including agreed amendments, for adoption to the next Regional Transport Committee meeting.

Walker/Speight

CARRIED

Transport Manager's Report

The item was taken as read. Anne Redgrave gave an update, highlighting:

· Further funding from NZTA approved to contribute towards reducing the number of unlicensed drivers on Hawke’s Bay roads

· Seeking re-establishment of a driver licensing governance group as in the previous council term

· Other Matariki group partners, including councils and Taiwhenua o Heretaunga have all contributed to this funding which enabled HBRC to obtain additional funding from NZTA

· HBRC working with Matariki group to ensure coordinated funding allocations.

RTC5/20

Resolutions

That the Regional Transport Committee:

1. Receives and notes the “Transport Manager’s Report”

3. Agrees to the continuation of the funding governance group to provide oversight of the NZTA driver licensing funding allocation, comprising:

3.1. Chair of the Regional Transport Committee, Cr Martin Williams

3.2. One other Regional Transport Committee territorial authority member, being Cr Kate Taylor from Central Hawke’s Bay District Council

3.3. NZ Police representative to be confirmed

3.4. Ministry of Social Development representative to be confirmed.

Williams/Price

CARRIED

Roadsafe Hawke's Bay March 2020 update

Anne Redgrave gave Linda Anderson’s apology and gave an update on activities and statistics through the Hawke’s Bay networks. Discussions traversed:

· Hawke’s Bay has had 2 fatalities during the calendar year to date

· Crash factor diagrams have been updated as data is released

· Speed is a key focus of NZ Police this year

· Number of cyclist and motorcyclist accidents has increased

· Hawke’s Bay Road Safety Expo has had to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic and instead, staff are working on a social media campaign with NZ Police.

RTC6/20

Resolution

That the Regional Transport Committee receives and notes the “RoadSafe Hawke's Bay December 2019 Update” staff report.

Hazlehurst/Williams

CARRIED

Ministry of Transport Presentation - Government Policy Statement on Land Transport 2021

Anne Redgrave noted that the Ministry of Transport Committee will present to the Committee at a future meeting.

· A further overview, summary, analysis and key points relating to the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport 2021 for a submission was discussed

· The Government Policy Statement on Land Transport 2021/22-2030/31 helps to guide investment in land transport by providing a long term strategic view of the Government’s priorities for investment in the land transport network

· The GPS can be found here: https://www.transport.govt.nz/multi-modal/keystrategiesandplans/gpsonlandtransportfunding/gps-2021/

· Consultation feedback deadline is 26 April 2020, which will most probably be extended

· Critical to have a submission drafted on the allocation of funding to various activities

· Anne Redgrave will set up a presentation from the Ministry and draft a summary of the document and possible questions, to stimulate discussion

· TAG group will draft a submission and incorporate feedback from members of the Committee

NZTA Central Region - Regional Relationships Director's Verbal update

Emma Speight gave an overview on projects within NZTA. Discussions traversed:

· Strategic documents feed into the RLTP process, and National LTP information sessions with local government will cover proposed changes to the investment decision-making framework

· Arataki is 10-year plan of what is required to deliver the government’s objectives for the land transport system. Version 1 was released in Dec 2019 for feedback by end March to enable version 2 release in August 2020

· Investment decision-making framework consultation closed on 21 Feb 2020 and expect a summary of feedback by end April 2020. Will consult separately on prioritisation once the draft GPS is released.

· Working with Transport special interest group to develop RLTP guidance

· Urban mobility – working together to make the best use of existing infrastructure

· Road to Zero action plan 2020-2030 focusses on reducing deaths and serious injuries by 40%

· Tackling unsafe speed package – safer speeds around schools, changes to how speed limits are set; speed limits will no longer be set by a bylaw process and rule changes are expected to be finalised by end of 2020

· National speed limit register is being developed by Waka Kotahi so all speed limit data is held in one place

· Safe vehicles programme launched, to raise awareness of vehicle star safety ratings https://rightcar.govt.nz

· Network must provide a clear cycle network – concerns raised for cyclists on expressways between Hastings and Napier

· RLTP development critical for aspirations and opportunities of the region

· James Palmer thanked Anne Redgrave, Megan Welsby, bus drivers for their ongoing work and coordinating of the public transport network scheduling

· Proposed to release a public statement from the Committee to thank those providing services in Public Transport, especially bus drivers

· Truck drivers face challenges with closure of public toilets – this is being addressed through Civil Defence.

Cr Martin Williams closed the meeting with a karakia.

Closure:

There being no further business the Chairman declared the meeting closed at 12.07pm on Friday, 27 March 2020.

Signed as a true and correct record.

DATE: ................................................ CHAIRMAN: ...............................................