MINUTES OF A meeting of the Regional Transport Committee

Date:                          Friday 6 November 2015

Time:                          10.15 am

Venue:

Council Chamber Hawke's Bay Regional Council 159 Dalton Street NAPIER

Present:                     A J Dick - Chairman

C Bain

R Barker

R Bleakley

J Cox (for C Little)

B Gregory

M Herbert

T Kerr (from 11am)

T Kingston

D Murray

K Santer

In Attendance:          C Dowdell – NZTA

R I’Anson - NZTA

M Clews – HDC (TAG)

S McKinley – CHBDC (TAG)

J Schwass – NCC (TAG)

A Redgrave – HBRC Transport Manager (TAG)

M Welsby – HBRC Sustainable Transport Coordinator

D McGonigal - Highways Manager NZTA

N Van Pelt – Executive Assistant

1. Welcome/Apologies/Notices

Chairman Alan Dick welcomed everyone to the meeting

Resolution

RTC40/15  That the apologies from Mr J Emmerson, Mr M Broderick, Mr G Brown, Mr J Pannu and Mr C Little for absence, and Mrs T Kerr for lateness, be accepted.

Bleakley/Kingston

CARRIED

2. Conflict of Interest Declarations

There were no conflicts of interest declarations.

3.	Short Term Replacements for the Regional Transport Committee
RTC41/15	Resolution 1. That Mr Jamie Cox be appointed as a member of the Regional Transport Committee of the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council for the meeting of Friday 6 November 2015 as a short term replacement on the Committee for Mr Craig Little. Barker/Herbert CARRIED

4.       Confirmation of Minutes of the Regional Transport Committee Meeting Held on 7 August 2015

Approved with minor amendment to item 10.

RTC42/15

Resolution Minutes of the Regional Transport Committee held on Friday, 7 August 2015, a copy having been circulated prior to the meeting, were taken as read and confirmed. Bleakley/Herbert CARRIED

5.       Matters Arising from Minutes of the Regional Transport Committee Meeting Held on 7 August 2015

There were no matters arising from the minutes.

6.	Follow-ups from Previous Regional Transport Committee Meetings
	· Business case for route between Wairoa District and Bay of Plenty via SH38 Post settlement entity Te Uru Taumatua has taken a leading role in this and is working with the NZ Transport Agency, Whakatane District Council and Wairoa District Council. A regular schedule of meetings between parties has been set up. Leave as a standing item. · Napier Gisborne Rail Line HBRC has made a highly conditional proposal to KiwiRail for the future of the line.  There has been no official response from KiwiRail to date, and remains a work in progress. · Implications on the transport network of water bottling plants at Awatoto and Tomoana. The Tomoana plant has commenced operation and will be in full production by 2017, when they expect to fill between 200 and 500 containers a month.  Transport to the Port is via Pakowhai Road and the Expressway. There are potential access issues onto Pakowhai Road, at Ellwood Road and Richmond Road intersections, which will need to be monitored. Works are underway at Awatoto. Traffic will not use Marine Parade. Access onto the state highway will be left in, left out only. · Driver Licences CHB is having good success with Natalie Hazelwood leading the team. CHB is now looking for funding to support this programme. Natalie’s work was also endorsed by WDC. Ms Bleakley reiterated that divers must be tested on a full range of road conditions, including traffic signals, which are not available in Waipukurau or Wairoa. Ms Bleakley will provide a copy of the testing guidelines. Leave as a standing item.
RTC43/15	Resolution 1.      That the Regional Transport Committee receives the “Follow-ups from Previous Regional Transport Committee Meetings” report. Kingston/Bleakley CARRIED

7.	Call for any Minor Items not on the Agenda
	There were no minor items raised for discussion.

Mrs Tania Kerr arrived at 11.00am

8.	Update on Manawatu Gorge Issues
	Mr David McGonigal, Highways Manager NZTA HNO in Palmerston North, presented on the Manawatu Gorge, providing an overview of the  Gorge and its alternative, the Saddle Road. Mr McGonigal highlighted the issues the Agency faces in managing resilience and the alternative routes. Over the years the Gorge has been continuously upgraded. Since 2007 the Gorge’s alternative, the Saddle Rd, has been significantly upgraded to make it more capable of carrying the vehicles that would normally use the Gorge. The upgrade has included pavement strengthening to minimize maintenance and  passing bays both ways to reduce issues for heavy vehicles and increase safety. Work on the Saddle Rd is scheduled to be completed in March 2017. Mr McGonigal emphasised that recent investigations into possible new routes have shown that the Gorge remains the flattest and most direct route, and provides the highest benefits in terms of travel time savings and vehicle operating costs for the 6,800 vehicles that use it each day. Ms Bleakley referred members to the Investment Assessment Framework on the Agency’s website, which forms the basis for investment in transport projects. Under this framework, a major upgrade or new route through the Manawatu Gorge could not be justified.
RTC44/15	Resolution 1.      That the Regional Transport Committee receives the “Update on Manawatu Gorge Issues” report. Kingston/Herbert CARRIED

13.	NZTA Central Region - Regional Director's Report for November  2015
	Ms Bleakley talked the Committee through her report for November and mentioned a survey of council officers on Road Safety Action Plans, which will take place in November. Mr Dowdell informed the committee that NZTA had, had approval to go straight to a detailed business case for the Watchman Road/SH2/SH2B project. This should save 3/6mths. A stakeholder working group meeting has been set up for 18 November to ensure a collaborative approach to expedite the consenting process. Permission has also been granted to go straight to direct appointment of consultants, which will also save time. Concerns were raised about the completion of the cycleway between Waipawa and Waipukurau, funding for which was declined recently. NZTA reassured Central Hawke’s Bay representatives that they are continuing with the planning of this and looking at options. Concerns were also raised over recommended safe and appropriate speed ranges for road classes. Action Item: Ms Bleakley to send link/copy of full Draft Speed Management Guide to Mr McKinley at CHB District Council.
RTC45/15	Resolution 1.      That the Regional Transport Committee receives the NZTA Central Region – Regional Director’s Report for November 2015’. Kingston/Herbert CARRIED

Jon Schwass left at 12.05pm

9.	Implementation of the Regional Land Transport Strategy and Programme 2012-15
	Ms Redgrave introduced a report on the implementation of the Regional Land Transport Strategy and Programme 2012-15, and noted that a further section will be added to this for the next meeting, reporting on outcomes for the transport system over a range of transport monitoring indicators.
RTC46/15	Resolution 1.      That the Regional Transport Committee receives the “Implementation of the Regional Land Transport Strategy and Programme for 2012-15” report. Kerr/Bleakley CARRIED

10.	November 2015 Public Transport Update
	Mrs Megan Welsby updated the Committee on public transport. The bus service contract was recently re-tendered for a further nine years from 1 August 2016. The contract was won by the current operator, GoBus Ltd. GoBus will upgrade some of their fleet. Concern was raised about the increase in the number of Total Mobility Scheme users and whether available demographic information could help to predict future demand for the service.
RTC47/15	Resolution 1.      That the Regional Transport Committee receives the ”November 2015 Public Transport Update” Bleakley/Kingston CARRIED

11.	November 2015 Roadsafe Update
	Mrs Anne Redgrave gave an update on RoadSafe Hawke’s Bay activities and road safety statistics. Cr Barker asked for information on motorcycle safety education activities, which Ms Redgrave will provide.
RTC48/15	Resolution 1.      That the Regional Transport Committee receives the November 2015 RoadSafe HB Update Report‘. Kerr/Barker CARRIED

12.	November 2015 Transport Manager's Report
	Mrs Redgrave presented her Managers Report. A TAG meeting is to be held in November to start working on the strategic direction for the next RLTP. The Chairman referred to the valuable information often contained in the NZ Transport Agency’s research reports, one of which was described in the item. Ms Redgrave to distribute the link to these reports to committee members. The peer review of estimates for the Whakatu Arterial Link is to be discussed at a meeting of Hastings District Council in December, but it is hoped that the project will start on time in March 2016.
RTC49/15	Resolution 1.      That the Regional Transport Committee receives the “November 2015 Transport Manager's report”. Herbert/Kerr CARRIED

14.	Verbal Reports from Advisory Representatives
	David Murray – Looking at re-establishing Carfit through AA. CarFit is an educational program that offers older adults the opportunity to check how well their personal vehicles "fit" them. The CarFit program also provides information and materials on community-specific resources that could enhance their safety as drivers, and/or increase their mobility in the community. Kim Santer - Rail – There has been a key shift in the Government’s approach to the commercial model for rail, with recognition that social services or uneconomic lines may need to be retained but should not form part of the  commerciality calculation. Chris Bain - Port Economic Development – The Awatoto  water bottling plant is to be commissioned in March. The Ellwood Rd plant will be moving 200-500 containers  a month by 2017.
RTC50/15	Resolution That the Regional Transport Committee receives the verbal reports from the Advisory Representatives. Kingston/Barker CARRIED

15.	Minor Items not on the Agenda
	There were no minor items for discussion.

Closure:

There being no further business the Chairman declared the meeting closed at 12.47pm on Friday 6 November 2015.

Signed as a true and correct record.

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