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The Committee
commenced hearing the verbal submissions by members of the public at 9.15am.
Lisa
Malde obo the New Zealand Transport Agency (submission 18)
· Current work
on SH5 is part of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP), not cyclone
recovery work.
· NZTA is focused on
cost-effective ways of getting roads up and running. Recovery and rebuilding
activities are the highest priority nationally.
· The draft
Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS) was considered alongside the
HB draft RLTP and a few RLTP projects don’t align with the GPS –
notably the walking/cycling option for the Waipawa road bridge.
·
Projects
not closely aligned to the draft GPS should be kept in the RLTP, however, as it
is possible that some are acceptable and may be scaled back, e.g. the
expressway four-laning project could be accepted at its minimum length
– six kilometres.
Jim
Galloway obo Federated Farmers (submission 89)
· Acknowledged the
inclusion and highlighting of rural roads in the RLTP – the lifelines
for the community and trade.
· Delayed and
substandard roading repairs are not acceptable whether they are due to
decision-making delays or red tape – need to do much better.
·
SH2
Napier to Wairoa is a vital access route for food production. If the road is
improved then more investment in agriculture and horticulture would be
likely. Build it back better.
Guy
Wellwood (submission 93)
· Just fixing roads
is not visionary even with $6b. HB can do without the Brookfields bridge and should
only be restoring roads within the HB region, not up the length of SH5 or
further up/down SH2.
· If we build more
roads we will continue to get more cars on them, more congestion, more air
pollution and need to spend even more on maintaining them.
· Rail for passengers
and freight is the answer to road congestion. The GPS promotes rail in some
parts of the country but no mention of HB rail at all. Need to promote rail
in the RLTP or risk losing the rail lines that we have left.
· Kiwi Rail is a poor
operator – it should be under NZTA control.
·
The
RLTP should stop focusing on cars and trucks and support rail and active
transport.
Mhairi
Rademaker and Ross McDonald obo Genesis Energy (submission 95) (online)
· Lake Waikaremoana
power scheme is a vital lifeline and roads around it need to be maintained,
particularly SH38 from Wairoa to Onepoto (unsealed).
· With significant
projects planned by Genesis over the coming years having sealed roads would
be beneficial. Unsealed roads are dangerous for heavy transport and tourists
and present safety issues for the community.
·
SH38
tars sealing has long been discussed and needs to be done.
Karl
Goodchild (submission 24)
· Public transport
use between Napier and Hastings has halved in recent years despite measures
put in place to encourage use. The current Government is signaling that
concessions will be removed, adding more costs for users.
· The solution is to ensure
reliable service. More well paid bus drivers and alternative routes to the
frequently closed expressway (accidents usually) would help.
·
The
rail link between Napier and Hastings should also be used for commuters.
Graeme
Mueller obo St Columbus Havelock North Environment Group (submission 94)
· Traffic congestion
is a problem only during commuter rush hours so building a four lane
expressway at great expense would be a wasted effort.
· Suggest carpooling
as an option, continuing with bus public transport and reintroducing rail
services with park and ride options and additional train stops /stations.
·
Auckland
experience shows that building more roads is not the solution.
James
Smith obo the National Road Carriers Assn. (submission 83) (online)
· Roading network
needs to be resilient – no point in returning cyclone affected roads to
their previous state, they need to be built back better.
· Roading is
expensive and NZTA contributes less than half of the costs involved so would
support other funding mechanisms being used including tolls.
·
RLTP
looks ahead 30 years – sound long term planning. Support all road safety
initiatives in the RLTP and the proposed Commercial Vehicle Safety Centre at
Eskdale.
Carol-Ann
Guard (submission 78)
· The disabled
community welcomed the MyWay service and would like to see this continued
with an improved booking system and included in the accessibility concession
scheme.
· Disabled support people
should not be charged to use public transport services, including MyWay.
· It would be helpful
if Bee Cards could incorporate some form of ID for the disabled – to
inform bus drivers that a disabled person is boarding. Bus drivers also need more
training on supporting the disabled, particularly the blind.
·
Better
communication with the disabled sector is needed, particularly for any service
cancellations and timetable changes.
Walter
Breustedt (submission 71)
· Mr Breustedt tabled
a handout with more detailed information about his submission.
· Some RLTP projects
being promoted are very expensive and detailed analysis needs to be completed,
particularly the four lane extension for SH2 expressway. This project would
not only promote the use of cars and therefore increase air pollution, but it
would also take up more valuable land.
· Roading projects
will take 5/6 years to complete - need to promote people moving from using
cars to using public transport in that period.
· Beyond the obvious
fuel emissions, vehicle tyres used are now recognised as a major contributor
to microplastics pollution.
· Reinstate the rail
link between Napier and Hastings for public transport services.
·
Encourage
active and public transport rather than planning more projects for cars.
Allan
Newton (submission 38)
· SH2 Wairoa to
Tangoio is no longer fit for purpose. A fresh detailed feasibility study is
required, using local expertise.
· The lack of a
decent road contributes to the regions’ isolation, poor health outcomes
and lack of education opportunities for local residents.
· A second
alternative route should also be developed.
·
Nothing
has been done for 60+ years. The region should have a modern 45 minute road
route from Wairoa to Tangoio – the distance is only some 59 kms.
Andrea
Manley and Todd Dawson obo the Port of Napier (submission 84)
· Focusing on how
closely the RLTP matches with the GPS, it seems that the RLTP has been caught
out and has different priorities, e.g. emission reduction items.
· Projects aligned
with the current GPS look to provide efficient and resilient transport in a
‘value for money’ way and concerned that the RLTP priorities will
miss out because they aren’t aligned.
· Rail in other parts
of the country features in the GPS – RLTP should include some reference
to the Napier to Palmerston North rail link which is vital for commerce.
· Napier/Wairoa/Gisborne
rail link is not supported as traffic volumes are too low.
·
Alternative
funding options for roads need to be considered/mentioned in the RLTP.
Meeting adjourned
at 11.10am and reconvened at 11.15am
Glenn
Marshall (submission 96)
· Transport system is
broken – electric vehicles and buses are not the solution.
· Bicycle popularity
is exploding and we need to move to cater for this and encourage cycling use.
Road safety is a major barrier to cycling – cyclists are vulnerable.
·
Need
more signage/road markings to encourage cycle use and safety.
Ross
McLeod obo the HB Regional Recovery Agency (submission 98)
· Councils require
more funding to fix damaged roads, and the need to build more resilience into
the roading network, across state highways and local/rural roads.
· The RLTP needs to
be updated to ensure that it includes all roading resilience projects being
considered by local councils.
· A key measure of
resilience is how would our roads would cope if there was another cyclone
event. Proactive/preventative work needs to be carried out now.
· HB now has a one in
100 year opportunity to look at all options for the Napier - Wairoa section
of this highway.
·
As
an observation – the budgets in the RLTP for maintenance, operations
and renewals seem to be light.
Alastair
Haliburton – late submission
·
Submission
was prepared following a public consultation meeting with Transport Rebuild
East Coast (TREC) on the future of the SH 2 Devil’s Elbow section.
Rather than being consultation, the meeting informed the community of the work
that TREC will be carrying out with the limited budget they have. Four
options were put forward, all based on keeping the road in-situ.
·
All
4 options are considered poor as there is no space in the current area to
widen the road corridor at all. Every option requires massive engineering
works and may well lead to (again) building another dangerous, narrow windy
road.
·
The
Devil’s Elbow has already been rebuilt twice in the past 40 years and
building in the same place again is not sensible.
·
The
community must be provided with all options and must also be properly
consulted with, including the provision of budgets and timelines for each
option.
Submissions
concluded and a general discussions of matters raised covered:
· Risk of RLTP not aligned
with the GPS. The RLTP presents what the community wants, and while some of it
will align with the GPS it is not intended for the RLTP to fully align with the
GPS.
· It was queried
whether the RLTP can influence the ‘optioneering’ for various
state highways, particularly Devil’s Elbow.
· Disability matters
raised seem to be incorporated into the RLTP and some helpful suggestions
that will be taken further by staff.
· SH38 matters raised
through Genesis submission will be investigated.
· Alternative funding
options for transport projects may not be included in the RLTP as a separate
topic and staff will look into this aspect.
· Time of use charges
as a funding mechanism and emissions reduction option will be looked at by
staff for possible inclusion in the RLTP.
· KiwiRail
representation/attendance at RTC meetings has been disappointing. It would
have been useful to have them in attendance today.
· RLTP currently doesn’t
incorporate alternate routes for state highways and it would be useful to do
so. It does include a “Form and Function” review of roading in HB
and the alternate routes could be considered in that review to highlight the
roads that would be considered alternate routes.
· The RLTP needs to
at least mention alternative funding arrangements (such as public-private
partnerships) to keep this option open.
·
Work
being undertaken by TREC (using different funding options to the RLTP) will
be incorporated into the RLTP to provide a full picture of roading projects
being undertaken and how they interact.
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