Regional Transport Committee Minutes - 7 March 2018
Minutes of a meeting of the Regional Transport Committee - hearing of submissions to RLTP and RPTP
Held in the Council Chamber, Civic House, 110 Trafalgar Street, Nelson
On Wednesday 7 March 2018, commencing at 9.00a.m.
Present: Deputy Mayor P Matheson (Chairperson), Her Worship the Mayor R Reese, Councillors G Noonan (Deputy Chairperson), and M Rutledge and Mr J Harland
In Attendance: Councillors I Barker, M Lawrey, B McGurk, S Walker and Chief Executive (P Dougherty), Group Manager Infrastructure (A Louverdis) and Governance Advisers (E Stephenson and R Terry)
Apologies : Nil
There were no apologies.
2. Confirmation of Order of Business
There was no change to the order of business.
There were no updates to the Interests Register, and no interests with items on the agenda were declared.
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Late Submissions |
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Resolved RTC/2018/001 That the Regional Transport Committee Accepts the late submissions to the Regional Land Transport Plan – Mid-Term Review. |
4. Regional Land Transport Plan and Regional Public Transport Plan Hearings
Document number R8849, agenda pages 4 - 17 refer.
4.1 Mr Alasdair Macdonald (submission 16861)
Mr Macdonald spoke to his submission. Points he covered included:
· requested including an intention to create a uniform speed limit on the Nelson to Blenheim road, reducing speed to 80km per hour in the Atawhai region.
· the Atawhai region in Nelson has changed in the last decade with higher traffic flows, new developments and more families in the area. This combined with a speed limit of 100km per hour presents a significant hazard.
· a uniform speed limit (of less than 100km per hour) along this route would help to reduce the issue as it would quickly control the hazard, reducing fatalities, but now slowing transport. It would also allow more options for walking, cycling or waiting for buses safely.
4.2
4.3 Mr Jonas Muru (submission 16917) – did not attend.
4.4 Mr Dean Walker (submission 16981) – did not attend.
4.5
4.6 Mr Mark Lile and Kent Gibbons speaking on behalf of Raine Estate Oaklands Limited (Raine Estate) (submission 17554), Summerset Villages Richmond Limited (submission 17556) and GP Investments Limited (submission 17557)
Mark Lile and Kent Gibbons spoke on behalf of Raine Estate, Summerset Villages and GP Investments Limited. Points they covered included:
· supported the Southern Link and the optimisation project
· the Hill Street extension would not add value and a better option would be focussing on the Southern Link and Gladstone Road improvements.
· increase in congestion, particularly around Vanguard Street
· the recent storms identified the need for alternative routes in and out of Nelson and Richmond and improved infrastructure.
Mr Lile and Mr Gibbons responded to questions and said they supported both sustainable transport and the Southern Link as our local industrial and commercial activities relied on good transport options.
4.7 Mr Paul Anderson (submission 17218)
Mr Anderson spoke to his submission. Points he covered included:
· supported the Southern Link but felt that a tunnel would never be achievable due to cost-benefit ratio
· supported the walkway around Rocks Road but noted the road widths were not up to Council standard and would need to be reinforced after the recent flooding and storms.
4.8 Mrs Christine Tuffnell, Bob Hancock and George Truman speaking on behalf of Nelson Grey Power Association (submission 17265)
Mr Hancock spoke to the submission. Points he covered included:
· traffic density had been an issue for several years and there were significant levels of dissatisfaction in an informal survey he had conducted
· the increasing numbers of tourists to the region putting pressure on infrastructure
· a soft seal could help to reduce road noise in residential areas.
George Truman spoke to the submission. Points he covered included:
· in favour of the revised Stoke bus proposal
· suggested changing the bus route to come down Pascoe Street and using the back roads in Tahunanui (but still stopping at the Library)
· having a sign on the back of the bus to remind drivers to let the buses merge with the traffic.
Christine Tuffnell spoke to the submission. Points she covered included:
· in favour of the Southern Link in general but felt more thought needed to be given to mobility and accessibility issues in the CBD area, including allowing people assisting those with mobility issues to park in the designated accessibility parking spaces.
4.9 Mr Jeremy Matthews (submission 17280)
Mr Matthews spoke to his submission. Points he covered included:
· in favour of the Southern Link but would like to see cost comparisons between this and other alternatives.
· Nelson was the second fastest growing region, a primary producer and tourist focussed and the area relied heavily on trucks.
· options needed to maintain a secure and robust city heart and maintaining the waterfront
· Victory Square was an opportunity for diverse and affordable housing options
4.10
4.11 Dr Nick Smith (submission 17399)
Dr Smith spoke to his submission. Points he covered included:
· transport is one of the biggest issues facing the region with the current level of growth
· need for investment in transport, noting a huge increase in the numbers of vehicles registered.
· infrastructure was needed urgently as there were real safety issues and risky driving as people tried to get into the traffic flow (noted that safety had increased in Stoke and Ruby Bay since the bypass had been put in)
· economic impact this is having on retail growth in Nelson due to the difficulty in getting into Nelson, comparable with the recent growth in Richmond
· ex-Cyclone Fehi and ex-Cyclone Gita had exposed vulnerable areas, particularly around Rocks Road and while cycle ways and walkways were a great idea, the current truck volumes wouldn’t allow for this.
· acceptable level of vehicle pollution was 1% of what was allowed 20 years ago and less black smoke was visible now.
Dr Smith answered questions and comments were made regarding the practicality of having a cycleway and walkway along Rocks Road while it remained a state highway and the need to develop this as part of an integrated project. Questions were also answered regarding congestion and road user charges, particularly for heavy use vehicles.
During questions, Councillor Rutledge raised a Point of Order, citing disrespectful language from Councillor Lawrey to Dr Smith. The Point of Order was not upheld by the Chairperson.
The meeting was adjourned at 10.50am and reconvened 11.03am. Councillor Rutledge was not present when the meeting reconvened.
4.12 Mrs Jane Morrison (submission 17295)
Mrs Morrison spoke to her submission. Points she covered included:
· her quality of life had been compromised due to the heavy traffic in her area and she was moving house as a result
· the road surface accentuated the traffic noise and she was unable to have her windows open
· a state highway was needed (Particularly in the St Vincent and Victory Street area).
Attendance: Councillor Rutledge returned to the meeting at 11.06am.
4.13 Mrs Annette Vercoe (submission 17335)
Mrs Vercoe spoke to her submission. Points she covered included:
· spoke in favour of the Southern Link, particularly for the cycle ways
· her family had started cycling in order to decrease congestion, however with cars going too fast and without the supportive infrastructure needed for safe cycling, her family had stopped cycling to school and back
· would like to see door opening zones for cars, separate cycle pathways, more speed bumps and a double lane roundabout at Haven Road.
4.14 Mr Tony Stallard (submission 17343)
Mr Stallard spoke to his submission. Points he covered included:
· cycling on Rocks Road is dangerous due to the overhang of foliage and the tankers on the right hand side
· he was not against the Southern Link, but felt there could be more practical solutions
· an engineering review is required.
4.15 Dr Monika Clark-Grill (submission 17348)
Dr Clark-Grill spoke to her submission. Points she covered included:
· in favour of increased cycle and walkways to be integrated into any transport plans
· concerned that the health benefits of walking and cycling had not been factored in as well as the negative impacts of car travel. She noted that many of the current health problems facing society are due to a lack of activity and the huge financial cost of these health problems
· no current incentive to cycle due to badly maintained cycle pathways
· look at other cycle-friendly places in Europe such as Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands.
4.16 Pic Picot – submission 17353
Attendance: Councillor Noonan left the meeting at 11.47am
Mr Kent Fergusson and Matthew Dodd spoke on behalf of Pic Picot. Points they covered included:
· move to lower emissions and driverless technology, ride-sharing and smart city development
· ride sharing needs to be promoted with Council involvement. Suggested car parks in the city fringe for people to park and ride or walk into the city centre. Cars could then be used for driving tourists or non-drivers to appointments.
· tunnel would work well with driverless technology
· important to future-proof and get ahead of the technology
During questions, Her Worship the Mayor advised that the Asset Management Plan incorporated supporting autonomous vehicles.
4.17 Renata Schrader (submission 17387) speaking on behalf of the Nelson City Business Group
Ms Schrader spoke to her submission. Points she covered included:
· the need to keep people coming into the city centre and supporting the retailers with parking and other strategies to increase the vibrancy of the city centre
· concerned that a proposed increase in parking would impact on the number of people visiting the city and retailers.
Attendance: Her Worship the Mayor left the meeting at 12.02pm and returned at 12.05pm.
4.18
Attendance: Councillor Rutledge left the meeting at 12.18p.m.
4.19 Mr Rob Stevenson and John Gilbertson (submission 17551) Tahunanui Business Association (PowerPoint)
Mr Stevenson spoke to his submission. Points he covered included:
· there was an urgent need for a third for a third route in and out of the city
· opposed to clearways in Tahunanui Drive and the waterfront as this wouldn’t enhance safety or traffic volumes
· the water flooding onto Rocks Road during high tides or floods makes this road unusable
· Rocks Road was not wide enough to accommodate a number of over-width vehicles passing each other and this was not compatible with cycling on this road.
Mr Stevenson played a video that showed the water flooding over Rocks Road at high tide during the recent storm and emphasised the need for resilient highways.
Attendance: Councillor Rutledge returned to the meeting at 12.19pm.
4.20 Mr Grant Kerr (submission 17402) – on behalf of Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce.
Mr Kerr spoke to his submission. Points he covered included:
· the current transport infrastructure was inadequate and congestion needed to be addressed to support economic growth
· the current traffic congestion was impacting the way and speed that Nelson did business. Freight and tourism were critical to the economic vitality of Nelson
· did not support the Southern Link as this will just move the problem but supported investigation into other long-term solutions including connected cycle networks and improved public transport
· Nelson City Council and Tasman District Council need to work together to try and ease congestion
Mr Kerr answered questions and comments were made regarding attracting people to live and work in Nelson, the impact that travel time may have and the ability for businesses to do their work easily. Mr Kerr said he had seen other regions growing due to robust plans, noting that Taranaki was a good example.
Attendance: Her Worship the Mayor left the meeting at 12.46pm.
Attendance: Councillor Noonan returned to the meeting at 12.47pm.
The meeting was adjourned at 12.50pm and reconvened 1.08pm.
4.21
Attendance: Her Worship the Mayor returned to the meeting at 1.12p.m.
4.22
4.23 Mrs Julie Nevin (submission 17350)
Mrs Nevin spoke to her submission. Points she covered included:
· the submission was from an environmental studies perspective
· this was a reasonable logical plan if one assumed business as usual, however Council should be encouraged to reconsider its assumptions and to think about the future
· European cities were designing transport systems considering the health impacts of air pollution
· sales of e-bikes were higher than car sales
· resilience was required in times of climate change.
4.24 Mrs Julie Nevin (submission 17534) Green Party - Nelson Branch
Mrs Nevin spoke to the submission, noting that it was based on the Green Party’s policy on transport. Mrs Nevin said that she was a member of the Policy Committee, and that it was the role of MPs in the Green Party to champion this policy. Mrs Nevin answered questions regarding rail networks and e-bikes being a separate category of transport.
4.25 Ms Justine McDonald (submission 17148) did not attend.
4.26 Mr Alec Woods (submission 17440)
Mr Woods spoke to his submission. Points he covered included:
· support for a waterfront boulevard
· the conflicting needs of heavy transport using Rocks road, which he felt had reached capacity
· he had spent time over the years chairing different groups, all taking an interest in the road
· the alternative was the Southern Link, the land had been purchased for a future highway, and it was time that this happened
· Rocks Road should be returned to Council’s control, as it was a valuable asset.
Mr Woods answered questions regarding the maintenance of Rocks Road, climate change, cycling and walking on Rocks Road, and the southern route.
The meeting was adjourned at 1.58pm. and reconvened at 2.32pm. Her Worship the Mayor and Councillor Noonan were not present.
4.27 Mr Peter Jones (submission 17444) did not attend.
4.28 Mr John-Paul Pochin – speaking on behalf of Bicycle Nelson Bays (submission 17555)
Mr Pochin introduced Natalie, a Bicycle Nelson Bays member who had moved here from France last year and was working on Tahunanui Pathways. Mr Pochin spoke to the submission. Points he covered included:
· the need for Council to show leadership
· the stigma attached to catching a bus or cycling and the need for Council to show initiative and be seen to take the bus and ride bikes
· public transport creates a blending of society, and provides social interaction
· integration of transport planning and better urban planning
· social connections and wellbeing, the relationship between property and transport, access to activities equals well being
· it would be nice if young people wanted to stay in Nelson
· we should be using research done overseas to save time and money, Copenhagen had made changes to shift to a more sustainable system
· there was an opportunity for Nelson to be a leader.
Attendance: Her Worship the Mayor returned to the meeting at 2.47pm.
Mr Pochin answered questions on cycle plans, towns where public transport works, the importance of economic growth and exportation and making public transport more appealing than car travel.
Attendance: Councillor Noonan returned to the meeting at 2.55pm.
4.29
4.30 Ms Joanna Plows (submission 17547)
Ms Plows spoke to her submission. Points she covered included:
· Nelson had the best patronage cycling to and from work in the country
· Rocks Road was one of the main areas, and was not safe for children, it should be considered separately from any arterial road, Council should see what difference that made before building another road
· concerns regarding mobility scooters having to use the road as footpaths were not wide enough and Nelson had an aging population
· express buses and park and ride facilities encouraged people to get out of cars and there were more people working from home
· there were more people using electric bikes, they needed safe storage facilities
· cars should be discouraged from the CBD, the temporary closure at the top of Trafalgar Street should be permanent
· 60% of emissions were from transport, Ms Plow attended a Science Society lecture by Mr Lindsay Wood on his trip to Hamburg
· Council should explore electric buses with increased weekend/evening services.
4.31 Mr Jace Hobbs (submission 17422)
Mr Hobbs spoke to his submission. Points he covered included:
· Mr Hobbs worked on Auckland Council’s 30 year transport plan
· technology was changing, change was not linear, it was exponential
· an example was projections of solar power in 2002, the actual installed was 400 times greater
· assumptions made regarding transition technology were obsolete by the time infrastructure was built, this led to limited parking and road corridors, solutions were not about building greater capacity, this had never worked
· in the future would be interconnected transportation which was much safer, there would be a lack of having to build new capacity, transportation technology would open doors to design communities better for social, ecological and public health
· Council should not design for technology on the brink, things will radically change.
Mr Hobbs answered questions regarding heavy transport in the future and autonomous vehicles.
Attendance: Councillor Rutledge left the meeting at 3.39pm and returned at 3.41pm.
4.32 Mr Chris Allison (submission 17483)
Mr Allison spoke to his submission. Points he covered included:
· economic returns in the region - data gathered on the arterial project showed congestion was a threat to freight, freight suffered from privileging individual use of private cars
· the problem was how to juggle various agendas, the cost was liveable cities and cycling, Nelson had ratepayers who loved cars and wanted to use them
· this was an interesting opportunity for the Council
· there was a need to look at what value and hidden costs were impacted by three-laning and two-laning some roads, it was a useful way of targeting congestion but a lot of values got hit by that
· the incentives to make that shift were age demographic issues, more younger people were needed to make up for that shift in population
· American Planning Association figures stated affordable, alternatives to cars were important when deciding where to live and work, to make a more viable region.
Mr Allison answered questions and comments were made regarding fiscal and prudent responsibility for intersections, using the network efficiently, public transport in the future, liveable cities, using the capacity we have more efficiently, potentially pushing more traffic on arterial routes, understanding of NZTA roles, connective journeys, customer values, focus on future technology, public transport fees, investment to get a step change, and how people would use autonomous vehicles.
4.33 Mrs Kelly Harris (submission 17513) did not attend.
4.34
Attendance: Councillor Noonan left the meeting at 3.56p.m. and returned at 3.58p.m.
4.35 Mrs Jan Head - speaking on behalf of Mrs Rosemary Page (submission 17381) did not attend.
4.36 Mrs Rachel Boyack (submission 17533)
Mrs Boyack spoke to her submission. Points she covered included:
· frustration regarding congestion in the region and Council’s unsuccessful bids for public transport
· solutions that were not about building more roads, but about a change in technology
· the free buses for Opera in the Park were fantastic, a culture change and approach to transport was needed, with provision of more regular buses and more at night
· public transport had to be more accessible, bus stops with shelters and concrete standings, fares needed to be reasonable
· taking the vehicles off Rocks Road was not feasible, something had to be done, if Council proceeded with the Southern Link, Rocks Road would fall to ratepayers
· the vision was good roads and networks between towns, within cities the focus should be on walking, cycling and public transport
· Tasman and Nelson did not always share views, the message to Tasman was that it needed to be more progressive about public transport, a lot of congestion was coming in from Tasman, supportive of amalgamation, a region-wide plan was need.
Mrs Boyack answered questions regarding solutions for heavy traffic, improving congestion, policy development, cost benefit analysis, support for money in the plan to continue investigation into arterial network, Nelson-Tasman amalgamation and drivers’ targeted tax.
4.37 Mr Graeme O'Brien (submission 17279)
Attendance: Her Worship the Mayor left the meeting at 4.28pm. and returned at 4.31pm.
[RT1] Mr O’Brien spoke to his submission. Points he covered included:
· whether there was a congestion problem in Nelson
· most Nelson residents did not travel down Waimea road, most were Tasman residents
· he had lived in Japan for 12 years, where there was a fantastic transport system
· even with a great public transport system, traffic jams occurred if everyone wanted to use the road at the same time
· public servants should take public transport to work
· a survey should be conducted on how many people were coming in to Nelson from out of town
· Trucks accounted for 6% of the traffic volume on Rocks Road, he would not expect an increase on that figure
· the addition of more trucks and cars would affect air quality.
There being no further business the meeting ended at 4.36pm.
Confirmed as a correct record of proceedings:
Chairperson
Date