EPA Hearing for the Plan Change Development

June 2014

Judy to present Good day to you all Our talk is from representatives of three Community Groups: - Living Streets Pedestrian Advocates CCS Disability Action – Access and Mobility Advocates, and Cycle Action – Cycling Advocates.

Judy to present Living Streets Aotearoa is a pedestrian advocacy group, founded in Wellington in 2002 by Celia Wade-Brown, with the aim of promoting walking as a first means of transport in urban environments: - to reduce traffic congestion, to improve fitness, for greater community connectedness, and for recreation.

Living Streets Hamilton is the local branch of this parent organisation, founded at the end of 2006.

The uptake of walking by all sectors of the population, particularly the young, the elderly and the mobility-impaired (including the visually impaired) requires safe walking routes and infrastructure to ensure that pedestrians feel confident for the entire length of a journey.

Routes are only as safe as their most vulnerable spot, and for this reason much of our effort is focused on getting safe road crossings, particularly on arterial routes.

Today we will be focusing on safe road crossings for all people who will live and work within the Ruakura Development.

Gerri to present CCS Disability Action is one of the largest disability services providers in . We have been advocating for people with disabilities since 1935. Today, our organization demonstrates strong leadership by people with disabilities and a human rights focus.

The 2006 Disability Survey states that an estimated 660,300 New Zealanders reported having a disability, representing 17% of the total population approximately 3% of whom use a visible mobility aid. (Reference: - Statistics New Zealand, 2006).

Hamilton’s resident population at the last Census was estimated to be 141,615. Using the percentage of 17% of people having a disability from the 2006 Census, potentially there are 24,074 people in Hamilton living with disability and 4,248 using a visibly identifiable mobility aid.

We all experience different levels of mobility. Sometimes they are due to temporary causes such as injury, pregnancy or illness, and sometimes they are permanent due to impairment. Accessibility issues affect everyone at some time in their life. 45% of people aged over 65 self-identified with some degree of disability in the 2006 census (Reference: - Statistics New Zealand, 2006).

People with disability typically have less independent access to private motor vehicles than non-disabled people. An estimated 6,100 adults with disability have modifications made to a private motor vehicle so that they can drive it. An estimated 3,900 adults with disability have a modified private motor vehicle so they can travel in it as a passenger (Reference: - Office of Disability Issues and Statistics New Zealand, 2009).

This 10,000 people with a modified motor vehicle, is a small percentage of the estimated 660,300 individuals living with disability in New Zealand. As a community this makes people with disability particularly reliant on safe, accessible pedestrian routes and public transport.

As an organisation we are putting considerable effort and resources to ensuring that people with disability can safely live in their communities and participate in everyday activities.

Today we hope to ensure that all the people with disabilities who will live or work within the Ruakura Development will have a high level of safety and accessibility.

Rob to present Cycle Action Waikato is the local cycle advocacy group for everyday commuter cycling in Hamilton and throughout the wider Waikato Region.

Cycle Action Waikato was formed in 1995. Our parent umbrella body is the Cycling Advocates Network.

The goal of Cycle Action Waikato and Cycling Advocates Network is to get more people cycling, safer, more often.

Not everyone can afford to buy a car or to run a car. Not everyone can hold a drivers licence, some examples of those who cannot are the young, the infirm, and those with poor eyesight.

Not everyone needs to drive a car for every trip being made. As the global population increases we need less vehicle trips using up the planet’s scarce fuel resources and polluting the environment.

Only when safe facilities are provided for cyclists, can bicycles offer cheap transport, and independence for a great many people.

New York Cycling Advocate Paul Steely White calls creating “Liveable-Cities” for walking and cycling, a ‘race-to-the-top’ where cities and townships wanting to attract people, jobs, and business compete to provide the best walking and cycling environments.

By using good Transport Planning Principles, Hamilton’s Structure Plan areas of Peacockes, , , and also RUAKURA, can all achieve creating the “Liveable-Cites” and towns approach.

We wish to see those people living and working in the Ruakura Development, including both children and adult cyclists that are newer and less experienced at cycling on-the road with motor vehicles, to safely start regularly commuting to places of study and work.

This will require getting them off the road, and onto shared-use pedestrian / cycle paths such as those along Wairere Drive, and the paths proposed in the Ruakura Development alongside Ruakura Road.

Today we will be focusing on connecting the off-road walking and cycling paths of Wairere Drive and Ruakura Road with the DESTINATIONS of the Knowledge Zone and the Service Centre.

Judy to present

We are asking for the inclusion of the following four provisions into the District Plan, before EPA Consent is granted for the Ruakura Development Plan Change to proceed:-

1) Provision be drawn into the District Plan and construction completed (by and the Ruakura Development) of a safe pedestrian and cycle crossing across Fifth Ave at Wairere Drive.

2) Written commitment be made in the District Plan stating the conditions for the timing of construction of the Fifth Ave pedestrian and cycle crossing at Wairere Drive.

3) Provision be drawn into the District Plan and construction completed (by Tainui and the Ruakura Development) of Safe Western and Safe Southern pedestrian and cycle access to the Knowledge Zone and Service Centre.

4) Written commitment be made in the District Plan stating the conditions for the timing of construction of the Safe Western and Safe Southern pedestrian and cycle access to the Knowledge Zone and Service Centre.

We are asking the EPA to ensure that adverse effects on safety and accessibility for walkers, cyclists, and the mobility impaired, that are generated directly by the Ruakura Development (both during its construction, and later during its everyday use) are mitigated.

The four provisions above that we are asking for must be provided in the District Plan to achieve this mitigation. It is the ongoing aim of Living Streets Hamilton to achieve safe walking routes throughout the city. Hamilton is ideally suited to both walking and cycling. It is relatively compact, mostly flat, and could become a “poster child” for active transport in New Zealand. However, this will only happen if we can achieve safe crossings on major roads.

At present, Hamilton has big Community Severance problems caused by major roads, which have either no safe crossing points, or very large distances between safe crossing points. Examples include Road, Ohaupo Road at Glenview, the northern end of Victoria Street, and Boundary Road. In the proposed Ruakura Development plans pedestrian and cyclist Community Severance is generated at both Ruakura Road and Fifth Ave extension.

The University and the AgResearch Centre Campus, which also includes the Business Innovation Park, are very significant employment and educational areas in Hamilton, used by a sector of the population with a higher than normal interest in cycling and walking, because of both financial considerations (university students) and ecological awareness (staff and students at all these institutions).

There should be a simple and direct walking/cycling/public transport connection from the Central Business District to the Ruakura Development along Ruakura Road, and also along Boundary Road / Fifth Avenue. At present, both these routes are dangerous for pedestrians because of the high traffic density, particularly at peak travel times. Boundary Rd and Fifth Ave roundabouts are hazardous to cross. Ruakura Road has inadequately connected cycle and walking paths, which are only partial on the northern side, and too narrow for shared use on the southern side.

It is well known from feedback provided by people with disabilities using powered mobility aids, that they prefer to use shared pedestrian and cycling paths provided along the Wairere Drive to travel around the city as opposed to using city streets, as they find negotiating and crossing roads and streets difficult and dangerous.

Once the Industrial Park opens at the end of Fifth Avenue extension and the intersection with Wairere Drive, the Ruakura Development becomes a huge barrier to safe crossing by walkers, cyclists, and the mobility impaired at the roundabout, because of the lack of underpasses or light-controlled crossings. In addition, the traffic flow on Fifth Ave and Boundary Rd is likely to increase as a result of vehicles travelling to and from the Industrial Park.

The proposed Inland Port will also generate increased traffic along Ruakura Rd, much of which is likely to be heavy trucks and trailers.

Safe routes can be achieved relatively cheaply (for a small proportion of the total roading cost of the Ruakura Development) and could result in immense gains for residents, workers and students of the Ruakura Development, providing a coherent flow of walking and cycling access from the Central Business District to and from the Ruakura Development via both the Bridge and the Bridge.

As a minimum, and as outlined in more detail in the Cycle Action Waikato statement, we need either an underpass or a traffic light-controlled pedestrian crossings on the Wairere Drive/Fifth Avenue intersection at the new Industrial Park entrance, and on Ruakura Road to access the proposed Knowledge Zone area and Suburban Centre within the Ruakura Development. These two crossings need to be drawn into the District Plan via both the Ruakura Development Plan Change’s Cycle and Pedestrian Network Plan, and via written conditions in the District Plan.

Hamilton has had an unfortunate number of pedestrian deaths within the urban area in recent years, and the relatively recent death of a schoolchild on Ruakura Road at the entrance to the AgResearch campus is an indication of the problem in this area. Even with the speed limit reduction, the likelihood of death in the event of a collision between a pedestrian or a cyclist and a vehicle at 60kph is still 90%. (Reference:- Ministry of Transport, Road Safety to 2010).

An up-to-date national road fatality report, including pedestrian fatalities, can be found at the following website http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/road-deaths/toll.html. It should be noted that pedestrian fatalities considerably outnumber cycling deaths.

The social costs of road accidents, including the value of a statistical life (valued conservatively at $2 million in 1991), are available at the following website http://www.transport.govt.nz/research/roadcrashstatistics/thesocialcostofroadcrashesandinjuri es/. These reports indicate the large and ongoing costs of dealing with road deaths and injuries, compared to the relatively minor costs of prevention by providing safe travel routes.

We believe that Tainui has an obligation to provide safe crossings for residents, students and workers within the area of the Ruakura Development. Provision of Safe Crossings would be a real asset to the Ruakura Development, making it into a place that is highly-valued and greatly sought after for businesses, jobs, and housing.

Gerri to present Comparison of New Zealand accident and injury trends for motor vehicles versus that for walking and cycling. http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/road-deaths/toll.html.

Nationally, annual road deaths dropped from 384 in 2009 to 254 in 2013. However, while the deaths for drivers and passengers in vehicles have dropped significantly since 2000, it should be noted that the same decline in deaths cannot be said for cyclists and pedestrians over the same time period.

Under the national guidance of the Safer Journeys Strategy, and the regional guidance of the Waikato Regional Road Safety Strategy, road safety partners in the region are working collaboratively to reduce deaths and serious injuries on the region’s roads.

The Regional Transport Committee has adopted a vision of ‘working together towards zero deaths and serious injuries on the Waikato’s roads’ and has set targets to halve the regional road toll by 2040. The regional target states that ‘by 2040 there will be a 50% reduction in road related fatalities compared with the baseline annual 5 year average (2004-08) of 79 deaths. The goal for 2040 is less than 39 deaths per annum in the region.

The Safer Journeys strategy recognises that we all make mistakes and are vulnerable when those mistakes happen. We shouldn't have to pay with our lives or our limbs. The strategy adopts a Safe System approach in which road safety becomes the responsibility of everyone, not just the people who use the roads. Designing and building safer roads and roadsides, setting safer vehicle speed limits, safer vehicles and safer behaviours, all play an important part. Provision of safer pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure at the planning and construction stages of the Ruakura development will prevent unnecessary pedestrian and cyclist deaths and embody a safe system approach.

Enrich Plus’s 21 staff, support 81 people with a learning and intellectual impairment on the Ruakura campus. A signalised pedestrian crossing at the Ruakura Road entrance in particular will ensure safer pedestrian and cyclist access for everyone.

We note that crash analysis reports published for Hamilton City intersections in June 2013 for the time period 2008 to 2012 identify crossing and turning as well as failure to give way or stop were leading causes of 643 crashes. This report also states that intersection crashes reflect a high level of collective and personal risk.

Cyclists face a high level of personal risk and characteristics of their crashes also feature crossing and turning, failure to give way or stop and poor observation of them. Local roads had 172 cyclist crashes, 61% of which occurred at intersections, 3% involved trucks. State highways within Hamilton had 20 crashes, 10% of which included trucks.

Pedestrian accidents have increased from 2009. There is a high level of personal risk. The main characteristics of these crashes are intersections, poor observation and pedestrian factors, which aren’t described further. Local roads had 172 crashes involving pedestrians, 5 deaths, 45 serious injuries, and 138 minor injuries. Trucks were involved in 1% of crashes. State highways had 19 crashes, 0 deaths, 6 serious injuries and 13 minor injuries. Trucks were involved in 11% of crashes. We have also had 2 recent pedestrian deaths on State Highway 3.

People’s perception of risk has a very strong influence on mode choice, route taken, and even whether or not a person, especially one living with disability will participate in their community. In addition to the approximately 24,000 people with disabilities in Hamilton, currently the number of people aged over 75 nationally, living in our communities is increasing by 5,000 per year, with accompanying vulnerability and decreased independent access to a car.

At June 2013 prices, the value of a statistical life is $3.85 million per fatality. (See website). http://www.transport.govt.nz/research/roadcrashstatistics/thesocialcostofroadcrashesandinjuri es/. Although most cyclist crashes occur across a wide age band ranging from 10 to 60 years of age. The highest number of pedestrian crashes occur in the 10 to 34 year range, arguably a very productive age when the wider community will most benefit from these people’s participation in society.

We are asking Tainui Group Holdings to provide pedestrian-activated traffic lights (or a grade separated underpass) at key pedestrian / vehicle connections so that pedestrians and cyclists can safely cross the high vehicle volume roads of Ruakura Road and Fifth Avenue, prior to the increasing and high volume of heavy vehicles that this development will generate.

Rob to present WALKING AND CYCLING SAFETY ARE DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE NUMBER AND QUALITY OF WALKING AND CYCLING FACILITIES PLANNED AND PROVIDED.

This is demonstrated by overseas experience. New York Cycling Advocate Paul Steely White states that Injuries among all street users fell by 58% after protected Bike lanes were built on 9th Ave.

Furthermore, this is demonstrated by New Zealand experience. Hastings cycle advocate Paul McArdle states the extremely positive results of the New Zealand walking and cycling ‘Model Communities’ funding. Now that Hastings has 120km of new walking and cycling pathways constructed, including 4 key arterial routes that link the communities of Flaxmere, Hastings, Havelock North, and Clive, there has been a 90% increase in cycling on the key Hastings arterials, and that the Hastings cycle crash rate has reduced by 229%.

The number and quality of walking and cycling facilities planned by the Ruakura Development Plan Change, and put into the Hamilton City Council District Plan, will determine the success or failure of this project.

Currently the Ruakura Development is not acceptable. It does not yet mitigate the adverse effects on the safety and accessibility of walking, cycling, and the mobility impaired, which are generated directly by the Ruakura Development (both during its construction, and later during its everyday use).

Tainui invited our three Community Groups (Living Streets, CCS Disability Action, and Cycle Action Waikato) to a pre-hearing meeting with Tony McLaughlin of Tainui and their Consultants Mark Apledoorn and Anna Wilkins of Traffic Design Group. The Pre-hearing meeting was held at Tainui on the 14th March 2014. (Reference – Mark Apeldoorn’s rebuttal report, section 48 “Pedestrian and cycle connectivity.”)

We are pleased that the pre-hearing meeting has resolved many of the minor issues. However, despite the meeting discussion held and subsequent emails, there are still four major provisions remaining unresolved. We are highly concerned that in this Ruakura Development project’s proposed form there is a dangerous lack of walking and cycling facilities at three crucial access points.

(1) Provision number one that we wish the EPA to consider today. A safe pedestrian and cycle crossing (either an underpass, or a push-button traffic-light crossing) is needed at Fifth Ave / Wairere Drive intersection where the existing Wairere Drive off-road pedestrian / cycle path crosses the proposed Fifth Ave extension to the Ruakura Development.

Following the pre-hearing meeting, Tainui and their consultants, Traffic Design Group, have acknowledged by email, the need to mitigate the additional danger caused by the Ruakura Development to the pedestrians and cyclists who will be crossing Fifth Ave Extension at Wairere Drive. Given this, we see no reason why Tainui should object to having the pedestrian / cycle crossing drawn into the District Plan.

Unfortunately, despite the Ruakura Development being a District Plan Change, Tainui are unwilling to commit to providing the Fifth Ave pedestrian and cycle crossing in the District Plan by drawing it onto the updated Cycle and Pedestrian Network Plan.

This is in direct contrast to the District Plan commitment shown by the pedestrian overpass drawn at the proposed train station).

Please note that the double-headed arrows at Fifth Ave merely indicate what is needed, and are not a commitment of what is planned to be constructed.

(1) For Provision number one We request that this safe pedestrian /cycle crossing ((1a) an underpass, or (1b) a push-button traffic-light crossing) be provided by the Ruakura Development, and is put into the Hamilton City Council District Plan by drawing and labeling it onto the updated Cycle and Pedestrian Network Plan of the Ruakura Development Plan Change contained in the rebuttal by Traffic Design Group’s Mark Apledoorn, which is shown on the projection screen.

We will accept either of the two options (1a) underpass, or (1b) push-button traffic light crossing. Labelling both onto the District Plan drawing enables Tainui and the Ruakura Development to choose which suits best - at the time of construction.

We seek the EPA’s assistance to ensure that these changes are put into place in the District Plan through the Ruakura Development Plan Change.

(2) Provision number two we wish the EPA to consider today. We seek a written commitment in the District Plan of the conditions for the construction timing for the Fifth Ave pedestrian and cycle crossing at Wairere Drive.

The heavy construction machinery (needed for road building and residential and employment work site development) crossing the existing Wairere Drive pedestrian /cycle path will be dangerous to path users.

(2) For Provision number two, we request a written commitment in the Hamilton City Council District Plan that the construction of the safe pedestrian/cycle crossing (of either (1a) an underpass, or (1b) a push-button traffic-light) be completed and in use, by condition (2.1) before construction begins on the Fifth Ave Extension Road to the Ruakura Development, and by condition (2.2) before any Ruakura Development site construction work or Ruakura Development road work begins.

We seek the EPA’s assistance to ensure that these changes are put into place in the District Plan through the Ruakura Development Plan Change.

(3) Provision number three that we wish the EPA to consider today. Access to the Knowledge Zone and Suburban Centre from Ruakura Road.

Cycle Action Waikato, CCS Disability Action, and Living Streets, have discussed with Tainui and their consultants, Traffic Design Group, providing a safe crossing for walking, cycling, and the mobility impaired, across Ruakura Road, to the Tainui-proposed Ruakura Development Knowledge Zone and Suburban Centre.

The original Ruakura Development's cycle and pedestrian network has a double-headed arrow across Ruakura Road, indicating a 'Cycle and Pedestrian Access Point', which demonstrates that the Ruakura Development Plan Change realises a safe pedestrian /cycle crossing is needed there.

Safe walking and cycling access is needed from all four directions to the Knowledge Zone.

The Knowledge Zone Eastern Access (from Hillcrest) has safe pedestrian and cycle off- road paths both through the University Campus, and along the boundary of Silverdale and Ruakura Roads.

The Knowledge Zone Northern access (from and Flagstaff via Wairere Drive) has a quiet safe route for pedestrians and cyclists via the traffic-calmed MIRINZ Campus.

However, the Knowledge Zone and Suburban Centre Western access (from Claudelands via Peachgrove Road/ Te Aroha St) will not be safe on the north-side path along Ruakura Road, because the Tainui-proposed path does not link between Wairere Drive and the Knowledge Zone. (Please see this on the Cycle and pedestrian Network Map).

This is also the case for the Southern access from Hamilton East and Melville via Wairere Drive, which also does not have safe access.

This means that the majority of pedestrians and cyclists using the southern and western accesses will use the south-side Ruakura Road path and must then cross the busy Ruakura Road to access the Knowledge Zone. The recent pedestrian death (a school-child crossing at the entrance to the AgResearch campus) demonstrated this huge road crossing danger.

Ruakura Road is not a tiny quiet country lane. It is a busy Minor Arterial road, which will become even busier when it is upgraded to Major Arterial with the planned connection to the .

Judy to present … Slide Picture show of Ruakura Road.

Rob to Present We think that building the proposed Knowledge Zone and Suburban Centre right on the boundary of the busy Arterial Ruakura Road creates a Reverse Sensitivity issue because it is generating of additional pedestrian and cycle travel well above the current numbers, who must cross the dangerous Ruakura Road without any safe pedestrian /cycle access from the south or from the west.

At the Tainui pre-hearing meeting we were given an estimate of 1800 workers for the Knowledge Zone.

This danger to additional numbers of walking, cycling, and the mobility impaired, generated by the Ruakura Development Knowledge Zone must be mitigated by the Ruakura Development Plan Change.

Unfortunately the Developer’s Contributions to Hamilton City Council cannot be specifically targeted to provide a safe Ruakura Road pedestrian/cycle traffic-light crossing necessary. Therefore the Development Contribution to Council is a red-herring and must be ignored.

It is unacceptable that the Ruakura Development is providing safe walking and cycling access from only two of four directions (the North and East) to the Knowledge Zone and Service Centre.

We think that Tainui has an obligation to provide safe access for the residents and workers of the Ruakura Development from all four directions.

For Provision number three, we are providing two options to Tainui and the Ruakura Development… Option 3a) We request that the Ruakura Road safe push-button traffic-light crossing to the Knowledge Zone be provided by Tainui and the Ruakura Development, and is put into the Hamilton City Council District Plan by drawing and labeling it onto the updated Cycle and Pedestrian Network Plan of the Ruakura Development Plan Change contained in the rebuttal by Traffic Design Group’s Mark Apledoorn, which is shown on the projection screen.

Option (3b) We request that a shared-use pedestrian / cycle path along the North side of Ruakura Road grass Berm of the roading corridor (between Wairere Drive and the Business Innovation Park pedestrian / cycle path) to connect the Knowledge Zone and Suburban Centre to Wairere Drive pedestrian / cycle path be provided by Tainui and the Ruakura Development, and is put into the Hamilton City Council District Plan by drawing and labeling it onto the updated Cycle and Pedestrian Network Plan of the Ruakura Development Plan Change contained in the rebuttal by Traffic Design Group’s Mark Apledoorn.

Please note that Hamilton City Council has already constructed a shared-use pedestrian / cycle path along the north side of the grass berm of Ruakura Road between Peachgrove Road and Wairere Drive. We are asking Tainui to connect this Hamilton City Council path with the Tainui path at the Business Innovation Park.

We will accept either of these two options 3a or 3b. Tainui and the Ruakura Development must provide one of the options to mitigate the Reverse Sensitivity generated by construction of the Knowledge Zone and Service Centre on the busy arterial Ruakura Road.

We seek the EPA’s assistance to ensure that these changes are put into place in the District Plan through the Ruakura Development Plan Change.

(4) For Provision number four If option 3a is selected, we request a written commitment in the Hamilton City Council District Plan that the construction of the safe pedestrian/cycle push-button traffic-light crossing will be completed and functional (i) before any part of the Knowledge Zone or Suburban Centre are opened and in use, and (ii) before reconstruction begins on the Knighton Road upgrade (from roundabout to traffic lights) as part of the Ruakura Development.

This Ruakura Road / Knowledge Zone crossing is required early on, as the intersection reconstruction of Knighton Road will make it’s pedestrian and cycle crossing very dangerous to all users.

(4) For Provision number four If option 3b is selected, we request a written commitment in the Hamilton City Council District Plan that the construction of the shared-use pedestrian / cycle path along the Ruakura Road grass Berm (between Wairere Drive and the Business Innovation Park pedestrian / cycle path) will be completed and functional (i) before any part of the Knowledge Zone or Suburban Centre are opened and in use, and (ii) before reconstruction begins on the Knighton Road upgrade (from roundabout to traffic lights) as part of the Ruakura Development.

This Knowledge Zone and Suburban Centre Access Path is required early on, as the intersection reconstruction of Kinghton Road will make it’s pedestrian and cycle crossing very dangerous to use.

We seek the EPA’s assistance to ensure that adverse effects on safety and accessibility Formatted for walkers, cyclists, and the mobility impaired that are generated directly by the Ruakura Development (both during its construction, and later during its everyday use) are mitigated.

The four provisions we are asking for must be provided in the District Plan to achieve this mitigation.

Thank you. Are there any questions?