WANAKA AIRPORT
Transportation Assessment prepared for
Mitchell Partnerships (for Wanaka Airport)
April 2011
Wanaka Airport i
This document has been prepared for the benefit of Wanaka Airport. No liability is accepted by ViaStrada, any of its employees or sub-consultants with respect to its use by any other person.
Quality Assurance Statement Date Project Manager: 03/02/11 Rhys Chesterman
ViaStrada Ltd
Level 6, Link Centre 152 Hereford Street Prepared by: Po Box 22-458 Christchurch 8142 Rhys Chesterman, 08/04/11 New Zealand Warren Lloyd, &
Phone: (03) 281 8003 Jon Ashford Fax: (03) 2581 8004 www.viastrada.co.nz
Reviewed by: 08/04/11 Warren Lloyd
Project Number: 770 Project Name: Wanaka Airport Status FINAL Date: 08 April 2011
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ...... 1 THE PROPOSAL ...... 1 THE EXISTING TRAFFIC ENVIRONMENT ...... 1 Wanaka-Luggate Highway (SH6) ...... 2 Mount Barker Road ...... 4 Lloyd Dunn Avenue ...... 5 IMPACT OF ANTICIPATED TRAFFIC ACTIVITY ...... 6 Operation of the Proposed Activity ...... 6 Parking 7 Access Compliance with District Plan ...... 8 Traffic Generation & Future Access ...... 9 Construction Traffic ...... 10 CONCLUSION ...... 11
Table of Figures Figure 1: Site Location...... 2 Figure 2: Wanaka Airport Sight Visibility to the South-East (towards Cromwell) ...... 2 Figure 3: Wanaka Airport Sight Visibility to the North-West (towards Wanaka) ...... 3 Figure 4: SH6 Annual Average Daily Traffic ...... 3 Figure 5: Mount Barker Road Average Traffic Profile ...... 5 Figure 6: Lloyd Dunn Ave Average Traffic Profile ...... 5
List of Tables Table 1: NZTA Crashes recorded on SH6 - Wanaka airport ...... 4 Table 2: Other Regional Airports Aircraft Movements v Car Parks ...... 7 Table 3: Estimated Future Car Parking for Wanaka Airport ...... 7 Table 4: SIDRA Output ...... 10
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INTRODUCTION
1. ViaStrada has been commissioned by Wanaka Airport to provide a Transportation Assessment in relation to a Notice of Requirement (NoR) to extend the Wanaka Airport Aerodrome. The following report will describe the traffic environment in the vicinity of the site, describe the traffic related components of the proposal, identify any future compliance issues with the traffic standards in the District Plan and then assess the potential traffic effects of the proposal. 2. ViaStrada has been provided with a copy of the NoR application/s prepared by Mitchell Partnerships. More specifically, this includes a copy of the Master Plan for Wanaka Airport which outlines a future development path for the facility.
THE PROPOSAL
3. A Notice of Requirement is required to enable the continued growth and safe functioning of the Wanaka Airport. This will necessitate an additional designated area of 96 hectares of adjoining rural zoned land. The requirement to extend the designation has been identified as a result of growth projections for aircraft operations and operational requirements over the next 20 years and subsequent master planning to identify suitable means of accommodating and providing for this growth. 4. The extent of the aerodrome designation is identified in the application prepared by Mitchell Partnerships. From a traffic perspective, the NoR specifically seeks to extend the existing aerodrome designation to provide for an expansion in airport operations including: Increasing the current runway strip width to 150 metres to allow for larger aircraft;
Extending the existing runway by 550 metres to bring the length of the sealed runway to 1,750 metres;
A new (future) runway with a length of 1,700 metres x 150m wide located adjacent to and parallel to the existing runway;
New buildings including hangers, passenger terminal, control tower and other ancillary works; and
Increased car parking for staff, passengers and rental companies.
THE EXISTING TRAFFIC ENVIRONMENT
5. Wanaka Airport is located on the northern side of Wanaka-Luggate Highway (SH6) as shown in Figure 1 below. The nearest intersection to the main airport access road is Mount Barker Road which is located approximately 190 metres to the west.
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Line = Approximate 8km Wanaka-Luggate Highway (SH6)
Wanaka Airport
Wanaka Township
Mount Barker Road
Figure 1: Site Location
Wanaka-Luggate Highway (SH6)
6. Wanaka-Luggate Highway (SH6) is classified as a major arterial road in the District Plan. It provides the key route between the Cromwell and State Highway 8 (to the south and east) and the Wanaka Township and State Highway 6 and the Haast Pass (to the north and west). It is identified as a primary road in the Wanaka Transportation and Parking Strategy.
7. SH6 outside the airport site comprises a two lane road (one lane in each direction). Each lane is 3.6 metres wide and separated by a painted centreline. Sealed shoulders of approximately 2.0 metres are also provided along each side – as shown in Figure 2 & 3 below.
Figure 2: Wanaka Airport Sight Visibility to the South-East (towards Cromwell)
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Figure 3: Wanaka Airport Sight Visibility to the North-West (towards Wanaka)
8. NZTA have a count station on State Highway 6, South of Cardrona River Bridge which reveals that the road carries around 3,500 vehicles per day. This has grown consistently over the last twenty years. This represents a compounding growth rate of approximately 6.5% per annum between 1990 and 2009 as shown in Figure 4 below.
4,000
3,500
3,000
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Figure 4: SH6 Annual Average Daily Traffic
9. The posted speed limit past the airport site is currently 100 km/hour.
10. There are no dedicated cycle lanes, bus lanes or pedestrian facilities outside the site. This is not unexpected given the rural surroundings.
11. The main road serving the airport is known as Lloyd Dunn Avenue. This is not a legal road. It forms a T-junction with the State Highway and is currently uncontrolled.
12. A search of the New Zealand Transport Agency’s (formerly LTNZ) Crash Analysis System (CAS) database reveals that there have been seven recorded crashes
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within 1 km either side of the airport entrance in the ten year period ending 3 February 2011. These crashes are summarised in Table 1 below. As can be seen, the collisions on the State Highway are infrequent and random in nature. Accordingly, there does not currently appear to be an inherent safety issue at this location.
Table 1: NZTA Crashes recorded on SH6 - Wanaka airport Date Location Details Conditions
Dec 2002 600 m east of Airport Eastbound vehicle loss control at Dry, bright Way corner
July 2004 400 m east of Mt Barker Eastbound vehicle hit stray farm Dry, dark Road animal
May 2005 500 m west of Mt Barker Eastbound vehicle hit stray farm Dry, dark Road animal
Dec 2006 In Airport car park Manoeuvring vehicle hit parked car Dry, bright
Dec 2006 In Airport car park Manoeuvring vehicle hit parked car Dry, bright
Sept 2008 Intersection of Airport Eastbound vehicle on SH6 hit by car Dry, bright Way and SH6 exiting Airport Way. This is described in CAS as “intentional collision, attempted suicide”.
June 2009 Intersection of Mt Barker Inattentive driver failed to notice Wet, dark Rd and SH6 intersection
Mount Barker Road
13. Mount Barker Road forms an angled T-junction to the Wanaka-Luggate Highway and is located approximately 190 metres to the west of the existing airport access, Lloyd Dunn Avenue.
14. Mount Barker Road is sealed for the first 2.5 km and ultimately connects with Cardrona Valley Road (via the Cardrona River), approximately 10 km to the west.
15. A traffic count survey was carried out on Mt Barker Road from 13 March 2011 to 19 March 2011. The survey included hourly counts of total vehicle numbers travelling in each direction, classification and speed. The survey depicts Mount Barker Road is a low volume local road as it carries around 180 vehicles per day.
16. The Figure 5 shows the five day average and seven day average vehicle travel trends over a 24 hour time period. As expected, the road gets busier as the day progresses and carries a maximum of 20 vehicles per hour during the evening peak. It is important to note that both 5 day and 7 day average traffic have similar trends and carry a near identical amount of traffic per day. Note the Y (vertical) scale has been held at 80 vehicles per hour to align with the Lloyd Dunn volumes in Figure 6.
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Figure 5: Mount Barker Road Average Traffic Profile
17. 89% of the traffic recorded over the survey period was classified as light traffic (i.e. cars and utilities). 11% of total traffic that was categorised as heavy commercial vehicles (i.e. heavy vehicles). Speed count data reveals that around 98% of traffic travels at speeds less than 60 km/h. This is not surprising given the proximity of the survey location in relation to the state highway intersection.
Lloyd Dunn Avenue
18. Lloyd Dunn Avenue forms an uncontrolled T-junction on the Wanaka-Luggate Highway and it serves as the main access to the airport and other commercial activities.
19. A similar vehicle traffic survey count was carried out on Lloyd Dunn Avenue at the entrance to Wanaka airport, from 13 March 2011 to 19 March 2011. The survey includes hourly counts of total numbers of vehicles travelling in each direction, classification of vehicles and speed of vehicles. The survey depicts Lloyd Dunn Avenue is a busier road than the Mount Barker Road and it currently carries around 600 vehicles per day.
Figure 6: Lloyd Dunn Ave Average Traffic Profile
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20. The Figure 6 highlights the five day average and seven day average vehicle travel trends over a typical 24 hour period. It is evident from the graph that the northbound (inbound) traffic is the most dominant during the morning peak period 8:00-9:00am. Not unexpectedly, there are two southbound (outbound) peaks around midday (lunchtime) and 5:00pm (end of the working day). 21. The maximum amount of (combined) traffic was recorded during the afternoon period 1:00pm and 2:00pm, which were 70 vehicles per hour. 90% of total vehicles recorded over the survey period were classified as light traffic (i.e. cars & utilities), with the remaining 10% categorised as heavy commercial vehicles. 22. Speed count data shows vehicles are tending to travel considerably less than 50 km/h. This is mainly because vehicles are slowing as they crossed the traffic counter that was located close to the state highway intersection.
IMPACT OF ANTICIPATED TRAFFIC ACTIVITY
Operation of the Proposed Activity
23. The land area of this NoR will provide for the growth projections for aircraft operations and operational requirements over the next 20 years. The expansion plans for the airport are currently guided by the Wanaka Airport Master Plan (prepared by Peak Projects International Limited in 2008) which emphasises the period 2009-2019. A subsequent addendum to the Master Plan was prepared in 2010 by Airbiz which updates the 2008 projections and incorporates a revised runway design. This projects likely growth out to 2036. 24. A number of major capital works items are listed in the Master Plan which includes reference to the sealing of access roads and taxiways, construction of new hangers and a terminal building, construction of new car parks, and an extension of the runway/s. 25. The Master Plan states that the airport is currently a non-certified airfield. From a functional and operational point of view this precludes the operation of scheduled flights for aircraft with seating capacities of more than 30 persons. The current airfield operations are listed in Section 3.6 of the Master Plan. Most notably, this includes a scheduled Air New Zealand flight which utilises a Beech 1900D aircraft with a seating capacity of 19 passengers. 2006 figures suggest that this equates to around 850 ‘scheduled’ landings each year. The combination of all other aircraft operations (including flight seeing operators, pilot training, charter flights, skydive operators, helicopter operators, private aviation etc.) total 21,432 landings per year. This averages around 58 landings/take-offs per day. 26. Ultimately the airport is seeking airport certification. As a result this would increase scheduled services, including larger aircraft and more passengers. This requires additional infrastructure to support the additional loadings. 27. The growth rate is unknown as it ultimately depends on a variety of factors. To this end, high, medium and low growth rates have been suggested in the 2010 Master Plan for target dates of 2016, 2026 and 2036. These range between 21,000 & 24,000 landings per year in 2016 to 31,000 & 45,000 landings per year in 2036. In simple terms this equates to a near doubling of airport operations over the next 20 or so years. This in turn has potential land transport implications as vehicle generation will inevitably increase, which in turn increases pressure for parking and access.
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Parking 28. From the outset it is pointed out that there is sufficient space to provide adequate parking to match the needs of the anticipated activities. Given that future development will be staged over time the airport has the ability to modify the mix of activities operating within the NoR to address any parking or traffic generation- related impacts on the locality or on the road network serving the site. 29. There are no dedicated parking rates for airport activities contained within the District Plan, although there are a number of subcategories listed in Section 14.2.4.1 (Table 1) which refers to commercial activities, industrial activities, service activities and offices etc. These could provide guidance for parking, although the airport itself is in the best position to determine their actual need. It is in their best interests to ensure that the site is self-sufficient for parking. To this end, the current District Plan Designation provisions contained within Appendix 1 A1-E.1(b) (Wanaka Airport) which provide for car parking as a permitted activity is considered appropriate. 30. In order to put the parking requirements into perspective, an analysis of two other New Zealand airports have been investigated. This includes the Nelson and Palmerston North Airport. From a parking perspective, these other regional airports can be summarised as follows:
Table 2: Other Regional Airports Aircraft Movements v Car Parks
Aircraft Movements Number of Car Parks Regional Airport (per year) Provided Nelson 51,000 580
Palmerston North 56,000 633
31. The Wanaka Airport Master Plan forecasts aircraft movements to be around 21- 24,000 by 2016, 27-35,000 by 2026 and 31-45,000 by 2036. Applying the same parking ratios from Nelson and Palmerston North, Wanaka might require the following future parking supply:
Table 3: Estimated Future Car Parking for Wanaka Airport
Future Year Aircraft Movements (per year) Estimated Number of (from the Wanaka Airport Car Parks Required 2010 Addendum to Master (applying a rate of Plan) 0.0113 car parks per aircraft movements in one year) Wanaka 2016 24,000 271
Wanaka 2026 35,000 396
Wanaka 2036 45,000 509
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32. It is reiterated that the site is sufficiently large enough to provide this level of car parking if the development potential is ever realised. 33. It is envisaged that all parking dimensions can (and will) accord with District Plan guidance and/or the relevant Australian/New Zealand Standard 2890.1:2004 Parking Facilities. This also includes the requisite number and dimensions for disabled/accessible spaces. Furthermore, adequate circulation and manoeuvrability can be provided to ensure that all vehicles (large and small) can enter and exit the site safely and efficiently. 34. It is envisaged that all parking and manoeuvring areas for vehicles will be adequately formed, sealed, drained and maintained. 35. The size of the site is also such that adequate loading can be provided in an appropriate location.
Access Compliance with District Plan 36. The main airport access (Lloyd Dunn Avenue) is located approximately 190 metres from the nearest intersecting road, Mount Barker Road. 37. The District Plan suggests that all vehicular access shall be in accordance with NZS4404:2004 (See District Plan Rule 14.2.4.1(iv)). New Zealand Standard 4404:2004 Land Development and Subdivision Engineering has recently been updated with a new Standard NZS4404:2010 Land Development and Subdivision Infrastructure. The 2004 version referred to a number of minimum requirements including a comment that road reserve widths shall be selected to ensure that adequate carriageway, footpaths, berms and batters can be provided to retain amenity values (including landscaping) and enable services to be provided safely and in economically accessible locations. They shall be planned to cope with estimated long-term community needs even though construction may be carried out only to shorter term requirements…(page 46). In terms of actual geometric design, guidance is referred to from Austroads publications. 38. The NZS4404:2010 version attempts to simplify the 2004 version, while allowing for greater flexibility. The key objective is to provide roads that are safe for all road users and designed to the context of their environment (page 56). Geometric design is essentially deferred to relevant Austroads and NZTA guidelines (Section 3.3.2, page 64). 39. NZTA guidance from the Planning Policy Manual ultimately requires access to be designed in accordance with their Diagram E. This essentially requires shoulder widening of at least 90 metres in length and to a width of 6.0 metres (measured from the centreline) either side of the access. This is intended to provide for high volumes of traffic. Although this design would meet the generic access configuration suggested by NZTA, this does not necessarily mean that they will lend their support to the proposal. Given the likelihood of the airport generating higher traffic volumes in the future, together with increased (tourist activity) volumes from other nearby land use activities. An improved access arrangement should be considered so as to integrate with and meet the needs of the area and the state highway. This will be discussed in further detail under the heading Traffic Generation and Future Access. 40. In terms of District Plan compliance it is emphasised that the site is flat and sight visibility in both directions from the site access is excellent. This includes more than 600 metres in each direction. In terms of District Plan Rule 14.2.4.2(iv)(Table
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3) Minimum Sight Distances from Access, the site can easily provide the 250 metres required for a road with a 100 km/hour speed limit. 41. Where a site has an arterial road frontage greater than 100 metres, it is permitted up to two vehicle crossings (See Rule 14.2.4.2(v)(Table 4)). The current access arrangements comply with this rule. This rule is also subject to another Rule 14.2.4.2(vii) which states that the minimum distance between any two vehicle crossings (regardless of the side of the road on which they are located), onto a state highway situated in the Rural General zone shall be 200 metres. The current access arrangements comply with this rule. 42. Rule 14.2.4.2(vi)(Table 5) states that any site access with frontage to an arterial road with speed limit of 100 km/hour requires a minimum intersection setback of 100 metres. Mount Barker is located approximately 190 metres to the west and therefore complies with this rule. 43. Rule 14.2.4.1(ix)(Table 2) requires a maximum queuing length of 30 metres where a site provides more than 151 car parking spaces. The queuing length into the site easily complies with this. 44. It follows that airport development already complies with the District Plan standards, especially those in relation to access.
Traffic Generation & Future Access 45. Because of the nature of a designation it is not possible to determine the likely future trip generation with absolute precision. There are a variety of factors that could influence future traffic volumes along SH6, including unknown development potential in the region. For example growth in Luggate could increase the level of traffic experienced on a daily basis, as could the ever increasing popularity of Wanaka as a tourist destination. Other factors such as the popularity of the Haast Pass route could add further tourist traffic. Specific development proposals near the application site and expansion of the airport itself could also add to the overall volumes. 46. Access to and from the airport is currently via a single vehicle crossing known as Lloyd Dunn Avenue. This currently forms an uncontrolled T-junction with SH6. 47. In order to test the capacity of the surrounding road network a series of assumptions have been made. This firstly compares the airport traffic with the current state highway volumes, and then makes a number of assumptions with some assigned growth rates based on historical traffic information1 and comparisons of other regional airports2. 48. An analysis of the predicted state highway and airport traffic has been undertaken using SIDRA to determine if there is sufficient capacity at the Lloyd Dunn intersection with SH6. The model uses the current T-junction configuration and volumes have been assessed up until 2036.
1 SH6 volumes are based on continued growth as per Figure 4. 2 Lloyd Dunn volumes have been derived using 3% growth per annum and alignment with increased traffic generation associated with the airport growth.
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Table 4: SIDRA Output
Daily Traffic Volume Worst Movement Year SH6 Lloyd Dunn Level of Ave. delay Length of queue service (sec) (m) 2011 3,500 600 B 15.0 6.5 (Existing)
2016 4,710 690 C 15.4 9.7
2026 6,040 870 C 17.7 13.9
2036 7,240 1,080 C 24.4 18.5
49. The results in Table 4 show that the expected increase in state highway and airport volumes show a minor increase in delay and queue lengths and a decrease in level of service between 2011 and 2016. These results are influenced primarily by geometric delay to state highway vehicles slowing down to enter Lloyd Dunn Avenue. These results do not initiate a need for an intersection redesign with increased capacity, however a simple right turn bay would be desirable to keep right turning traffic out of the 100 Km/hr through lane. It should also be noted that SIDRA does not assess safety. 50. This all confirms that the current T-junction can continue to operate efficiently and with only minor change in the level of service with the expected growth. 51. That said, it is acknowledged that with additional growth in the area (including the airport and other adjoining land use), the area will become a hub for tourist activities – including increased traffic. Multiple access points along a short section of high speed roads are not desirable, particularly when visitors will be travelling between these activities. This is a view shared by NZTA who are interested in safety, efficiency and intuitive design for drivers. It would be desirable to provide an integrated solution that rationalises the vehicle access points along this stretch of road and considers internal linkages with adjoining sites. Wanaka Airport is currently exploring options that would see an internal network with a single intersection on the Wanaka-Luggate Highway (SH6). This however will ultimately require agreement from third parties.
Construction Traffic
52. The development of the NoR site would be staged over a period of several years. The works required on the site will entail: Road works and site earthworks for construction of runways, taxiways, road vehicle areas and building platforms. Construction of hangars and other terminal buildings etc. Construction of specialist facilities such as fuel depots etc. Construction of office-type buildings including potential administration areas, and control towers.
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General grounds works including turfing, landscaping and fence erection and maintenance. 53. The overall construction effort will most likely be conventional and spread over a prolonged period. Thus the construction traffic impacts will be modest, and any identified construction effects would be addressed by way of the site’s construction traffic management plan. Such plans would be developed as required as part of the contractor’s and Wanaka Airport’s duty of care under OSH, and in terms of district and regional plan’s resource consent and building code requirements relating to discharges to ground, water and air during construction.
CONCLUSION
54. The NoR provides for a range of traffic-generating activities to be established and/or increased. The actual level of traffic generation from the airport is unknown, although in simple terms this could equate to a near doubling of airport operations over the next 20 or so years. 55. Car parking and manoeuvring can all be wholly contained within the airport site. 56. Access is a key issue. While the current access (in isolation) complies with requirements specified in the District Plan, together with guidance from New Zealand Standards, Austroads publications and the NZTA Planning Policy Manual diagrams, there will come a point where access arrangements will require further consideration. Given the low volumes on the network, the main airport T-junction access can operate efficiency for some time without any noticeable reduction in the level of service. This conclusion considers a near doubling of traffic on both the state highway and the airport access. The proximity of other land use activities in the area, including factors such as increasing traffic volumes, high speed and multiple access points suggests that safety could be compromised. This will ultimately require further consideration as the surrounding area develops and will necessitate consultation with and input from adjacent land owners and the NZTA. 57. In summary of the relevant traffic considerations above, it is concluded that in an overall sense, the effects of the proposal can all be internalised and/or mitigated to ensure a safe and efficient operation. Accordingly, the effects can be considered to be no more than minor and can therefore be supported from a traffic perspective.
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