Council Agenda - 26-08-20 Page 99 Project Number: 2-69411.00 Hauraki Rail Trail Enhancement Strategy • Identify and develop local township recreational loop opportunities to encourage short trips and wider regional loop routes for longer excursions. • Promote facilities that will make the Trail more comfortable for a range of users (e.g. rest areas, lookout points able to accommodate stops without blocking the trail, shelters that provide protection from the elements, drinking water sources); • Develop rest area, picnic and other leisure facilities to help the Trail achieve its full potential in terms of environmental, economic, and public health benefits; • Promote the design of physical elements that give the network and each of the five Sections a distinct identity through context sensitive design; • Utilise sculptural art, digital platforms, interpretive signage and planting to reflect each section’s own specific visual identity; • Develop a design suite of coordinated physical elements, materials, finishes and colours that are compatible with the surrounding landscape context; • Ensure physical design elements and objects relate to one another and the scale of their setting; • Ensure amenity areas co-locate a set of facilities (such as toilets and seats and shelters), interpretive information, and signage; • Consider the placement of emergency collection points (e.g. by helicopter or vehicle) and identify these for users and emergency services; and • Ensure design elements are simple, timeless, easily replicated, and minimise visual clutter. The design of signage and furniture should be standardised and installed as a consistent design suite across the Trail network. Small design modifications and tweaks can be made to the suite for each Section using unique graphics on signage, different colours, patterns and motifs that identifies the unique character for individual Sections along the Trail. ©WSP New Zealand Limited 2020 28 Council Agenda - 26-08-20 Page 100 Project Number: 2-69411.00 Hauraki Rail Trail Enhancement Strategy To improve the appeal of the long, flat and open stretches of the Trail, it is suggested to use large vertical elements to provide visual interest and scale. A series of tall legibility marker poles or Pou artwork could be used for visibility across long distances to provide highly visible markers to draw users along the Trail. This could become a more continuous feature of the flat landscape, not only highlighting long trail sections but also junctions, underpasses and other features. These vertical features could also provide a strong element of visual continuity and legibility along the route and contribute to the sense that these isolated stretches of track are part of a connected whole. Similar treatments (or lower pou type features) could also be used along hill paths to support the winding characteristics of hillside paths and/or assist legibility and wayfinding. In some instances, pou type features could be used to detail stories of journeys from the past for (e.g. industrial trails or journeys/paths of exploration or trade, or Mātauranga Maori). 4.8 History, Culture and Arts Sharing the rich social, cultural, and ecological qualities of the surrounding environments with Trail users and visitors provides an opportunity for the Trail to be more than just a cycling or walking experience. Opportunities therefore exist to recognise, protect, enhance and celebrate the rich cultural past, natural heritage, built heritage, landmarks and narratives of the area through the use of public art, signage and other creative platforms. These opportunities include: • Promote community events that reflect and celebrate local history, culture through the arts; • Promote articulation of cultural practices, historic narratives and storytelling to assist users understand their wider meaning; • Promote development of a public art strategy to ensure artwork is meaningful, supportive of heritage or cultural narratives, and appropriately located within its setting; and • Promote site specific art and sculpture that reflect the wider variety of cultural and natural influences. ©WSP New Zealand Limited 2020 29 Council Agenda - 26-08-20 Page 101 Project Number: 2-69411.00 Hauraki Rail Trail Enhancement Strategy 4.9 Economic Return There is a strong desire to realise the potential for an enhanced trail to strengthen the economic wellbeing of the community, and for associated activities to be financially sustainable. This will allow for support and funding from a range of partner organisations for ongoing development, maintenance, programming, and other activities. Measures include: • Promote rider support ventures such as shuttles as well as side ventures which ‘piggy-back’ of the Trail itself, such as combined walking and cycling tours and new accommodation options that will attract existing larger scale tourism providers to complement the Trail experience (e.g. off-trail half-day adventures); • Promote higher surface quality sections of the Trail inside towns and urban area that promote activity by a wide range of users and could promote short journeys such as ‘family cycle trips to local cafes’; and • Recognise that better access to food and accommodation experiences (for local and non- local users) can be used as opportunities for enhancing the Trail experience while improving the economic return. 4.10 Legibility and Wayfinding Clearer, more visible signs can make it easier for users to enjoy the Trail experience, the confusion and distress from people getting lost or confused at key places. Wayfinding can also be affected by poor surface conditions, with users having to concentrate on the Trail surface and missing directional signage or information. The Trail identity can also be reinforced through improved entry point and directional signs. On trail signage and continuity of surface treatments and markings can also improve connectivity to local activities, facilities, and businesses - providing potential users with accessible information on available food and accommodation options. Visual consistency not only achieves a strong identity, but also helps to make the Trail more understandable as a place. Clear and concise design solutions will contribute to legibility and ultimately the user’s comfortable experience of the Trail, with opportunities to: • Develop a cohesive wayfinding (and interpretation) strategy to establish a coherent sense of place and ease of wayfinding / navigation that follows the established trail identity standards; • Promote a framework for clear, effective, visible, safe, and aesthetically pleasing identification and directional communication; • Improve legibility and navigation by using a coordinated suite of signage, wayfinding and technology in urban centres, tourist attractions and services such as i-SITES, rest areas, food, accommodation and other facilities; • Explore opportunities to use surface treatments to enhance legibility and wayfinding, particularly at problem locations (e.g. Kopu and Paeroa); and ©WSP New Zealand Limited 2020 30 Council Agenda - 26-08-20 Page 102 Project Number: 2-69411.00 Hauraki Rail Trail Enhancement Strategy • Identify sites of particular sensitivity, for example ecological, cultural or landscape. 4.11 Function, Maintenance and Safety Improving the Trail surface would improve the user experience, while also reduce ongoing maintenance issues. A poor surface and insufficient width can create a barrier to accessibility and inclusivity. Safety enhancements at key locations and measures to reduce conflict between different types of users would also benefit the function of the Trail. Measures could include: • Long term maintenance and management should therefore be considered and planned for to ensure high design and adherence to New Zealand safety standards, and longevity whilst keeping future maintenance to a minimum; • Promote the safety and experience of trail user’s movement by improving the Trail surface throughout the network; • Recognise that smoother surfaces could attract faster riders and the potential for conflicts with other users - needs to be considered alongside increased width where appropriate; • Promote a feeling of safety through the use of lighting in urban areas, best practice path design and clear sight lines; • Promote better warning to reduce conflict between trail users; • Promote better warning to improve safety where trail users intersected with vehicles and address squeeze points; • Develop and install dedicated bridges for the Trail to separate users from other traffic; • Encouraging a wider range of users through better quality surface treatments and signs promoting shared use; • Recognise that safety enhancements of existing facilities are needed in some locations to improve forward sight-lines, washouts and bridge approaches, and cattle stops; • Design for personal safety by incorporating principles of Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) in the planning and design of the route, rest areas and surrounding land use; • Visibility is an important safety component of the Trail and should therefore promote visual permeability along the routes from surrounding land uses; • Develop an Asset Management Plan and Long-Term Maintenance Programme; • Durability, ease of maintenance, and lower life cycle costs should be considered through the use of innovative and adaptive / flexible materials; • Promote flexible design solutions to deal with the effects of climate change such as sea level rise and major storm events; •