E mahi ngatahi e pai ake ai te taiao Working with our communities for a better environment BBAYAY OFOF PLENTYPLENTY RREGIONALEGIONAL LLANDAND TTRANSPORTRANSPORT SSTRATEGYTRATEGY EENVIRONMENTNVIRONMENT BBAYAY OOFF PPLENTYLENTY TTRANSPORTATIONRANSPORTATION PPUBLICATIONUBLICATION 22007/1007/1 JJUNEUNE 22007007 5 QQUAYUAY SSTREETTREET PPOO BOXBOX 336464 WWHAKATANEHAKATANE IISSN:SSN: 11175-8538175-8538 Offi ces at: Whakatane: 5 Quay Street Whakatane Rotorua: 1125 Arawa Road Rotorua Tauranga: 6 Rata Street Mount Maunganui Depots at: Edgecumbe: Ngaio Place Edgecumbe Opotiki: Church Street Opotiki Contact us: Telephone: 0800 ENV BOP (368 267) Facsimile: 0800 ENV FAX (368 329) Email: [email protected] Website: www.envbop.govt.nz Postal Address: P O Box 364, Whakatane PPROPOSEDROPOSED AAMENDMENTSMENDMENTS TTOO TTHEHE TTENEN YYEAREAR PPLANLAN 22006-2016006-2016 – SSTATEMENTTATEMENT OOFF PPROPOSALROPOSAL PPROJECTROJECT HHQQ PPROPOSALROPOSAL TTOO MMOVEOVE EENVIRONMENTNVIRONMENT BBAYAY OFOF PLENTY’SPLENTY’S HEADQUARTERSHEADQUARTERS TTOO TTAURANGAAURANGA AADOPTEDDOPTED FFOROR PPUBLICUBLIC CCONSULTATIONONSULTATION OONN 1155 MMARCHARCH 22007007 Working with our communities for a better environment – E mahi ngatahi e pai ake ai te taiao Environment Bay of Plenty i Acknowledgements A number of people and organisations have been involved in the development of the Bay of Plenty Regional Land Transport Strategy. Environment Bay of Plenty wishes to acknowledge and thank the following contributors: The Regional Land Transport Committee Councillor A J Herbert (Chairman RLTC), Deputy Chairman B Riesterer, Councillor A von Dadelszen, and Councillor N Oppatt (Environment Bay of Plenty) Mayor C J Holmes (Whakatane District Council) Mayor S Crosby (Tauranga City Council) Mayor J Forbes (Opotiki District Council) Councillor R Chase (Kawerau District Council) Councillor R Paterson (Western Bay of Plenty District Council) Councillor G Searancke (Rotorua District Council) C Allen (Transit NZ) Inspector K Taylor (NZ Police) R Orr (Land Transport NZ) H Satchell (Cultural Interest Representation) B Grammer (Access and Mobility) B Pointon (Bay of Plenty District Health Board) P McQueen (ONTRACK) M Hyde (Road Transport Association) C Leaf (Automobile Association) Technical Committee C Ballantyne, S James (Land Transport NZ) B Dowsett, M Slater, J McGuire (Transit NZ) J Hannah (Smart Transport Coordinator) G Main (Western BOP Sub-region Transport Strategy Coordinator) C Jones, B Hodge and M Calvert (Tauranga City Council) N Claassen and K Thompson (Rotorua District Council) J Tailby (for Whakatane District Council) D Reece (Opotiki District Council) T McDowall (Kawerau District Council) D Hanlen (NZ Automobile Association) C Kerr (NZ Road Transport Association) P Morris (Toll Rail) Project Team Garry Maloney (Transport Policy Manager) and Bron Healey (Transport Planner), Environment Bay of Plenty Ken Tremaine (Project Manager) and Nichola Woodward (Ken Tremaine Consulting) John Hannah (Smart Transport Coordinator) Gary Main (Transport Strategy Coordinator) Western Bay of Plenty Sub region A special thanks to all of those who submitted on the RLTS or took an interest in the development of the Strategy. Transportation Publication 2007/01 Regional Land Transport Strategy Environment Bay of Plenty iii Preface Environment Bay of Plenty through its Regional Land Transport Committee has again risen to the challenges and responsibilities of the Land Transport Management Act 2003, by developing its second Regional Land Transport Strategy. Our first Strategy (also the first in New Zealand under the new legislation) was prepared in response to the rate of growth in the Bay of Plenty. It was one of the pivotal pieces of work enabling us to engage with central government. As a consequence the Ministry of Transport and the region established a Joint Officials’ Group (JOG) in April 2005. The JOG’s objective was to advise on the need for additional funding over the next ten years to improve land transport outcomes in the region. The JOG process culminated in the Crown agreeing to contribute an additional $150 million to the region to address congestion and improve access and safety. These objectives are to be achieved through investment in strategic roading, passenger transport, transport demand management (TDM), and walking and cycling. This allocation is outside the normal priority allocation process of Land Transport New Zealand and Transit. The additional Crown investment required Environment Bay of Plenty, and the Tauranga City, Western Bay of Plenty and Rotorua District Councils to agree to match the Crown’s contribution with $150 million from local sources. They did so through their Long Term Council Community Plans (LTCCPs). However, there is still a degree of uncertainty surrounding the level of nationally-distributed Crown funding that might be available to the region over the next ten years. This poses a challenge in terms of aligning Crown funds allocated on an annual basis with the 10-year funding requirements of LTCCPs and Regional Land Transport Strategies under the Local Government Act 2002 and Land Transport Act 1998. The region also needs to have a greater say in decisions with implications for our land transport system. We believe that the allocation of regionally distributed funds should be made on the basis of the region’s recommendations. Similarly, I believe that local government should have a right of appeal with regard to Transit New Zealand’s decision- making on its 10-year State Highway Forecast. We look forward to the results of a planned and innovative response to the future transportation needs of the Bay of Plenty region and the economic, social and environmental returns they will bring. Athole Herbert Chairman Regional Land Transport Committee Environment Bay of Plenty June 2007 Transportation Publication 2007/01 Regional Land Transport Strategy Environment Bay of Plenty v Contents Acknowledgements .................................................................................i Preface ...............................................................................................iii Contents ................................................................................................v Executive Summary.............................................................................xiii Chapter 1: Introduction ..........................................................................1 1.1 Why we’ve developed the strategy .................................................................1 1.2 What we’ve already done ...............................................................................2 1.3 The Land Transport Management Act 2003 ...................................................2 1.4 Regional policy statement and regional plans ................................................3 1.5 Government transport policy...........................................................................4 1.6 Consultation....................................................................................................5 Chapter 2: Current transport situation in the Bay of Plenty...............7 2.1 The region ......................................................................................................7 2.2 The current transport networks.....................................................................10 2.3 Travel patterns and trends............................................................................12 2.3.1 Mode use......................................................................................................12 2.3.2 Road safety ..................................................................................................13 2.3.3 Heavy vehicles..............................................................................................14 2.3.4 Rail / Port of Tauranga..................................................................................14 2.3.5 Scenic routes................................................................................................15 2.4 Impacts of growth .........................................................................................15 2.5 Land use and transport planning ..................................................................16 Transportation Publication 2007/01 Regional Land Transport Strategy vi Environment Bay of Plenty Chapter 3: Key issues facing the region............................................ 21 3.1 Key economic drivers................................................................................... 21 3.2 Integrating land use and transport................................................................ 21 3.2.1 Eastern corridor............................................................................................ 22 3.2.2 Southern / Western corridor ......................................................................... 22 3.2.3 Northern corridor .......................................................................................... 23 3.2.4 Central corridor ............................................................................................ 23 3.2.5 Rotorua corridors ......................................................................................... 23 3.2.6 Eastern Bay of Plenty corridors.................................................................... 23 3.3 Infrastructure investment needs................................................................... 27 Chapter 4: Vision for the Bay of Plenty region.................................